Flying car launches in the Netherlands

The PAL-V ONE is the first car and gyroplane hybrid to be successfully tested, enabling drivers to travel on roads or through the air.

The concept of a flying car has long been a feature in popular visions of the future, but has never really come to fruition. Now, however, the PAL-V ONE has become the first car and gyroplane hybrid to be successfully tested. While innovative hybrids have been the subject of some of our previous articles – take the amphibious Sealander for example – the PAL-V ONE is the first to combine automobile design with gyroplane technology to create a land-air machine that apparently attains the comfort of today’s land-dwelling cars. The three-wheel slimline car, which utilizes ’tilting’ technology to make the driving experience similar to a motorbike, features gyroplane blades fitted to the top of the vehicle. Users will need to drive to the nearest airfield to take flight, however the PAL-V ONE has short take-off and landing requirements and can get into the air at fairly low speeds. Once in the sky it can reach up to 112 miles per hour and is designed to operate at 4,000 feet or lower — the designated space for non-controlled flights — meaning that it does not interfere with commercial flights. Users will need a driver’s licence and a Sports Pilot Licence in the US or a Recreational Pilot Licence/Private Pilot Licence in Europe. The vehicle will go on sale for USD 300,000 when it hits the market. The video below demonstrates the PAL-V ONE in action: According to Wired, the PAL-V ONE is also joined by the Terrafugia Transition, a “street airplane” which is being demonstrated at the New York International Auto Show this week. Could this be the future of both the automotive and aeronautical industries? Spotted by: Alberto Sequeira