According to Klein Vision, the company behind the “dual-mode car-aircraft vehicle”, the “aircar” was awarded an official certificate of airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority after completing 70 hours of “rigorous flight testing”.
The test flights – which included more than 200 takeoffs and landings – were compatible with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards, the company said in a press release on Monday.
“The challenging flight tests included a full range of flight and performance maneuvers and demonstrated an astonishing static and dynamic stability in aircraft mode,” the company said.
A Klein Vision spokesperson told CNN that a pilot’s license is required to fly the hybrid vehicle, and added that the company expects an “aircar” to become commercially available within 12 months.
A team of eight experts took over 100,000 hours to convert the design concepts into mathematical models, which led to the production of the prototype. The “Aircar” is powered by a 1.6 liter BMW engine, and Klein Vision co-founder Anton Zazak said in a statement to CNN that it runs on “fuel sold at any gas station.”
Jazak said the vehicle can fly at a maximum operating altitude of 18,000 feet.
“AirCar certification opens the door to mass production of very efficient flying cars,” said test pilot Stephen Klein, the car’s inventor and development team leader.
Kiriakos Kourosis, president of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Airworthiness and Maintenance Specialist Group, told CNN that “this is not the first time that similar vehicles have been certified.”
“If the company that is involved in the certification has made a business case, it will make progress in creating a product that can reach the market,” Kourosis said.
“It is the scale that is going to create a lot of new opportunities for employment and for the development of new technologies,” he said.
Kouroussis said that vehicles such as “aircars” could one day replace helicopters.
“The choice of an internal combustion engine for the propulsion system of this vehicle has probably been made to rely on proven technology,” Kouroussis said. “If the use of such vehicles is increased, especially in urban settings, the environmental impact could be substantial.”
“I believe we will see full electric or at least hybrid vehicles in the near future, or similar, contribute to our environmental sustainability goals.”
CNN’s Livy Doherty contributed to this report.
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