Mind-blowing flying car makes world’s first flight with PASSENGER & half-plane hybrid could soon be soaring over cities
A MIND-BLOWING flying car has made history after conducting the world’s first flight with a passenger.
Music legend Jean-Michel Jarre, 75, took off in KleinVision’s half-plane hybrid, known as the AirCar, in Slovakia this week to mark the company’s latest milestone.
The French electronic artist completed two flights in the futuristic vehicle at Piestany international airport in front of mesmerised onlookers.
Made in Slovakia by Professor Stefan Klein and KleinVision’s co-founder Anton Zajac, the AirCar was approved for flight in 2022 following more than 200 successful takeoffs and landings.
The year before, the record-breaking vehicle had become the first flying car to complete an intercity flight.
Now, a successful flight involving a passenger has been added to the growing list of milestones.
As a long-time supporter of future tech, Jarre jumped at the chance to become part of history.
“One second you speak to the driver, and next, you are up there in the air. An amazing experience,” he said.
The AirCar is able to transform from a sports car into a plane within minutes.
The 1,000kg 2-seat dual-mode prototype has foldable wings and a propeller on the back, and only needs 300m of runway to get off the ground and into the sky.
It previously featured on one episode of The Grand Tour, where Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May watched it take off and land.
Footage also showed the vehicle flying at up to 120mph at at 8,000 feet high.
The AirCar is currently powered by 1.6L BMW engine, although the eventual plan is to move to electric power.
“As soon as the technology improves, we will simply run on batteries,” Mr Zajac told Sky News.
He added: “We are bridging the gap between the road and the sky, giving cars the freedom they symbolised 50 years ago.”
The Slovakian government announced plans for flying taxis to be a reality by 2030 in its Future of Flight action plan.
Mr Zajac has high hopes that the AirCar will hit the market in around a year, however.
But in order to operate the vehicle, you’ll need to have both a driver’s licence and a pilot’s licence.
On top of that, you’ll also need to undertake a specialised two-to-three month flying course.
Last month, Tech firm Alef Aeronautics released footage of its own flying car soaring over a busy city.
Dubbed the “commute of the future”, the vehicle can drive on roads and take off to avoid traffic jams.