Klein’s dream of the flying car
A dream has come true for the Slovakian inventor Stefan Klein, whom I had already written about here. His Air Car completed a city flight.
First flight successfully accomplished
The dream of the flying car is still alive. Dozens of inventors are working on it. Also the Slovak Stefan Klein. He has spent the last twenty years turning his dream into a reality. He completed the flying prototype of the air car. The successful maiden flight of the took place at Nitra Airport in October 2019. It covered the 89 km separating the 2 cities in just 35 minutes, whereas it would take 57 minutes with a regular car.
Science fiction became reality
The Klein Vision Air Car completed its 142nd landing at the capital’s airport. After landing, the plane was transformed into a sports car in less than three minutes at the push of a button. He was driven into the city center by inventor Klein and co-founder Anton Zajac.
It remains to be seen whether Klein’s air car project will ever make a breakthrough. But the inventor is optimistic: “With this flight, a new era of dual transport vehicles begins”.
Range up to 1000 kilometers
Prototype 1 of the Air Car is equipped with a 160 hp BMW engine with fixed propeller, which accelerates the aircraft to a cruising speed of 190 kilometers per hour. Under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority of Slovakia, he has already completed numerous test flights, including steep 45-degree turns and stability and maneuverability tests.
The latest version, Prototype 2, will be equipped with a 300 hp engine and will receive both the Easa CS-23 aircraft approval and an M1 road approval. The new air car will travel at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour and have a range of 1,000 kilometers.
Is it worthwhile buying such a flying car?
Air Car is much faster and even more economical than a regular car. Let’s say we want to make a trip from Lyon to Rome, roughly a thousand kilometers and 10 hours by car. With the Air Car, taking into account a cruise speed of 300 kilometers per hour, we would do the trip in 3 1/2 hours, thus avoiding iding a night to rest at a hotel. We would presumably burn more gasoline, but the additional cost would be largely offset by the fact that we wouldn’t have to pay motorway fees. In the end traveling by Air Car should cost less than traveling with a regular car.
Can Air Car compete with a private jet?
It depends. On a trip longer than a thousand kilometers, it would be slower than a private jet or even than a turboprop. But on a trip shorter than a thousand kilometers, it would be extremely competitive. Indeed a private jet or a turboprop would cover such a distance in an hour and 1/2 or 2 respectively. But, even if boarding is fast with private planes, we would have to reckon 20 minutes before taking off in 20 minutes after landing. Moreover, we would have to rent a car after landing. That’s the compelling advantage, having a car and a plane at the same time. Not to mention the fact that this flying car can take off on grass, thus being able to use even the smallest airports.