Powered by a BMW engine and normal fuel, the AirCar flew for 35 minutes between two Slovakian airports in 2021, using runways for take-off and landing.

It took just over two minutes to transform from a car into an aircraft.

Now vehicles made based on its design will be used within a “specific geographical region” of China.

Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company, headquartered in Cangzhou, has purchased exclusive rights to manufacture and use AirCar aircraft inside an undisclosed area.

  • @airbussy@lemmy.one
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    668 months ago

    Man I hope this concept never “gets off the ground”. I don’t trust the average person in a car. Let alone in a flying machine? But it seems like such a waste of a concept. Probably can’t use it in most cities, with big airports usually claiming the airspace around them. This one still requires a runway to take off. Try and find the space for that in a city.

    • @Pringles@lemm.ee
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      28 months ago

      I think the main application is for licensed pilots to be able to simply drive their plane home and store it somewhere that doesn’t cost a ton of money every month, as would be the case with a regular plane.

      Also, you can land it and then drive to your destination, for example. The concept is to replace planes, not cars.

    • @ConstipatedWatson@lemmy.world
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      28 months ago

      I agree. There is this scene at the very beginning of Back to the Future 2 where the sky is full of flying cars and they risk running into each other because there are no lanes and everyone is driving recklessly. That’s an omen! 😄