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Wait, A Real Flying Car Exists Now?

by Chris Tognotti

It's the hope that's haunted the dreams of sci-fi fans for generations: a car that could soar through the heavens just as easily as it could cruise along the road. Well, take heart, because those days may soon be upon us. The flying car is finally coming, and damn, does it look cool. It's called the AeroMobil, and it's actually been in the works a long time — the first development on this fantastical-sounding machine began back in 1990. Obviously, it took a while, but a new, third prototype will be unveiled at an Austrian festival in late October, and I'm just sad that I won't get to see it in person.

The design of the AeroMobil looks like high-tech futurism of the utmost order, so you're forgiven for being skeptical whether this is really going to happen. But it's apparently a real thing, at least insofar as the video that the company's released demonstrates — it claims the plane can extend its wings out to the sides and take off into the air, flying approximately 430 miles on a single tank of fuel. And you wouldn't even have to go to some fancy flying car gas station either, as the vehicle will apparently run on standard gasoline.

The AeroMobil is being promoted as a lightyears-jump in personal transit technology, and that's hard to dispute — I mean, come on, it's a flying car. Look at that crazy picture of it gliding above the ground!

And according to AeroMobil's website, it can be accommodated by existing infrastructure.

Aeromobil is a “flying car” that perfectly makes use of existing infrastructure created for automobiles and planes, and opens doors to real door-to-door travel. In terms of automobile configuration, it fits to a standard parking space, its engine enables it to tank at any gas station, it is fully accustomed to road traffic and as a plane it could both take off and land at any airport in the world.

Of course, the legal and procedural issues that would come along with these things rising to prominence are considerable and somewhat unknowable. While there's little reason to doubt the company's claim — why wouldn't it be able to take off from "any airport in the world?" — how airports already running commercial flights would have to adapt to allow for flying car takeoffs is entirely unclear, probably even to the airports.

Given the level of on-runway security that major airports boast, and existing safety rules and regulations at smaller ones, it's impossible to guess whether these things will be embraced or avoided. But, hey... flying cars!

Images: AeroMobil (4)