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Lovely Jubbly - experts design the world's first practical flying car
Last updated at 20:37pm on 01.01.08Experts have designed the world's first practical flying car aimed at frustrated commuters - and it looks like a Reliant Robin.
The bizarre three-wheeled vehicle promises relief to motorists stuck in traffic jams by turning into an aircraft capable of soaring up to 4,000ft above congested roads.
With a top speed of 125mph on land, the Personal Air and Land Vehicle, or PAL-V, corners like a motorbike by automatically tilting as it negotiates each bend.
But hidden in its roof and rear are a foldable rotor, propeller and tail section which allow it to take off and fly at speeds up to 120mph.
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The inventors of the PAL-V believe that the the one-seater car would cost little more than an executive saloon car
Its comical appearance betrays its rapid acceleration from 0 to 60 in just 5 seconds - a far cry from Del Boy Trotter's yellow Robin Reliant in Only Fools and Horses.
Its inventors believe that when the the one-seater cars go on sale to the public, they would cost little more than an executive saloon car.
When airborne, the PAL-V is similar to the tiny autogyro aircraft Sean Connery flew in the 1967 James Bond movie 'You Only Live Twice'.
Called a gyrocopter, the design includes a rotor on the roof to lift it through the air, and a propeller at the rear to provide forward thrust.
To fly the PAL-V you need a recreational pilot's licence, which takes between 10 and 20 hours training to obtain, while a normal driver's licence covers you for use on the road.
Experts have spent six years developing concept versions and are now building the first commercial prototype with a view to begin manufacturing the vehicles soon.
Their target audience are motorists who are fed up with traffic jams. John Bakker, who invented the PAL-V, said: "Since Henry Ford built the Model T Ford, people have been dreaming of a vehicle that could drive and fly.
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"It took almost 90 years before this dream could be realized. Now it will.
"It's fun, it drives like the most sporty solution on the road and it also flies. This will be a revolution in door to door mobility in the near future.
"In countries with underdeveloped infrastructure it means safe and faster transportation but also in developed countries it will save people lots of time.
"The PAL-V is a solution to the increasing levels of congestion in our cities, highways and skyways.
"Soon private flying will no longer be the exclusive domain of executives and celebrities.
"Driving and flying will be combined in one vehicle that could cost little more than an executive saloon car."
The vehicle needs 165ft to take off in and just 16ft to land, and it can fly for 340 miles under its fuel-efficient and environmentally certified car engine.
The same engine works for both road and air travel and runs on normal unleaded petrol, which means you can refuel at any roadside service station.
It can be driven and flown using the same controls by switching between two different modes.
On the ground, the slim-line vehicle is as comfortable as a luxury car but has the agility of a motorbike, thanks to its patented "tilting" system.
The single rotor and propeller are folded away until the PAL-V is ready to fly.
In the air, the PAL-V flies under the 4,000 feet floor of commercial air space and can therefore take to the sky without having to file a flight plan.
The autogyro technology means that it can be steered and landed safely even if the engine fails as it descends upright rather than nose-diving.
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Flying car: despite it looking suspiciously like a Robin Reliant, the makers of the PAL-V believe it can fly motorists out of traffic jams
Flying Machine: The flying car looks suspiciously like Del Boy's old faithful Robin Reliant
Unlike a helicopter, the rotor of an autogyro is driven by aerodynamic forces alone once it is in flight.
The PAL-V's Dutch makers anticipate a time when such vehicles are so widely used that people will fly along sky highways, directed by GPS and using radar to prevent collisions.
They also claim there are already plans to build up to 60 heli-sites across their home country to cope with a new era of air traffic.
They believe it could also be used commercially for surveillance purpose and by emergency services.
The project gathered momentum after new European rules made it cheaper and easier to obtain licenses and certification for aircraft under 600kg built using standard components.
Reader views (8)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
This is a sweet idea, to bad our masters will not allow it. Imagine "road rage" in the air. It would also be too much of a nightmare for air traffic control and its equivalents elsewhere in the world.
Nice thought in any event.
- Ap, Campton, USA
If you need 165 feet to take off and you are in a traffic jam, where does one get that 165 feet from? Do you get out and block traffic so you can take off?
- Chris, USA
A fender bender? Don't forget drunk drivers and as Ali mentioned those really bad drivers!
This is a nightmare waiting to happen.
- Magginkat, North Florida, USA
What about the overhead electric wires? Especially when it's time to land.
- Simon, Canada
Autogiros have been around for 80 years or so and have never caught on because they are not really practical and only useful in certain situations.
You won't get high mileage in the air (that overhead rotor creates a lot of drag as well as lift) and it means the engine will be screaming at 100% most of the time.
And one little fender-bender will mean tons of damage to the exposed workings -and any repairs to an aircraft have to be done by a certified aircraft mechanic (want to guess how expensive that will be?) and checked over by government agencies.
Good luck, guys!
- Jerry, South Florida, USA
Sure, like they are going to allow these to fly over populated areas of London when the public prove time and again they can't be trusted to safely drive vehicles on the ground!
- Ali, London
"It's comical appearance" is entirely based on the fact that it has three wheels? I think it's funnier to watch car stuck in traffic.
I will believe it when I see it for sale, however. Nice drawing but I doubt it will cost less that £50k.
- Peter, Battersea
Most people can't drive very well, but we expect them to be able to FLY, and a rotorywing at that!
Never going to get off the ground - it's all silly.
- Trunk, US
