And pigs might fly... Who thought we would see flying cars in 2024?

 Flying cars are an old dream sometimes portrayed in SciFi books. Believe it or not, flying cars already ceases to be just a dream. A dozen protoypes have been produces some small companies are making flying cars to order.

Here are a few  of the best flying cars being presented now.

KLEIN VISION AIRCAR

Engineered by BMW, Klein Vision AirCar was given an ‘Official Certificate of Airworthiness’ by the Slovak Transport Authority in early 2022 on completion of 70 hours of flight testing and over 200 takeoffs and landings. AirCar is a vehicle that can transform from a car into an air vehicle in less than 3 minutes. With retractable wings and folding tail surfaces, AirCar can function on both the road and in the sky. AirCar prototype 1 flew at altitude 2,500 meters and reached speed 190 km/h.

RENAULT AIR4

Renault and TheArsenal joined forces and it was born futuristic study the legendary ʺKatrceʺ, which is now actually a flying quadcopter, or a kind of drone. The design of the Renault Air4 is based on the original image with a modern twist and is made entirely of carbon fiber. The headlights are in LED technology The drive is represented by four propellers, which are placed on the edges of the concept.

 

 

AEROMOBIL 3.0

This is not a just flying car, but a collapsible one. It is designed to be perfectly legal for the road, so that you can drive it on regular gasoline and fit it into any standard parking space. It is able to take off at 90 mph. It has a range of 430 miles. The company hasn’t announced any official target for a commercial launch.

AEROMOBIL-4.0

This flying car is focused on comfort, durability and stability. Special attention has been paid to keeping this lightweight, but not at the cost of style and comfort. Among the flying cars the Aeromobile has a reputation for being a luxurious vehicle It comes with an advanced automotive crash structure design and occupant restraint systems. It also features a ballistic recovery parachute for the entire vehicle.

BLACKFLY

The blackfly is promoted to sell at the price of an SUV! The  company is partially backed by Larry Page who has been supposed to be tinkering with the prototype for quite some time. The BlackFly does not operate like a car on the road though, as it has to be carried by a pair of carts while on the roads. It can only seat one person weighing up to 250 lbs. But it is affordable unlike most of the other flying cars for sale. It is designed to take off and land vertically and can fly at a maximum speed of 62 mph. Without recharging the onboard battery, it can fly for about 25 miles. In the U.S., it can fly only over non-congested areas.

CARPLANE

This is one of the few flying cars to be awarded a government subsidy, which happened in 2016 when the German government awarded it half a million Euros in subsidy. The company presented its developments at the International Automobile Show in Frankfurt before presenting it in Beijing. What sets the Carplane apart from the others is that it is a convergence product, meaning that it is designed to handle all kinds of usage, private and commercial..

THE FUTURE OF FLYING CARS

There is still some time before the real flying cardream actually comes true. The first recorded flight of such a car was in 2006. Most of the flying cars out there are hover cars, and the models listed here are prototypes as of now, though most of them have passed the accreditation tests. 

Presented by Rob Longwell, editor