Flying Car

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PHXPhlyer
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Flying Car

#1 Post by PHXPhlyer » Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:04 pm

Flying car completes 35-minute test flight between cities

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/30/business ... index.html

https://www.klein-vision.com/

London (CNN Business)A prototype flying car has completed a test flight between two cities in Slovakia, spending 35 minutes airborne.

Klein Vision's AirCar flew between Nitra and the capital Bratislava on Monday, according to a press release published Wednesday.
The AirCar Prototype 1 is powered by a 160 horsepower BMW engine, and comes equipped with a fixed propeller. It transforms from aircraft to road vehicle in less than three minutes.
It has now completed more than 40 hours of test flights, according to Klein Vision, including flying at 8,200 feet and reaching a maximum cruising speed of 190 kilometers per hour (118 miles per hour).
After landing in Bratislava on Monday, the aircraft transformed into a car, and was driven into the city center by Klein Vision CEO Stefan Klein and company co-founder Anton Zajac.

"AirCar is no longer just a proof of concept," Zajac said in the press release. "It has turned science fiction into a reality."
The company is working on a model called AirCar Prototype 2, which will boast a 300 horsepower engine.
It is expected to be able to cruise at 300 kilometers per hour (186 miles per hour) and have a range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).

Boeing and Porsche team up to develop flying electric car
Klein Vision plans to develop three- and four-seater models of the AirCar, as well as twin-engine and amphibious versions, according to its website.
A growing number of companies are exploring the potential of flying vehicles despite hurdles including safety and reliability. Flying vehicles would need to operate in crowded airspace, near small drones and traditional airplanes, and also need a regulatory framework, which could take years.

Japanese company successfully tests a manned flying car for the first time
Uber (UBER) and Hyundai (HYMTF) unveiled plans for an electric flying taxi at last year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Michael Cole, the CEO of Hyundai's European unit, said on Tuesday that the South Korean automaker is working "very actively" on the program.
Volkswagen (VLKAF) said in February that it is looking into flying vehicles in China. Meanwhile, Porsche, Daimler (DDAIF) and Toyota (TM) have all backed startups in what is known as the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) industry.
In August 2020, Japanese company Sky Drive Inc. conducted Japan's first public demonstration of a flying vehicle. The car took off from Toyota Test Field and circled for around four minutes.

PP

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Re: Flying Car

#2 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Jul 01, 2021 7:40 am

Very neat, but he should have put the prop horizontal.

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Re: Flying Car

#3 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Jul 03, 2021 4:57 pm

Holy Klein Batman...

Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

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Re: Flying Car

#4 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sat Jul 03, 2021 6:43 pm

I saw a twin engined jet at Bedford 30 years ago. It was in the corner of the hangar, 4 seats though the rear pair were taken up with data recorders. You could span the jet intakes with your fingers. It really looked the ultimate in light aircraft.

I did find out a bit about it on TOP but can't remember. Now that, matched to the car design would have been something.

Back to the FC, I guess road performance, speed and manoeuvrability would not be as important as a similar spec road car. You want a burn, just pull and rotate 😊

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Re: Flying Car

#5 Post by EA01 » Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:27 am

Who wants to be the first to test spin recovery?? ..... :/

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Re: Flying Car

#6 Post by PHXPhlyer » Mon Nov 27, 2023 11:43 pm

$170,000 flying car created in Oregon takes off on first successful flight
Samson Sky's CEO said his Prineville company has been working on 'Switchblade' for 15 years. It can switch from driving mode into flying mode in three minutes.

https://www.12news.com/article/news/loc ... ca523cddc3

PRINEVILLE, Ore. — A new kind of car could soon be pulling out of the garage, down the road and into the skies.

An Oregon company has created a flying car that can switch from driving mode into flying mode within three minutes. Samson Sky, based in Prineville, said the Switchblade flying car could be available to consumers within a few years.

"With this kind of vehicle, you're never stopped," said Sam Bousfield, Samson Sky CEO and Switchblade's designer. "You can drive underneath poor weather or take and fly above construction delays or just boring scenery when you want to get somewhere fast."

The car's design fits with the name—the wings and tail unfold like that of a switchblade to switch into flying mode.

"We set it up so it's exactly the same as a regular aircraft when you're flying or as a regular car when you're driving," Bousfield said.

The gas pedal in the car doubles as the right rudder, a left pedal is unused in driving mode, but is the pedal controlling the left rudder in flying mode.

Bousfield was an architect for 26 years and towards the end of that time, he started tinkering with different inventions. He saw the future of transportation as taking off into the skies, and created the Switchblade.


"We're not the first flying car, there's been many attempts," Bousfield said. "Many, many that have flown before us, but none commercially successful. So we had to crack that nut, why are they not being successful and I think partly is they didn't use market surveys to find what people really wanted."

His design features two seats sitting side by side, instead of a single or tandem configuration.

Bousfield said, "The Switchblade is a combination of three features that no other flying car in history has ever had. True flying car, drives and flies. Second, it's high performance in both modes and third is it's practical for everyday use."

WATCH: See the $170,000 flying car designed in Oregon



At an airfield in Moses Lake in Washington state mid-November, a pilot put the Switchblade to the ultimate test for its first test flight. It had been off the ground on short touch and go's before, but never at this height and duration.

"We took off from the airport, went up 500 feet off the ground and flew what's called a pattern: a circle around to where you leave the runway, you circle the airport and you come back into land on that same runway," Bousfield said.

It stayed in the air for six minutes before touching back down. Bousfield watched from the ground, proudly watching his 15-year invention take off and land successfully.

Demand for the Switchblade is taking off. More than 2,300 reservations have come in from all 50 states and across 57 countries. People will need a pilot's license to fly the experimental aircraft and driver's license to drive the three-wheeled vehicle.

Samson Sky said in a release that the Switchblade can reach speeds of 125 mph on the ground and 190 mph in the air. The starting price is estimated to be around $170,000.

https://www.samsonsky.com/

Bousfield said his company will move forward with building three different prototypes and then proceed to beat and break them to find any and all flaws.

Production of the Switchblade is expected to start in about two years.

PP

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