Your eyes are not deceiving you: This car is soaring sky-high! The AirCar is a two-passenger sports car that can roll on the road and fly through the air like a plane.
The convertible craft has wings that can be unfolded with the click of a button. The AirCar can fly as high as 8,200 feet—and as fast as 118 miles per hour.
The high-tech prototype recently completed a 35-minute test flight between two airports in Slovakia, the Eastern European nation where it was constructed. Like traditional airplanes, the vehicle requires a runway to take off and land.
Klein Vision, the company that developed the AirCar, says the craft will cut down on travel time. It also says the vehicle will simplify trips between cities, because drivers won’t have to find another source of transportation to reach their final destinations after landing.
Globally, dozens of other flying vehicles are in the works, although not all of them will double as cars. Many developers are focused on creating air taxis that will operate more like helicopters to shuttle people around crowded cities.
Some companies hope to start selling their flying vehicles in a few years. But challenges lie ahead. Rules for air traffic and safety will need to be developed. And cost may be a hurdle. The craft are expected to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each.