Article from BTNews 5 JULY 2021
Flying Car Progress
As first reported in AND FINALLY AirCar, a dual-mode car-aircraft is making substantial progress.
See BTN 9 November 2020 AND FINALLY: The flying car. 
The 'machine' has moved closer to production, fulfilling a key development milestone in a 35min flight from Nitra (Western Slovakia) to the international airport in the capital Bratislava.
After landing, at a click of a button the aircraft transformed into a sports car in under three minutes and was driven by its inventor, Professor Stefan Klein and co-founder, Anton Zajac to downtown Bratislava, cutting the typical travel time by a factor of two.
“Professor Stefan Klein is the world leader in the development of user-friendly Flying Cars,” said Dr Branko Sarh, Senior Technical Fellow, Boeing Co. “The automated transition from road vehicle into an air vehicle and vice versa, deploying/retracting wings and tail is not only the result of pioneering enthusiasm, innovative spirit and courage; it is an outcome of excellent engineering and professional knowledge,” he added.
The AirCar Prototype 1 is equipped with a 160hp fixed-propeller engine and a ballistic parachute. Under the supervision of the national civil aviation authority, it has completed over 40hrs of test flights, including steep 35-degree turns and stability and manoeuvrability testing. AirCar Prototype 1 has flown at 8200ft and at 45% engine power it reached a speed of 170km/h.
A second AirCar Prototype 2, the pre-production model, will be equipped with a 300hp engine and receive the EASA CS-23 aircraft certification with an M1 road permit. With its variable pitch propeller, the Prototype 2 is expected to have a cruise speed of 300km/h (162kt) and range of 1000km (621m).
www.klein-vision.com
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WILLIAM ASHPOLE, United Kingdom
A wonderful achievement chaps BUT! Flying cars and taxis to reduce road congestion in cities and elsewhere-What a great idea! Add to this the thought of thousands of drones delivering parcels to our doors. What could possibly go wrong? -both of these schemes seem to me to be the height of utter lunacy! Ah! – I forgot, AI and other technologies will render this nightmare safe. Why not bring back hydrogen filled dirigibles?