Geneva Motor Show: World's First Production Ready Flying Car

[Paul Jeffrey]

Apologies in advance, this isn't about sim racing or real racing which is our usual style here at RD, but after seeing this I just had to write an article...

Now those of us reading RD today who have a keen interest in the world of performance road ready vehicles probably know it is Geneva Motor Show time once again, and usually this mecca of car manufacturer presentations and reveals often has some weird and wonderful things to show to the world. Now this is subjective of course, but this new Dutch designed and built machine is possibilly one of the most weird, and wonderful, things I have ever seen at a car motor show before...

Presenting the PAL-V Liberty, the first ever production ready flying car that looks set to be made available to the buying public from as early as 2019..!

Initially coming to the market with the special build Pioneer Edition limited to 90 units and available only to drivers with a valid and active pilot licence, the PAL-V looks set to retail for an eye watering € 499.000, however more "affordable" models will be made available over time, with some coming in around the € 200,000 range. Cheaper than a helicopter but potentially confusing to Arnold Schwarzenegger. "Get to the car that turns into a choppa" doesn't quite have the same ring to it...

Saying that, pretty cool eh?

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Got a spare half mil and fancy flying around in your daily commute? Do you like the look of the PAL-V? Can a flying car really become a mainstream form of motoring in the next few years? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[FeltHat]

we have excuse now for having Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed racing club here at RD

 

[Nick Gregory]

99% sure I'll need another license in order to properly use it.

 

[gamer19]

available only to drivers with a valid and active pilot licence

For sure not to those who owns Cessna licence cause this is for sure not a regular plane. Helicopter, gyrocopter, autogyro or whatever it is and they are much harder to handle, without a doubt.
90 units will be produced ?
My most optimistic estimate is 30 in use after two years.

 

[Wedge]

A new era of car accidents is on its way. The future is here. Can't wait.

 

[Steven Poirier]

anyone want to buy this kind of car will need a pilot licence, will be still legislate like any plane or copter

 

[Lars Hansen]

anyone want to buy this kind of car will need a pilot licence, will be still legislate like any plane or copter

Yep. Good luck getting that thing through the national civil aviation authorities.
Besides, what's the point of it?
Where would you want to drive if you could fly?
Especially given the fact that you can get a used Robinson R22 for somewhere around €100k, which still leaves €400k for a car.....Or two or three.

Helicopter, gyrocopter, autogyro or whatever it is and they are much harder to handle, without a doubt.

It's a helo (of sorts). Look at the main rotor-blades, they're both powered and angled.

 

[Austin Ogonoski]

People can't even deal with kids flying drones in the neighbourhood and yet these entrepreneurs think the average person - who already can barely make it to the supermarket without nearly hitting a pedestrian or another vehicle - want hundreds if not thousands of them flying above their homes?

Pass.

 

[Isaac Chavira]

When is Raceroom going to release it and in Kunos going to put it in ACC? =o)~ LOL

 

[Knoxstar]

I fully expect to see this in the next 007 film.

 

[wombat999]

What a bloody joke!

 

[Tim Tallmadge]

I was wondering how many test dummies died to make this video .......

 

[Icky427]

ive seen youtube intros with better cg.

 

[Helmut Skrdla]

"Flying Car" just seems one of these concepts that doesn't want to die even though it doesn't make sense.

For a true travel aircraft this thing is not going to have the payload. Can you fit four large pieces of luggage, like in a normal car?

When it's airbone it carries around the car bits for useless weight, and when it's on the road it's oversized for a car of it's internal passenger space/volume.

Would also like to see some crash test statistics.

Cool for the novelty and certainly an impressive piece of engineering, but actual real-life applications... near zero.

 

[Enpassant]

In our times flying is still to complicated for a car. It shows the shape of the presented heli/vehicle. Maybe when a man invents some new principle of breaking off the ground, flying car may will be look better.

 

[Mizuhana]

As someone who has been in aviation for over a decade with enough flight hours that I don't care to log them anymore I can safely say no sane pilot is interested in this sort of thing.

 

[Andrew Harper]

Hmmm, well these sorts of ideas will always be around and admittedly this is probably one of the better sorted ones (bolt on engines and wings come to mind!)

Just to be clear on this, aviation licences are some of the most rigorous tests imaginable. It's not in any way like a car test, so they would never let your average pilot just hop into one of these things and fly down to your local shopping centre. It looks like a girocopter (as mentioned above) which makes the whole mechanics of the thing easier (and more simple) so I can see why they chose that route.

The video shows it taking off from a field, I doubt that most countries would allow that, you's probably need to take flight from an approved take off location, private helipad, small grass runway, etc.

Speaking purely as a Guernsey resident. I live on a small island. Return flights to Gatwick are around £160, trips to our neighboring Jersey are about £120, which is a 20 minutes flight! The ferries don't really offer useful day trips anymore. If I had the money (and when I think all the hassle it would save) this sort of thing would be great for island hopping. Admittedly as mentioned above when you look at the cost, you could get a second hand R22 or R44 and a very decent car as well.

Some of you may have seen this already but Dubai are planning on implementing a remote aerial taxi service, that one I think worries me slightly more! Because being that part of the world, you just know it WILL happen! lol

 

[wombat999]

mod-edit: your comment is not in line with our terms of service

 

[Tberg]

This ain't the future. Electric cars able to go on/off highway "rails" and AI controlled traffic is.

Spielberg had something going 16years ago:

Which reminds me Goodyear presented this vision:

 

[Niels_at_home]

I don't think this will take off.