Video: PAL-V Flying Car Kinda Motorcycle Gyrocopter Thingy Flies!
Monday, April 2, 2012 at 09:44PM
I'm willing to go on record saying that I just don't think the idea of having a car that can fly is a really great idea. My biggest issue relates to the fact that flying machines are lightweight... and lightweight flying machines that can be driven on the road (where pot-holes can do serious structural damage), and can be parked with cars driven by reckless human beings (where all kinds of damage can occur) are just too much at risk for having their airworthiness compromised. The worst case scenario is when damage occurs but remains undetected.
Video screenshot of the Dutch PAL-V roadable gyrocopter which has now flown
But there remains a significant desire among many to see the car and the airplane produce some sort of hybrid offspring. The PAL-V flying car project designed and built by the Dutch company PAL-V Europe NV has recently made its first flight as the video above shows. I'll admit that the overall setup here looks pretty sweet and very well executed, but I'll stand by my love for flying machines that only do their wheel rolling on an airport : )
Reader Comments (2)
How much, I'll take 2... You could make the Ultimate wild hogs movie with a few of those
Three wheels lets it be registered as a motorcycle in most states, avoiding automotive crash-worthiness requirements. Too bad it won't qualify as an LSA. The website gives the empty weight as 680 kg (1496 lbs) and the max weight as 910 kg (2002 lbs). That might limit their market; but it's still a neat concept, and they're done some impressive development work.