The Future Is Here: A Look at Today’s Most Advanced Flying Cars

Futuristic Flying Cars

For more than a century, flying cars have been the stuff of science fiction. From the Jetsons to Back to the Future to some achingly optimistic magazine cover from the 1950s, people have been fantasizing for ages about personal vehicles that zip through the firmament. Well, thanks to modern medicine and some far, far too eager engineers, the days of thinking of flying cars as simply a futuristic fairytale are over…they’re here for real.

A Glance Back: The Rocky Road to Flying Cars

The concept of a flying car is not exactly new. In reality, the earliest known attempt was made in the Twenties. Here is a brief history of the flying car…

• 1917 Curtiss Autoplane — Regarded by many as a flying car prototype, this was effectively a small plane with detachable wings. It never really took off before the project was shelved.
• 1949 Taylor Aerocar — This was a road-legal car with detachable wings. It actually worked and even won FAA certification, but it never entered mass production.
• 1973 AVE Mizar — The only car featuring a Cessna airplane tail. As you might have expected, strapping an airplane to a Pinto wasn’t exactly a harmonious relationship, and the experiment ended tragically.

Yet here we are, despite these and so many other failed promises, living in an age when flying cars are finally becoming a reality. So, let’s break down our list of the most futuristic flying cars you could potentially glimpse buzzing overhead sooner rather than later.

Today’s Most Advanced Flying Cars:

Klein Vision AirCar33

A real car-airplane hybrid, the AirCar is the kind of thing you would find in a Bond film. It can travel on roads and lift off like a regular airplane.

• • Top Speed (Air): 120 mph
  • Range: 600 miles
  • Transition Time: 3 minutes from car to plane
  • FAA Certification: Yes
  • Price: Estimated at $800,000
  • Pros: Practical design, real-world usability
  • Cons: Requires a runway for takeoff and landing, expensive

Alef Aeronautics Model AAlef Aeronautics Model A

This one breaks the mold of traditional flying cars by using a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) system, meaning it doesn’t need a runway.

• • Top Speed (Air): 110 mph
  • Range: 200 miles
  • Takeoff Method: Vertical
  • Price: Estimated at $300,000
  • Pros: No runway required, futuristic looks, relatively low cost
  • Cons:  Its range is less than some of its rivals

PAL-V LibertyPAL V Liberty

This Dutch flying car is part three-wheeled car, part gyrocopter. It presents one of the most pragmatic answers to flying cars today.

• • Top Speed (Air): 112 mph
  • Range: 310 miles
  • FAA Certification: Yes
  • Price: Estimated at $399,000 (Sport Edition)
  • Pros: Dependable technology, less expensive than some other choices
  • Cons: Requires a pilot’s license; a runway is necessary

Aska A5Aska A5

A blend of electric car and VTOL technology, the Aska A5 aims to be a practical personal flying vehicle.

• • Top Speed (Air): 150 mph
  • Range: 250 miles
  • Takeoff Method: Vertical
  • Price: Estimated at $789,000
  • Pros: Combines electric vehicle benefits with air travel
  • Cons: Still in beta testing phase, far from cheap

Challenges Facing Flying Cars

As cool as those are, flying cars aren’t about to replace your Toyota Corolla anytime soon. Among the most daunting obstacles are:

• Regulations — Governments are still determining the regulations to apply to air traffic for flying cars. One problem, however, is this: It is not just getting a driver’s license—er, make that a pilot’s license (or something parallel) that poses a barrier to entry.
• Infrastructure — Flying cars will need designated takeoff and landing zones. Cities are not quite set up for that sort of thing.
• Affordability — The typical flying cars on the market run at least $300,000, which is going to make the average commuter vehicle look like a deal.
• Safety Concerns — Crashes on the road are bad. Now imagine one happening mid-air and debris raining down below. Safety technology and procedures must be ironclad before flying cars become common.

So, When Can You Buy One?

If you have a lot of money to burn, some of these flying cars can be pre-ordered even now. But for the Average Joe, we’re likely a good decade or two away from ubiquity. In the meantime, we just have to deal with traffic jams and pin our dreams of being able to fly over one someday.

How about these next-generation flying cars? Could you put your trust in a flying car to take you to work and back every day, or do you imagine that traffic in the sky would be a complete and utter nightmare? Please leave a comment below!