flying car
How many times have you been stuck in traffic, wishing to yourself that your car could just take off into the air, fly straight over the backed up highway and get you home within minutes? Flying cars have always been a concept of the future but it’s starting to look as if the future is here. As crazy as it sounds, the PAL-V One has just successfully concluded a series of test flights in their flying car at the Gilze Rijen Airport (The Netherlands). The PAL-V stands for Personal Air and Land Vehicle. It is actually referred to as a gyrocopter and it has the ability to drive like a car on the road and fly like a bird in the sky. The Dutch Company PAL-V Europe NV started developing the PAL-V back in 2001. With a team of Dutch entrepreneurs and a loan from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the company was able to start the research phase. Four years later, in 2005, the project had a huge breakthrough with the maturing of the DCV tilting technology, which allowed for a safer driving experience without any compromise to the aerodynamic shape needed for flying. Patents were made and a very skilled team of engineers with experience in the automotive, aviation and motorcycle worlds were hired. World-class partners were selected and contracted for several system elements which led to the first flight of PAL-V’s proof-of-concept prototype in 2012. Robert Dingemanse, CEO and co-founder of PAL-V said “We are very proud to announce this successful maiden flight of the PAL-V and we now invite investors to create the future with us. We know there is a lot of interest for the PAL-V. Prior to announcing these test flights, we were already approached on a daily basis by potential customers and dealers wanting to be part of this exciting project.” The PAL-V sports a carbon fiber cockpit equipped with two seats for driver and passenger. It’s a 3-wheeled vehicle that drives like a sports car but rides with motorcycle like agility with the ability to fly into the air with