Watch: AirCar, the car that can transform into a plane, certified to fly by EASA

A team of eight specialists worked for more than 100,000 hours to develop the two-seater prototype which is powered by a 1.6ltre BMW engine.

A flying car has been certified to take to the skies following the successful completion of 70 hours of rigorous test flights in Slovakia.

The AirCar performed more than 200 takeoffs and landings as well as a full range of flight and performance manoeuvers, in line with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards.

A team of eight specialists worked for more than 100,000 hours to develop the two-seater prototype which is powered by a 1.6ltre BMW engine.

 

Professor Stefan Klein, the inventor and leader of the development team as well as the AirCar test pilot, says the certification opens the door to the mass production of "very efficient" flying cars.

The car can transition between a road-going vehicle and small aircraft by deploying and retracting wings that tuck neatly along the body of the car.

The car can transition between a road-going vehicle and small aircraft by deploying and retracting wings that tuck neatly along the body of the car.

Klein Vision, the company behind the project, has already completed tests of a new powerful and lightweight Airmotive aviation engine, which can push the AirCar to speeds of more than 300km/h and provide a range of about 1,000km.

The new production model is expected to be certified within 12 months.

"50 years ago, the car was the epitome of freedom," says Anton Zajac, the project cofounder.

"AirCar expands those frontiers, by taking us into the next dimension; where road meets sky."