AeroMobil s.r.o. AeroMobil
| AeroMobil 3.0 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Roadable aircraft |
| National origin | Slovakia |
| Manufacturer | AeroMobil s.r.o. |
| First flight | October 2014 |
| Status | In development |
| Produced | 1990-Present |
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The AeroMobil s.r.o. AeroMobil (variously also styled Aeromobil and AEROMOBIL by the manufacturer) is a Slovak prototype roadable aircraft, designed by Štefan Klein and first flown in 2013. The aircraft will be produced by AeroMobil s.r.o..
AeroMobil s.r.o. company co-founder and CEO Juraj Vaculík indicated in March 2015 that the vehicle is intended for "wealthy supercar buyers and flight enthusiasts". Vaculik expects the aircraft will be available for sale in 2017.[1]
Design and development
The prototype was conceived as a vehicle that can be converted from an automobile to an aircraft. The version 2.5 proof-of-concept took 20 years to develop,[2] and first flew in 2013. The prototype was constructed by the AeroMobil Team, based in Bratislava, Slovakia and led by co-founders Štefan Klein and Juraj Vaculík, advised by inventor Dean Kamen.[3]
As of 2013, there have been four developmental versions of the Aeromobil, 1.0, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0,[4] with earlier versions lacking folding wings, while later versions have folding wings and fins around the wheels.[2] Version 2.5 was first exhibited in Montreal at the SAE AeroTech Congress and Exhibition.[5] Version 3.0 was introduced at the Pioneers Festival 2014 in Vienna, Austria, and flew in October 2014.[6] The designers intend to include a ballistic parachute.[3]
In 2014 the company said there is no date for a finished product,[7] but in 2015, after the crash of the prototype, they hoped for deliveries by 2018.[8][9]
Variants
- AeroMobil 1.0 (1990–94)
- Initial concept vehicle[10]
- AeroMobil 2.0 (1995-2010)
- Concept development
- AeroMobil 2.5 (2010-2013)
- The pre-prototype of the Aeromobil concept
- AeroMobil 3.0 (2014-)
- Further development of the concept. First publicly shown in October 2014 and crashed on 8 May 2015. Powered by a Rotax 912S engine, it was constructed with a steel frame covered in carbon fibre.[11]
Accidents
On 8 May 2015 the AeroMobil 3.0 prototype crashed at Nitra Airport during a test flight near Janíkovce (LZNI). The aircraft entered a spin and the ballistic parachute was deployed. The pilot, Stefan Klein, was sent to hospital by ambulance complaining of back pain, but was later released. The aircraft received impact damage to the forward fuselage. The company indicated that development of the design would continue.[12][13][14][15][16][17] In June, 2015, the company indicated that a new prototype was being developed.[9]
Specifications (AeroMobil 3.0)
Data from Manufacturer[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: two
- Capacity: two passengers
- Length: 6 m (19 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 8.32 m (27 ft 4 in) wings extended
- Width: 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in) wings folded
- Empty weight: 600 kg (1,323 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 912 four cylinder horizontally-opposed liquid and air-cooled piston aircraft engine, 75 kW (100 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 200 km/h (124 mph; 108 kn) maximum road speed: 160 km/h (99 mph)
- Stall speed: 60 km/h (37 mph; 32 kn)
- Range: 700 km (435 mi; 378 nmi) Road range: 875 km (544 mi)
- Driving fuel consumption: 8 l/100 km (29.4 mpg-US; 35.3 mpg-imp)
- Flight fuel consumption: 15 l (4.0 US gal; 3.3 imp gal) /hour
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References
- ↑ Chung, Emily (15 March 2015). "Flying car will go on sale in 2017, Aeromobil says". CBC News. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- 1 2 3 "About". AeroMobil. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- 1 2 Grady, Mary (16 March 2015). "Next For Aeromobil: Self-Flying Cars". avweb.com. Aviation Publishing Group. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ↑ Francis, Govers III (17 October 2013). "Aeromobil flying car prototype gets off the ground for the first time". Gizmag. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ↑ Griffiths, Sarah (4 November 2013). "Never get stuck in a traffic jam again! Flying car switches between land and sky - and can reach a top speed of 124mph". The Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ↑ Thisdell, Dan (31 October 2014). "To fly or drive – why choose?". Flightglobal. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ↑ Turk, Victoria (29 October 2014). "Another Flying Car Option for the Rich and Lazy". Motherboard. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ↑ Mack, Eric (16 March 2015). "Finally! A Flying Car Could Go On Sale By 2017". Forbes. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- 1 2 AFP (5 June 2015). "Slovak makers of flying car press on after crash". yahoo.com. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ↑ "AeroMobil: Flying car". Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ↑ Durden, Rick (3 October 2014). "Flying Roadster To Be Unveiled". avweb.com. Aviation Publishing Group. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ↑ "Lietajúce auto havarovalo pri nitrianskom letisku, šoféra zachránil padák". dennikn.sk. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ↑ Bergqvist, Pia (12 May 2015). "Test Pilot Survives Flying Car Crash". Flying (magazine). Retrieved 14 May 2015.
- ↑ "Aeromobil Flying Car Crashed, Pilot OK". AVweb. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ↑ Druiker, Cindy (9 May 2015). "Are Flying Cars for Real This Time?". Epoch Times. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ Hojčušová, Miriam (8 May 2015). "V Nitre padol aeromobil aj s jeho vynálezcom". nitra.sme.sk. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ "Bei Testflug: Flugauto Aeromobil in der Slowakei abgestürzt - Golem.de". golem.de. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
External links
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