Cars that can Fly

Airborne buying vehicle, presented at the Geneva Motor Show

You can buy the world's first airplane, which was presented at the International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland. On Tuesday, the Netherlands -based company PAL-V presented its definitive serial product and is now accepting pre-orders for the car/airplane on its website. According to PAL-V, the first shipment will take place in 2019, once the serial product has obtained definitive security certificates.

This company maintains that the two-passenger car has a maximum velocity of about 100 km/h (mph), while it can achieve 112 km/h in the atmosphere. Switching from street to aerial is not as easy as pressing a switch that requires hand operation, but Pal-V says it can be done in less than 10 mins.

It is estimated that the first scale production will cost 499,000 ($621,500) and only 90 pieces will be available for purchase. After that, a "Liberty Sport Edition" will be available at an anticipated cost of 299,000 Euro. Flight hours are priced in and the company's website accepts orders linked to high, non-refundable reservations charges.

Although the vehicle is approved for flight by the U.S. and EU security authorities, pilots need a pilot's license.

It is the world's first real airplane that you can actually buy.

Dear lady and gentleman, the magic wagon is here. Its name is PAL-V Liberty and it will make its début at the Geneva Motor Show next year. The developers say it is the world's first commercially available aircraft to fully comply with current legislation. A few years ago we saw the PAL-V for the first time, but the people from, uh, PAL-V clogged up to make it possible to fly away from it.

Freedom is apparently the response to all our traffic jam issues. In Europe it can be piloted with a leisure pilot license or a private pilot license, while a simple old driver's license is all you need to put the PAL-V on the street. Driven by two Rotax motors, the 99 hp street power is able to propel the three-wheeled vehicle to a 0-62mph dash and a top 100mph velocity, while the consumption is a purported figure of around 310mpg with a cruising distance of 817 mile.

The Liberty can ascend to a max height of 3,500 metres (plenty high enough for us, thank you) via a 197 hp aircraft motor (which lifts the rotor upwards while the rear rotor provides thrust), good enough for an airspeed of 112 milliph and a cruising distance of 310 mile.

We have been informed that the Liberty needs 90-200x200 meters of unhindered launch area. However, as soon as PAL-V is in the air, he says, "Maneuvering and quickly avoiding obstructions like a colibri will make you smile". Just 90 Pal-V Libertys will be manufactured, each for 425,000, with shipments anticipated next year. As soon as these orders are met, a Liberty Sport will be launched for around £254,000 before tax.

Do we really need cars to fly in the underworld?