The concept of flying cars has been around for very nearly as long as the car itself. And today, there are a handful of companies around the world vying to make that concept a reality for all of the future-loving masses. One surprising contender is Slovakian startup AeroMobil. Their AeroMobil Flying Roadster 3.0 prototype took to the skies in October 2014, giving a preview of its style and abilities at the Vienna Pioneers Festival.

The AeroMobil has a long and pretty impressive past. Stefan Klein, AeroMobil’s chief designer, began tinkering with a flying car design in the 1980s in communist Czechoslovakia. But it wasn’t until 2010 that Klein teamed up with entrepreneur (and now the AeroMobil CEO) Juraj Vaculik to build a marketable version of his idea. They produced the current prototype in just ten months.

The Flying Roadster is a bit longer than a standard van, so it could be parked in a standard driveway when its wings are retracted. When you’re ready to take off, the car’s wings fold out and you just need to find a clearing at least 650 feet long to take off from. It runs on regular gasoline and has a flying range of about 500 miles. In the air, the AeroMobil can reach speeds of up to 100 MPH.

Inside, the cockpit features both flying and driving controls so you can seamlessly switch between the two. Like other proposed flying cars, the AeroMobil could be piloted by anyone with a pilot’s license – no special training is required. The cockpit is equipped with everything you need for a safe and comfortable flight: auto-pilot, GPS, a parachute deployment system, and a second seat for taking along a buddy.

According to the team behind AeroMobil, they realize that there are plenty of challenges to overcome. These challenges have derailed the grand plans of many other flying car companies. But Klein remains hopeful that the world will see what a benefit the AeroMobil could be to countries with crumbling transportation infrastructures. The AeroMobil 3.0 is still undergoing testing and will have to be certified before it can be driven or flown, but so far the company’s position is that it is very close to releasing a final product that could actually be purchased by the public.

The post The Friendly Skies: Europe’s First Flying Car Takes Off first appeared on Gajitz.

In certain areas of the world, the ground transport infrastructure is so poor (or nonexistent) that getting goods to people who need them is as good as impossible. UK-based company 4X4 Aviation sees a way to correct that problem with the monster of a cargo plane they call the VV-Plane. The VV (or Versatile Vehicle) Plane features 16 tilting electric fans that allow for vertical take-off and landing, eliminating the need for airports and runways.

According to the company, the unusual plane would greatly reduce the costs associated with moving goods, making it possible to deliver food, supplies, and equipment to even the most remote places which are unreachable by roads. The cost to weight ratio would be lower even than that of trucks, making the VV-Plane a viable alternative for areas that do have solid existing road infrastructures.

The plane’s four groups of four electrically-powered fans are powered by an integrated combustion engine generator which sends energy to an on-board storage system. The fans are pointed down during take-off to provide lift, then pointed backward while in flight for forward thrust. While similar tilting fan systems require a lot of energy and heavy equipment, 4X4 Aviation say that they’ve developed a new system to make the entire outfit affordable.

The VV-Plane is equipped to carry up to 33 tons of cargo and can even carry a standard cargo container. This is a crucial point because the plane could pick up the containers at sea ports and move them inland easier and for a lower cost than trucks could. The company is seeking investors to help develop their cost- and energy-efficient technology, so there’s no word yet on when we might start seeing VV-Planes hauling our cargo through the sky.

The post Green VTOL Drone Could Take Freight Transport to the Sky first appeared on Gajitz.

When it comes to mind-blowing vehicles, the military (and military-funded development) seems to be at the top of the field. This hulking beast is half truck, half helicopter, and it’s meant to give the military an upper hand in hostile environments. The Black Knight Transformer from aerospace company Advanced Tactics, Inc. is able to fly like a helicopter, drive like a truck, and – with a little tinkering – navigate water like a boat. In the video below, the Black Knight Transformer goes on its first test flight. It only hovers 10 feet above the ground for a short time, but in the field it will be able to fly quite a bit higher while carrying payloads of up to 4000 pounds.

The UAV turns into a heavy-duty truck when on the ground; its propellers fold up and the truck can handle rough terrain. The vehicle is modular and scalable to make it useful in a large variety of situations. The drive train is removable so that the Transformer can be fitted with a boat hull, making into a tough amphibious vehicle. The autonomous transport machine will be able to go into dangerous and remote locations to deliver supplies or recover injured soldiers. And, let’s be honest – a boat/truck/helicopter is just really freaking cool.

The post Triple Threat: Military UAV is Helicopter, Truck + Boat first appeared on Gajitz.

When New Zealand’s Martin Aircraft Company announced plans for a “practical jetpack,” this oxymoron of a device no doubt raised a few eyebrows. Originally slated for a mid-2014 commercial release, it’s been retooled and the company hopes it will be available for consumers by 2015. If the above picture is any indication, cult leaders will find it perfect for an escape hover just above the heads of their demystified followers.

The Martin Jetpack’s initial applications will be in first responder-type scenarios like fire and rescue. On a full tank, the gasoline-powered beast can remain in the air for around 30 minutes and travel about 20 miles at up to 46 MPH. The company most recently improved the handling on its P12 prototype by re-positioning the craft’s ducts.

For ideal performance and safety, Martin suggests the jetpack be piloted above 500 feet, mainly to give its rocket-deployed ballistic parachute time to open. It will also require the user to wear a helmet, neck restraint, boots, a fireproof suit and hearing protection. By the time it reaches the US market, it is expected to carry a relatively-modest $100,000 price tag.

The post In Mid-Air: First Consumer-Available Jetpack Ready In 2015 first appeared on Gajitz.

In the world of arbitrary competition, a contest originally set up in 1980 finally has a winner. The focus: man’s first successful controlled flight of a human powered helicopter. And no, the year it started was not supposed to be 1480.

The winning team of the AHS Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter prize was AeroVelo, a group of Canadian engineers. To take home the $250,000 prize, the team hovered at a height of around ten feet for around a minute. Those aren’t terribly impressive stats, but the feat of engineering accomplished has had competitors baffled for more than 30 years.

Atlas, the winning machine, has a wingspan of about 155 feet but weighs only 120 lbs. Team leader Todd Reichert and chief engineer Cameron Robertson plan to keep building flying machines for a company they recently started. Leonardo da Vinci would be proud.

The post Flying at 10 feet: 30-year-old Flying Contest is Won at Last first appeared on Gajitz.