Next For Aeromobil: Self-Flying Cars

Aeromobil plans to start sales of its two-seat flying car by 2017, CEO Juraj Vaculik said on Sunday at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. And if those sales go well enough, the next model will be a four-seater capable of autonomous flight, he added. The company, based in Slovakia, has been flying their prototype since last year.

Aeromobil plans to start sales of its two-seat flying car by 2017, CEO Juraj Vaculik said on Sunday at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. And if those sales go well enough, the next model will be a four-seater capable of autonomous flight, he added. The company, based in Slovakia, has been flying their prototype since last year. Vaculik said the AeroMobil design can land and take off from grass strips in less than 700 feet, and he suggested that new strips could be built at low cost alongside freeways to provide easy access and egress for the aircraft.

images: AeroMobil

Vaculik said the two-seat aircraft will have a range of about 375 nm and a cruising speed of about 108 knots, and will be equipped with a ballistic parachute. No price has been set, but the company website says it will be in the range of several hundred thousand euros. Vaculik also announced at SXSW that Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, has joined the company's advisory board.