Company receives FAA special airworthiness certification for its flying car

[Jimmy2x]

Forward-looking: The dream of a flying car able to soar over traffic and obstacles is almost as old as the concept of the automobile itself. It's a dream that's been achieved with limited success throughout the years, but never in a design that successfully marries cost and practicality. A recent press release from Alef Aeronautics says that the company is now one step closer to making that dream a reality thanks to its latest Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification.

Alef Aeronautics, the California-based sustainable mobility company that announced its flying car last year, has been granted a Special Airworthiness Certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The certification is the first of its kind for the new class of hybrid driving/flying vehicles.

Originally unveiled last October, the Alef Aeronautics Model-A flying car is a lightweight, wingless, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle capable of driving 200 miles on paved roads or flying up to 110 miles. According to the company's website, the flying car can be driven on a regular urban or rural roads at speeds limited to 25 mph, has the ability to take off vertically from any location, and can fly above obstacles to its destination while stabilizing the driver and vehicle cabin using its unique gimbaled rotating cabin design.

Obtaining the FAA's Special Airworthiness Certification is a critical step in the vehicle's development, and one which has historically been a stumbling block for other past design efforts. According to the FAA's website, entities cannot conduct air commerce in the National Airspace System unless they have obtained an appropriate and valid airworthiness certificate.

The certificate provides Alef with the ability to legally continue research and development testing, ensuring regulatory compliance, conducting training and exhibitions, and conducting market survey efforts related to the vehicle's release. It also grants the company a special flight permit for production flight testing.

Alef is currently taking pre-order reservations for the Alef, with general queue reservations as low as $150 or priority queue pre-orders for $1,500. The "affordable" two-seater vehicle is expected to arrive with a price tag of approximately $300,000.

Also read: 10 Most Memorable Fictional Technologies

Those of us that don't have a few spare hundred thousand laying around may still have a chance to take to the skies, though we'll have to be a little more patient. According to information from electrek.co, Alef is also developing a four-person Model Z sedan that will debut in 2035 with a starting price of $35,000. The sedan is predicted to have a 300-mile flying range with an over 220-mile driving range.

While it may not be Doc Brown's DeLorean, the new design brings a fresh take on a concept that has been floating around since the early 1900s. Alef CEO Jim Kukhovny said, "we're excited to receive this certification from the FAA. It allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week. This is a one small step for planes, one giant step for cars."

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https://www.techspot.com/news/99268-alef-auronautics-begins-presale-car-like-flying-evtol.html

 

[noel24]

Flying car for $300K?
Naah, visit to Titanic is $50K cheaper...

 

[yRaz]

Flying car for $300K?
Naah, visit to Titanic is $50K cheaper...

The extra 50k is for the return trip.

 

[VariableSpike]

So more VTOL, and less flying car, as usual my comment will be that flying cars are poibtless, as if you can fly, why wouldn't you fly all the time....

Also don't want to know how bad the safety record of things like this will be considering helicopters are already quite bad in that aspect, and its not luke something like this looks particularly conducive to gliding with no power, maybe putting something like the parachute system on the Cirrus general aviation planes might work, but then again parachutes need altitude for a weight like that, and I don't imagine the flight ceiling for something like this will be that high

Ultimately just seems like another toy for the super rich rather than being an at all useful new mode of transport

 

[ferrellsl]

Why did they call this an unveiling? I didn't see anything of substance unveiled. All I saw was a video of a shady character blowing smoke, a really ugly mock-up that looks like a car put together as a high school shop project for a grade-C post-apocalyptic movie, some really crappy CGI with some drone footage thrown in....oh and they want your money. This is shady AF.

 

[toooooot]

I am skeptical. All flying prototypes we saw had that distinctive drone look. This one does not. Does it even fly?

 

[yRaz]

I am skeptical. All flying prototypes we saw had that distinctive drone look. This one does not. Does it even fly?

It looks like the "hood" of the "car" is a mess that could conceal the thrusters inside the vehicle. The F-35C has shown that this type of design is possible

 

[kiwigraeme]

8 hours to drive 200 miles yeah right

What will the neighbours say ? probably happier than my daily jaunts from my helipad to just annoy them.

Given that - obviously military purposes - easy to fly , evac , drop offs
Also say in places like NZ - with roads, bridges cut off from increased flooding and super heavy rains - means kids can get to school - grandpa to hospital .

No huge helicopter rotors - easier to fly - cheaper to run and service - Yes drone cars will have a place .
But imagine someone turning up on that secluded beach a few too many times blowing sand around.

Plus given you see planes, helicopter crashes as they don't follow sight rules - grandma watch out !!!!-- she looks left , she looks right - some people don't even know boating rules

Plus add in liability insurance - lithium batteries hitting tower block at speed from two crashing above

add in wind , visibility - draft of other flying objects?
for remote access, military good - in town full BS

 

[noel24]

The extra 50k is for the return trip.

But, but, but I thought when You're flying, the return trip is for free, isn't It??? ;-)

 

[p51d007]

Considering the people I run into day to day (no pun intended), who can't even use a flipping turn signal, do you want people FLYING above your head in a "car"?

 

[captaincranky]

Considering the rude, inconsiderate, a**holes, I run into day to day (no pun intended), who don't even bother to use a flipping turn signal or dim their high beams when they're dead in front of you, do you really want these clowns FLYING above your head in a "car"?

FIXED.

 

[captaincranky]

According to the company's website, the flying car can be driven on a regular urban or rural roads at speeds limited to 25 mph,

My state, (Pennsylvania) has a 25 MPH speed limit, (unless otherwise posted), in residential areas. Which sometimes gets ignored. anyway.

Please tell me of what practical use a vehicle which only goes 25 MPH has, when used as a car, has any practical use whatsoever on today's highway systems.

Either the FAA was bribed, or it has a dark sense of humor, involving kicking back, and watching a bunch of loony toons, with more money that brains, piss their money away on one of these abominations.

My only conclusion is that, as children, they received a massive overdose of "The Jetsons'', cartoon show.

 

[NetNomad]

How they got approval for just a imagination? it seems like they have only 3d models and animations.

 

[OortCloud]

Imagine the noise and disturbance of a sky full of cars. The whole idea is madness. The sooner we wipe ourselves out, the sooner the planet can start to recover and maybe next time it gets a less moronic apex predator.

 

[captaincranky]

Imagine the noise and disturbance of a sky full of cars. The whole idea is madness. The sooner we wipe ourselves out, the sooner the planet can start to recover and maybe next time it gets a less moronic apex predator.

I couldn't have said that better myself. Man's ego and unbridled greed, always seem to override anything that could be categorized as common sense. Not to mention the fact that true psychopaths always seem to find a way to put themselves in charge..

What I'm envisioning with this monstrosity, is people getting hung up in power lines, and either going up in flames, or falling onto a group of children walking to school.

Then there's the image of what it would be like at a night club's closing hour, to have a hundred or so drunks all firing up their flying cars at once. The potential for carnage would be massive.

One thing that's really scary at this point is that these people will be able to tout the FAA testing approval as a done deal as to its airworthiness. Predicated on that, they'll be able to bilk millions from investors

 

[VitalyT]

As far as product presentations go, this one is by far the worst I've seen yet.

 

[p51d007]

FIXED.

Good edit...I was in a "nice" mood when I wrote it last night.

 

[toooooot]

Considering the people I run into day to day (no pun intended), who can't even use a flipping turn signal, do you want people FLYING above your head in a "car"?

I have an idea: air roads. they will be built in into flying devices and will be located away from residential areas.
That would definitely exclude usage in residential areas. But given the traffic in big cities, these flying devices would still be very popular for getting around clogged places.
And I definitely don not mean these could only fly where there are no people walking or cars driving.
The planning will allow to fly in places where such accidents would be extremely low.
Have you ever seen aerial view of highways? There are plenty space that is empty.
Even better, in coastal cities, these flying things will go around cities all together and go to places above the sea.
This could definitely disappoint some people who dream of flying anywhere. but it would make flying very safe, at least for people on the ground.

 

[Q Wales]

So more VTOL, and less flying car, as usual my comment will be that flying cars are poibtless, as if you can fly, why wouldn't you fly all the time....

Also don't want to know how bad the safety record of things like this will be considering helicopters are already quite bad in that aspect, and its not luke something like this looks particularly conducive to gliding with no power, maybe putting something like the parachute system on the Cirrus general aviation planes might work, but then again parachutes need altitude for a weight like that, and I don't imagine the flight ceiling for something like this will be that high

Ultimately just seems like another toy for the super rich rather than being an at all useful new mode of transport

Actually a parachute system was created for microlights that fires the chute outwards allowing low level rapid deployment, maybe that would be an option.

My thoughts were that if this thing is real and working, why didn't we see any genuine footage of it in action?I did fast forward a far bit but saw nothing showing this.