Getting in your car and flying off to your holiday destination could be a reality within years. A flying car prototype in Slovakia has recently been given an airworthiness certificate, moving one step closer to reaching the public market. The certificate was delivered by the Slovak Transport Authority, in line with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards.
The AirCar first made headlines in July 2021 after successfully completing its first manned test flight between two cities in Slovakia. Since then, it has logged more than 70 hours of test flights, 200 take offs and landings, as well as steep 45 degree turns. Anton Zajac, co-founder of Klein Vision, the company behind the flying car, says he and his partner hope the AirCar will give the pilot the freedom to avoid traffic jams and busy airports.
“I’m flying across Europe often and I wish I had the flying car because I could land and not wait for a taxi, or go through congested terminals,” he said. “Cars used to be a symbol of freedom. And if you have a driver’s licence, you certainly know you lost that freedom because you are often stuck in traffic”.
The current prototype has a flying range of 500 km and is equipped with fully retractable wings, a 160HP BMW engine with fixed propeller, and a ballistic parachute. The company is already working on its next prototype with a flying range of 1,000 km and a cruising speed of 300 km/h. And while the new prototype will also have to go through airworthiness tests, Zajac says it was important the first prototype was given a clean bill of health since the new car will have the same geometry as the first one.
“If we had not received this certificate, we would have to go back to the drawing board [for the new prototype] and create improvements. Now we know we have something that is accepted officially by the authorities”.
Comprehension
1) What is the current flying range of the AirCar prototype and what is the company working on for the next prototype?
2) What is the significance of the airworthiness certificate for the AirCar prototype?
3) According to Anton Zajac, what is the potential benefit of the AirCar for pilots and drivers?
Vocabulary
Match the words to the definition:
1) airworthiness
2) to make headlines
3) manned test flights
4) to log
5) fixed (adjective)
6) To be given a clean bill of health
a) ability to see and react quickly
b) worthy (able) to be in the air
c) a period of prosperity
d) expression for great memories
e) To be a notable story in the news
f) to add something to a group
Grammar Highlights
Use participle clauses and apposition to make your writing or speaking more condensed:
Participle clause: “A flying car prototype in Slovakia has recently been given an airworthiness certificate, moving one step closer to reaching the public market.”
Apposition: “Anton Zajac, who is the co-founder of Klein Vision, which is the company behind the flying car, says he and his partner hope the AirCar will give the pilot the freedom…”
Use past tense after “I wish” when you want to change the present situation:
“…I wish I had the flying car …”
*This article was adapted from another article to make it more suitable for English learners. You can read the original article here.