Flying car makes successful maiden voyage: "About time," says George Jetson

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If you had given up on the flying car, take heart: The Dutch company PAL-V successfully concluded test flights of its PAL-V (Personal Air and Land Vehicle) over the past two weeks.

The patented vehicle flies like a gyrocopter with lift generated by auto-rotating rotor and forward speed produced by a foldable push propeller on the back.

The PAL-V complies with existing regulations in all major markets, making it road- and sky-ready. Flying range will be between 350 and 500 km depending on payload. It runs on gasoline, but manufacturers are promising a biodiesel/bio-ethanol version to come. Top speed is 180 km/h whether on land or in the air.

The three-wheeler offers sports car-like accelerations and a patented "tilting" system that makes it handle like a motorcycle.

Because it takes off and lands at low speeds and is easy to control, it takes about 20 to 30 hours of training to become licensed. Take-off required a 165-m strip of either paving or grass.