Powered by a BMW engine and normal fuel, the AirCar flew for 35 minutes between two Slovakian airports in 2021, using runways for take-off and landing.
It took just over two minutes to transform from a car into an aircraft.
Now vehicles made based on its design will be used within a “specific geographical region” of China.
Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company, headquartered in Cangzhou, has purchased exclusive rights to manufacture and use AirCar aircraft inside an undisclosed area.
Helicopters have been around for much longer than that, as early as 1906 apparently. The first mass produced helicopter was the Sikorsky R-4, introduced in 1943
Apparently the first passenger helicopter service was in 1950, so I was out by 20 years. It’s a bit of a grey area when they switched from “weapon of war” to “flying taxi”, but it would be somewhere around the 40s.
I still find it insane that the helicopter was invented only 20 years after the car.