Dutch company PAL-V is selling its three-wheeled Liberty flying car with a 99bhp driving engine and 197bhp flying engine. The PAL-V Liberty, the world’s first commercial flying car can be ordered for around £425,000 and it will make its public debut at this year’s Geneva motor show.
Dutch manufacturer PAL-V claims its Liberty is fully compliant with existing regulations and says it represents a “pivotal time in aviation and mobility history”. It expects to make first customer deliveries next year.
The Liberty has a three-wheel layout and rotor blades on the roof which fold away. It’s effectively a gyrocopter aircraft with two engines. Its Rotax engine-based dual propulsion drivetrain includes one engine for driving and one for flying, with an unpowered large rotor on top that provides lift, while an engine-powered blade on the rear of the vehicle gives thrust.
It has lowered suspension and a tilting 2-person cockpit. To convert the car from drive to fly mode or vice versa takes around 5-10 minutes, according to PAL-V. The rotor mast unfolds automatically, but the driver must pull out the tail section, unfold two rotor blades and take out the prop to ready it to fly.
You also need a license to fly and PAL-V says the Liberty requires take-off space of around 90-200×200 metres without obstacles. It says that small airstrips, aerodomes, glider sites and ultralight airfields will be most appropriate.
The drive mode engine has 99bhp and a top speed of 100mph, with 0-62mph sprint taking 9.0sec. Fuel economy is a claimed 31mpg with a range of 817 miles. In the air, the Liberty can climb to a maximum altitude of 3500m, and its 197bhp flying engine can propel it up to a top speed of 112mph. Its range is a claimed 310 miles.
