The AirCar is not just a plane that can drive around. Quite the opposite: it’s a lightweight fully-featured car that can compact to be about the size of a Hummer and fit in a garage. Soon it will transform into a flying car. The photographs below are of a prototype that can drive but can’t fly, but the company hopes to get it off the ground and onto the market within the next two years. (w/pics)
Chris Milner said, “My father had a lifelong dream of building a flying car as the ultimate time saver.” Milner’s father, John Milner, is a retired airline pilot. Both he and his son have been building model airplanes for years. When asked whether this plane would be safe (since it looks like a car, it doesn’t appear to be particularly safe for flying), Milner explained that Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) doesn’t have “crash worthiness” requirements for planes of this size. In fact, car regulations, to which the AirCar will also have to adhere, are far more stringent. Because of this Milner expects that the AirCar will be “safer than similarly-sized planes like the Cessna.”
The non-retractable wheels extend from the 54” wide fuselage. The front wheels have double a-arm suspension, and the rear wheels are located in the wing just inboard of the first wing fold. When changing to air mode, the rear wheels will pivot forward so less weight is carried by the front wheels and the vehicle has additional ground clearance. At the same time, the front wheels will pivot downward to keep the vehicle level.
One or two engines with propellers or ducted fans producing 300 total HP will carry the aircraft at cruise speeds of 200 MPH for up to 1000 miles. (Computer simulations indicate level-flight drag to be 250 lbs at 100 MPH, 420 at 200 MPH, and 700 at 250 MPH.)
In ground mode, the Milner AirCar will operate as an automobile and be about the same size as the Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic. A separate 40hp engine and transmission will power the wheels on the ground.
In addition to the flying car, Milner Motors is developing a hybrid electric car based on the light frame and chassis of the AirCar. According to Milner, “Three years ago we realized that we could take the wings and propellers off [the AirCar] to make a light, efficient electric car.” While the AirCar is expected to cost half a million dollars, the ElectriCar will cost only $40,000. The company hopes to have both models on the market in two years (but is more optimistic about the ElectriCar). The company boasts that the electric model will get more than 100 MPG.
They expect the vehicle to cost approximately $450,000. The initial prototype will be built as an experimental aircraft, with the eventual goal of getting the aircraft certified for commercial production.
AirCar Via DVICE