FLYING CARS : A DREAM COME TRUE
[1] AeroMobil 3.0 is a combination of a plane and a car designed to drive on the road and fly through the air. It can transform in seconds from a car to a plane. This invention of the Slovakian company AeroMobil started to be on sale in 2017.
[2] The concept of a flying car is not new. The idea was popularized in the 1960s through animated cartoons. This concept was originally brought to life in 1989 by Slovak designer Stefan Klein. After years of testing different models, Klein’s twenty-year dream came true when he set a partnership with entrepreneur, Juraj Vaculik. They co-founded the company AeroMobil in 2010.
[3] Developing the flying car has not been without difficulties. AeroMobil company faced problems in 2015 when one of its prototypes crashed during a test in Nitra, west Slovakia, sending the pilot to hospital with minor injuries.
[4] The year 2016 was a great success for AeroMobil. It marked the introduction of the latest prototype AeroMobil 3.0 at an international forum in Brussels. The vehicle uses a diesel engine and has wings that fold, which allows it to be parked like a car, though it is nearly 6 meters long. It seats two people: the pilot and a passenger. The company said the car’s top speed on the road is 160 km/h and 200 km/h while flying. It can fly for 700 kilometers before running out of fuel. Drivers who can buy this luxurious flying car, priced between 1.2 and 1.6 million dollars, will need a pilot’s license to fly it.
[5] AeroMobil aims to make personal transportation more efficient and environmentally friendly. It helps to overcome traffic jams in large areas and allows faster travel for medium distances or in areas with limited road infrastructure.
[6] Stefan Klein is very positive about the project. “I’m very happy with what we have been able to achieve in such a short time with a team of only 12 engineers. AeroMobil 3.0 is not the end of this challenging project; it’s the beginning of a whole new adventure which may change the way we look at the personal transport in the future,” he said.
Adapted from www.cnn.com/autos/aeromobil-flying-car
National exam | Scientific Streams | Ordinary Session 2018 with Answers
