If the thought of spending many minutes of your precious time stuck in traffic during the daily commute is enough to drive you mad, the solution could come from the sky. Think drones, but with people inside.
Flying cars is where humanity is headed either way, but one amateur engineer is taking giant leaps to get there, having just built his very own flying car. He says he did it because he wants to avoid traffic jams, and he’s happy to report the first flying test was a success, the Daily Mail reports.
His name is Kyxz Mendoza and he’s from Quezon City, Philippines. He is also the lead inventor of Koncepto Millenya, a group of flying car enthusiasts, with whom he’s worked on this new project for so many years. Initially, Mendoza developed a larger drone that he could stand on and which he would control via remote.
This idea then progressed towards an actually flying car. Well, it’s not technically a “car,” but more like a giant drone with room for 1 person, but the plan is to work on this until it allows 2 passengers and considerably longer flight durations. And then to mass-produce it.
As it is now, the “car,” which qualifies as an “Ultralight Aircraft,” is able to fly 12 to 15 minutes on a single battery charge. Mendoza took it out for a first test some days ago and managed to rise 25 feet in the air with it, and then to land it safely.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that it takes 2 and a half hours to fully recharge the battery.
“I hope everyone will give this vehicle a positive reaction. This was only a dream for us five years ago,” Mendoza says in a video made on the occasion of the first flight.
“It’s a flying car type of vehicle that uses drone technology or multi-copter technology to fly. It’s like a drone car.”
“I wanted it to be a sports car, a flying Lamborghini, maybe. The design was a trial and error process. Some materials burned up on use. Other materials didn't quite work,” he continues. “One of the main features is the battery redundancy system so even if one battery runs out, the aircraft can still maintain its flight.”
The flying car has a metal frame but is made of super-light and super-strong carbon fibre. It is powered by 2 batteries, which means that, if one fails, the other kicks in and keeps it flying.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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