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The "Biker Party" was ecstatic and could finally legally go to heaven.
The world's first airworthiness certificate for flying cars has just been issued.
However, this flying car is neither from the new forces we know, taking this historic step, nor is it the two scientific and technological powers of China and the United States.
What kind of car was the first to obtain an airworthiness certificate?
AirCar, Klein Vision, a company from Slovakia in the Central and Eastern European country that specializes in flying cars.
In 2019, this AirCar was unveiled at the Shanghai Expo.
AirCar is designed for a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour, a maximum altitude of 3,000 meters, and a range of up to 1,000 kilometers.
Unlike the pure electric flying car designed by Xiaopeng Motors, it uses a hybrid power and is equipped with a 160 hp gasoline engine from BMW, which can be replenished at any gas station.
The AirCar's appearance adopts a streamlined design for better flight performance, and is equipped with a wide wing and tail, which can be retracted when driving on the ground, and the rear wing of the car will shrink to become a sports car.
The entire deformation process takes about 120 seconds
The vehicle is about 5.2 meters long. In addition, as a ground driving consideration, it is equipped with headlights, and its rim is also made of carbon fiber to reduce weight.
In addition to multiple dashboards, the cockpit of a flying car also has multiple control switches and a display. In terms of handling, the steering wheel of the car is still used for control.
On June 28, 2021, Klein Vision used airCar to complete a 35-minute flight from Slovakia's Nitra International Airport to the capital Bratislava International Airport, which was also the first public demonstration of the flying car.
Slovakia is also a traditional industrial powerhouse. In the past, when it was still the same as the Czech Republic, there was a famous military factory Skoda, which was transformed into a car after World War II.
Today, the automotive industry remains slovakia's most important pillar industry, with the most advanced production lines in the world. Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Citroën and many more have all set up factories in Slovakia.
Most of the Audi and Porsche luxury models imported from China are produced in Slovakia.
What is the significance of this matter, and what is the airworthiness certificate?
What is an airworthiness certificate?
This is the civil aviation administration of each country issuing a license to civil aircraft in accordance with the relevant national standards to prove that an aircraft is in a safe and usable state.
Without this proof, aircraft cannot be put on the market or put into operation.
At the 2019 Shanghai World Expo, Klein Vision said it expected mass production in 3 years.
Therefore, this world's first flying car airworthiness certificate is the first step for flying cars to move from experiment to mass production.
Does this mean that the average consumer can buy a flying car very quickly?
Not necessarily.
How far is China's "Speeding Car Party" from heaven?
There are many companies that do flying cars in China, in addition to Xiaopeng Flying Automobile, which is the most heard by everyone, there are also EHang Intelligence listed in the United States, Weihang Technology, which is supported and incubated by Tsinghua University, and Taili Flying Car, a subsidiary of Geely Automobile.
Among them, the fastest progress is EHang Intelligence, in addition to test flying show muscles, but also signed a commercial order. At the beginning of this year, Japanese air transportation digital platform company AirX signed an order for 50 flying cars EH216 with EHang Intelligent.
But there has been no new progress on domestic market access for these companies.
And even if a company obtains an airworthiness certificate, it does not mean that it has opened up the Chinese market.
The airworthiness certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China is generally for a single aircraft.
For example, if China Southern Airlines wants to buy a 787 passenger aircraft from Boeing, it must apply for an airworthiness certificate for this aircraft, and the next time it purchases the same type of aircraft, it needs to apply again.
This regulation has obvious characteristics of the aviation industry, because the production and sales of passenger aircraft are limited, and the production and sales of automobile companies in the tens of millions of dollars a year are not a concept at all.
This also casts a layer of uncertainty over the product route of flying cars and the prospects of the domestic market.
If you want to comply with the current Regulations of China's Civil Aviation Administration, the output of flying cars will inevitably be difficult to expand, whether it is Xiaopeng, Geely, or EHang Intelligence, their launch of C-end products will most likely be expensive rich toys.
In order to make flying cars into mass consumer goods, regulations face the necessary updates, and even the opening of a new industry standard and access regulations.
This is accompanied by new traffic regulations and urban management challenges... These social issues are far beyond the capabilities of technology companies.
Therefore, Slovakia's issuance of the first airworthiness certificate for flying cars is indeed a milestone, but there is still a long way to go before flying cars enter the lives of ordinary people.
What do you think of the prospects of flying cars, a gimmick or the next outlet?