| www.euronews.com This rather unusual looking car can reach speeds of up to 180 kilometres an hour but that is not what makes it special. All is revealed when it unfurls it propellors; this car can also fly. The Personal Air and Land Vehicle or PAL-V is a gyrocopter that can both fly and is allowed on the road. So what do you need to drive this machine? Robert Dingemanse, CEO and founder of Dutch company PAL-V, said: "A normal drivers licence. And for flying a personal or private pilot's licence and that's something you get in around 20 to 30 hours worth of lessons. So it's pretty easy in a gyrocopter. It's a gyrocopter and that's the easiest way of flying, also the safest way of flying." If the PAL-V sounds like the answer to the traffic jam, there is a hitch. It requires 165 metres of runway to take-off, 30 metres to land and can only be flown from an airport. It is expected to retail for somewhere between 250000 and 300000 euros. But the PAL-V is not the only flying car - or driving plane if you prefer - coming on to the market. The US-based firm Terrafugia have just carried out successful tests on their own street-legal plane called the Transition. Terrafugia say around 100 orders have already been placed for the car, which will cost roughly the same as its European cousin. Find us on: Youtube bit.ly Facebook www.facebook.com Twitter twitter.com |
