Sexy flying car jets us closer to the future (pictures)

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Mean, lean flying machine

The AeroMobil 3.0, the latest iteration of a flying carbuilt by Slovakian company AeroMobil, is constructed with a steel framecovered in a carbon coating. It can take off at 90mph and travel 430 miles ona tank of regular gasoline. It also can turn heads faster than any other flyingcar we've ever seen.

"As a plane it can use any airport in the world, butcan also take off and land using any grass strip or paved surface just a fewhundred meters long," says the AeroMobil website. That's due, in part,to a very sturdy suspension system.

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Compact car?

When the AeroMobil's wings are retracted and it's in carmode, it measures about 20 feet long and 7 feet wide, comparable to alimousine. It can reach speeds in excess of 100mph and go about 540 miles on atank of gas.

"It has low maintenance costs and can be parked in regularparking slots in cities," says a company press release.

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Winged wonder

When the driver of the car transforms it into a plane, thewings bring the vehicle's width to about 27 feet. AeroMobil is currently workingout certification and licensing requirements for the car/plane.

"After the testing of the prototype of AeroMobil 3.0that proved the ability to operate in road traffic and also in the air, wecontinue with development towards certification and homologation, which cantake several years," company spokesman Stefan Vadocz told CNET. "Ourteam is very motivated and we work hard to fulfill the regulation requirementswithin EU and other markets."

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Baby's got back

When it's a car, the 3.0's front wheels are powered by aRotax 912 engine: a four-cylinder, four-stoke liquid/air-cooled engine with opposedcylinders and two carburetors. According to the manufacturers, it offers "thebest power-to-weight ratio in its class."

When the car turns into a plane, the Rotax engine powers apropeller at the back that provides the propulsion for flight.

"The change of traction from the front wheels to thepropeller is operated by a central shift that redirects the torque from thewheels to the propeller," says Vadocz. "It's one of our proprietarysolutions. Nor does this technical solution omit the safety factor; theprocess of transformation is secured after take-off -- it is impossible toactivate the transformation accidentally during the flight."

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A car you'll flip over

The cockpit of the AeroMobil 3.0 is accessed when the top ofthe car lifts up and forward -- which only adds to its cool Batmobile-likeawesomeness.

Although the 3.0 is still considered a prototype, Vadocztold CNET that the final model won't be very different. "The exteriordesign is very close to the final version," he said. "In this phase of theprototype development the necessary modifications will be implemented -- mainlythe modifications of material used, not those of a conceptual nature. Subsequentworks are planned for the next year."

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Fly the cushy skies

Not only is the AeroMobil a fully functional car and plane,it is also a beauty inside and out. So what will the final price be for allthis luxury?

"It is too early to speak about market price at thisstage," Vadocz told us. "The prototype is work in progress and onlyafter completion of final configuration we will be able to set the price span.Expect the price combination of a sports car and a light sports aircraft --several hundreds of thousands of Euro. The first AeroMobil should be a high-endproduct produced in a limited edition."

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It looks like a cockpit!

You've no doubt heard people talk about car dashboards thatlook akin to the cockpits inside planes. In the case of the AeroMobil 3.0 thedashboard, of course, actually IS the cockpit. The steering wheel tilts downwhen the vehicle is in plane mode to allow access to the flight-control column.

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From political revolution to technological revolution

Co-founder and CEO of AeroMobil, Juraj Vaculík (left) was aninstrumental in figure in the student movement that led to Czechoslovakia'sVelvet Revolution in 1989 which ended communist rule in the country. Heoriginally attended Bratislava's performing arts school, VSMU, and worked as atheater director in the country before moving on to creating flying cars.

It was the other co-founder of AeroMobil, Štefan Klein (right), whohad the dream of a flying a car since 1989. Klein graduated from the SlovakUniversity of Technology in 1983. After serving as the Head of the Departmentfor Transport and Design at Slovakia's Academy of Fine Arts and Design where heworked on cutting-edge research projects for clients including Audi, BMW and Volkswagen,he's now making his dream come true.