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pal-v

Flying car reaches sky in Holland

What seemed to be yet another fantasy flying vehicle may have moved closer to reality this week when a test version of the three-wheeler PAL-V One took off publicly in Holland.

Accelerating just some 500 feet along the A1 highway near the city of Amersfoort, the three-wheeler took off easily in front of the Dutch Minister of Traffic Safety and Water Affairs, Camiel Eurlings, and a massive group of curious journalists.

According to the Digital Journal, many had hoped to see a real prototype of the flying-and-driving vehicle, which is aimed at consumers. What actually took off was a proof-of-concept vehicle, to show that the tiny three-wheeler could both drive and fly for real, which it apparently could.

On the other hand, as the autogyro technology it's based on was invented in 1919 by the Spaniard Juan de la Cierva, and flew for the first time in 1923, this was no hugely sensational news. Minister Eurlings, whose ministry is involved in the project, also said that despite some people's hopes, the vehicle would not be a solution to traffic congestion, but a possible alternative to helicopters for emergency services. … Read more

Pigs Cars might fly: PAL-V flying three-wheeler due by 2011

We're all about blue-sky thinking here at Crave, and this is some of the bluest we've seen. From the drawing board of Dutch inventor John Bakker comes the personal air and land vehicle (PAL-V), a cross between a Carver One three-wheeler and an autogyro that can be driven and flown at speeds as high as 200 kmh (125 mph).

While on the road, the gasoline- or biodiesel-powered machine relies on the same Dynamic Vehicle Control (DVC) system that enables the Carver to tilt when cornering. For flight, it uses the DVC combined with a gyrocopter rotor blade, which … Read more