Alef ‘Flying Car’ Receives FAA Certification
SANTA MATEO, CA—Alef Aeronautics Inc. has received a Special Airworthiness Certification for its flying car from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The electric vehicle is drivable on public roads, but also has vertical takeoff and landing capabilities.
The Model A is designed to “enable faster and easier commutes…without the need for runways.” It will carry one or two occupants, with a road range or 200 miles and a flying range or 110 miles. Alef plans to have a four-passenger version, dubbed the Model Z, available by the end of this decade.
The Model A features eight hidden propellors and four wheels that are integrated into a carbon-fiber composite body. A gimbaled, pivoted, driving cabin stabilizes the driver and passenger. Once in the air, the vehicle’s frame rotates sideways by 90 degrees so that the front and back of the car become two wings on either side of the cabin for maximum speed.
“The Model A will be the first flying car with both street driving and vertical take-off capabilities,” claims Jim Dukhovny, CEO if Alef Aeronautics. “It is designed to fit within existing urban infrastructure for driving and parking.
"We're excited to receive this certification from the FAA,” explains Dukhovny. “It allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week. This is a one small step for planes, one giant step for cars.”
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