The Futuristic PAL-V Liberty Will Let You Fly-Drive Your Way To Work

Move aside, plebeians in your archaic motor cars. A fly-drive commute is so much more now, if you believe the latest firm to announce an attempt at a flying car.

For a mere £425,000, Dutch company PAL-V will sell you the Liberty flying ‘car’, which, to be fair, is more of an enclosed tricycle with rotor blades attached. Apparently it’s fully road legal in the EU, as long as the overhead rotor isn’t spinning as you’re mooching down the M1.

The blades collapse and fold away into a bundle over the roof and tail end. A Rotax ‘dual-propulsion’ drivetrain has one engine for the road and one for the sky. The power goes to a blade at the back, which drives the vehicle through the air courtesy of lift generated by the unpowered overhead rotor.

PAL-V is aiming to have its first car-slash-microlight delivered to customers by the end of next year. The launch model will be named the Liberty Pioneer Edition. With weight reduction a priority it’s not very well equipped, though. For your purchase price you’ll get some flight instruction sessions (oh good) and a heater. Apparently some aspects of the build can be personalised, but that’s about the end of the standard kit list.

Only 90 are being made, with about half staying in Europe in the hands of rich businessmen flying over busy main roads attempting to slice precious minutes off their commutes. The conversion between car and ‘copter takes 10 minutes.

You’ll need a small airstrip or at least 90 square metres to take off; preferably closer 200, says PAL-V. In the air its 197bhp engine can manage 112mph and a range of up to 310 miles, with a flight ceiling of 3500m. On the road the 99bhp engine can manage 100mph, 0-62mpg in 9.0 seconds and fuel economy of just 31mpg, although a large fuel tank means that its theoretical range is 817 miles.

Oh, and by the way: before you reach for your wallet, you’ll be needing a flying licence. That’s if the project ever actually leaves the ground in the first place…