The PAL-V Liberty, the world's first commercially available flying car, is scheduled to be delivered to the first customers in 2020. While the gyrocopter design is attracting global attention, PAL-V is already thinking out loud about future models, says Marco van den Bosch, sales and marketing director at the Raamdonksveer-based company.

By: Dimitri Reijerman

While the basic principle of the gyrocopter was already devised in 1923, the helicopter design has been used considerably more widely in aviation. Nevertheless, PAL-V, which stands for (Personal Air and Land Vehicle), started working with the concept based on a rotary wing in order to build a car that can also take to the airspace if desired.

According to Van den Bosch, who gave a lecture on the engineering of the flying car and mobility in the future gyrocopter technology has some major advantages over a traditional helicopter: “A gyrocopter is much easier and more efficient to fly than a helicopter,” says Van den Bosch, himself a helicopter pilot. “It is also safer, because a gyrocopter is not possible stables. Even if we have total engine failure, it will only fall down a short distance. The rotors continue to rotate at 400 revolutions. Then you essentially have a flying parachute.”

PAL-VDesign

The current design of the 664 kilogram PAL-V relies on a gasoline engine that can power two engines. On the road, the flying car can reach a maximum speed of 160 km/h, with a range of just over 1,300 kilometers. The PAL-V can be prepared for flight mode in 3 minutes. This requires a runway of approximately 200 meters. Once in the air, it can fly up to 500 kilometers at a cruising speed of 160 km/h. A runway of 30 meters is sufficient for landing.

To be allowed to take to the air, the pilot of a PAL-V must have more than a driving license B: “You need a license,” says Van den Bosch. “In addition to our product, we also have the PAL-V Flight/drive Academy, our training center in Breda. With 35 hours of lessons and the associated theory you can obtain the PPL, the Private Pilot License. With this you can fly throughout Europe.”

In addition to a license, you also need a lot of money; the first 90 models on the market in 2020 will have a price tag of half a million euros as a 'collector's item'. Models that follow, but contain fewer extras, cost 200,000 less. “We have customers from all walks of life. These are people who see flying as a dream, and they are often entrepreneurs. They have the ability to purchase the PAL-V and often have a love for luxury car brands. And 80 percent of our customers are not pilots.”

Take-off and landing

Even before the first PAL-Vs are delivered, more take-off and landing sites are needed to make best use of the vehicle's flight capabilities. According to Van den Bosch, PAL-V is already in discussions about this with Rijkswaterstaat in the Netherlands. These short strips should be located on the outskirts of cities or right next to the entrances and exits of highways. This also keeps noise pollution within limits.

In the development of the flying car, PAL-V relies heavily on technical staff, which almost entirely comes from TU Delft. And the company is leaning on a lead developed over the years in the long development process for a flying car: “We realize that we are ahead, but also that we have to stay busy to stay ahead. The certification gives us an advantage: it takes approximately 7 years to arrange all mandatory certification. It doesn't matter how much money you have, whether your name is Airbus or Boeing, you have to go through that process. Our time advantage is our biggest patent.”

PAL-VMobility in the future

During his WoTS lecture, Van den Bosch will also discuss his vision on future mobility, including the possibility of electric flying in the long term: “Electric flying is still a utopia today; 1 kg of battery contains 37 times less energy than 1 kg of gasoline. We are fully prepared to make the step to electric, but we are dependent on battery technology.”

Autonomous flying is also around the corner, although that will take some time: “If we look to the future, we at PAL-V are already fully prepared aerodynamically. We don't see autonomous flying happening in the first 15 years. But ultimately it will be about autonomous flight technology. Look at Uber's plans for in-city taxi services. The only way to solve mobility in the future is to take to the air and, possibly, underground.”

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