Inside the PAL-V Liberty ‘flying sports car’
Everyone is talking about flying cars – the term is used quite broadly but it definitely applies to the PAL-V Liberty. We had a chance to get inside.
PAL-V’s Marco…
Everyone is talking about flying cars – the term is used quite broadly but it definitely applies to the PAL-V Liberty. We had a chance to get inside.
PAL-V’s Marco van den Bosch told FINN that the PAL-V Liberty is going through certification and already has orders.
He said: “We are sitting here in production number one so it is not a prototype anymore. This is the real thing.”
He added: “After 10 years of development, we are very happy now to start the selling process.”
Van den Bosch describes how the car will undergo a “three-minute transformation” from a car to an aeroplane and ideally take off and land near highway exits and entrances.
3D mobility
He said: “There are a lot of fields, especially in Europe and all over the world, which we can use, but they also [require] specific permits. To have a specific permit to land, you only need a strip of 200 or 300 metres. So, it’s like the new 3D mobility.”
Initially, small airstrips, aerodromes, glider sites and/or ultralight airfields will probably be used. However, PAL-V expects that more small and uncontrolled airstrips will be created over time as urban air mobility takes off. Many countries also allow for special permits on private property.
A limited-edition version (45 in Europe, 25 in the US) of the PAL-V Liberty will cost €499,000. The sports version will be around €300,000 – €400,000.
Van den Bosch commented: “We have orders from all over the world already. The first 40-plus orders are already in, but we just started [selling] two months ago.”
He said as well as individuals there’s also interest from the likes of police services and ‘flying doctors’.
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