Flying Car Prototype Has Been Unveiled In Europe, Commuting To Work Just Got Much More Awesome

Along with a hoverboard, and possibly a jetpack, the flying car was up there in out Jetson-ified version of what the future would—goddammit should—look like. Those were the kinds of technology that would be commonplace in the 21st century.

Except, none of that actually materialized when we started the third millenium, but now it seems, finally, technology is getting closer to the speculations of Hanna-Barbera cartoons.

The hoverboard's become a reality (of sorts), water jetpacks exist, and now a Slovakian company called Aeromobil unveiled a working prototype for their flying car at a technology show in Vienna, Austria this week.

Called the Flying Roadster 3.0 the vehicle can be both car and aircraft and the company have been carrying out test flights in real flight conditions since October, according to their website.

The guys behind it, designer Stefan Klein and CEO Juraj Vaculik, are not shy about how they see their technology influencing travel either, saying it could "change personal transport on a global scale."

They've specifically designed and built the vehicle so it can be used in an everyday capacity, from traveling to work to visiting a friend. A friend who has a large field near to them so you can land and take off.

AeroMobil is a flying car that perfectly makes use of existing infrastructure created for automobiles and planes, and opens doors to real door-to-door travel. As a car it fits into any standard parking space, uses regular gasoline, and can be used in road traffic just like any other car. As a plane it can use any airport in the world, but can also take off and land using any grass strip or paved surface just a few hundred meters long (via).

Exactly when you'll be able to buy one is unclear though. The Guardian report that it'll be around two to three years to wait for a controlled launch "with a ballpark price tag of $279,000 (£172,000). AeroMobil, likewise, remain vague on when the car will be production-ready."

But it looks like that maybe the Jetsons were right after all.