Science fiction has been predicting the popularization of the flying car for decades: from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, George Jetson's flying-saucer shaped aerocar, to airspeeders in the Star Wars franchise.
And a German startup is the latest company hoping to bring that dream to reality.
Lilum is promising to rollout its fully electric, ultralight, two-seater, personal jet by January 2018.
The egg-shaped plane is said to combine the benefits of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, in that it will be able to take off and land "from almost anywhere," because it will require an open and flat area of just 15 metres by 15 metres.
"Our goal is to develop an aircraft for use in everyday life," Daniel Wiegand, one of the company's four founders and CEO, said in a press release.
"We are going for a plane that can take off and land vertically, and does not need the complex and expensive infrastructure of an airport."
Although the Lilum Jet takes off and lands like a helicopter, it uses swiveling engines to reach speeds of up to 400 kilometres an hour. It also has a range of 500 km.
The company hopes the aircraft can open up the traffic "bottlenecks" created by airports, especially from short-haul flights.
Unlike conventional aircraft, the Lilum Jet can be used in an urban environment, because it doesn't require a massive landing tarmac and its electric, ducted fan engines produce less noise pollution.
In comparison, the company said helicopters are very noisy, difficult to fly and have no backup in case of rotor failure, which makes them expensive to "build and maintain."
Lilum said its craft's batteries, engines and controllers are all redundant, making it a "much safer" option.
The Lilum Jet is also classified as a light sport aircraft, meaning the pilot's licence requires 20 hours training, which it compares to acquiring a driver's permit.
The company promises the aircraft is easy to fly thanks to its fully computer-assisted control system, which aids the pilot during takeoff and landing.
Its battery can also be recharged from any wall plug.
However, the craft isn't without its limitations.
It's designed only to be flown in good weather conditions in uncongested airspace in the daylight.
The startup, which was founded in February 2015 by four engineers from the Technical University of Munich, has already created several scale, 25-kilogram prototypes.
The venture initially received funding by the European Union and has received support through the European Space Agency's business incubation centre in Bavaria, Germany.
"The half-size prototype is already flying and now under test. The full-size unmanned prototype is planned for this summer," said Thorsten Rudolph, CEO of AZO, which manages the ESA's Bavaria incubator.
"We are helping the Lilium team to turn their idea into a viable business. They are the aircraft experts, and we provide the expertise on how to make a business out of their dream."
The company, which has also received backing from a venture-capital investor, is planning its first manned flight in 2017, and hopes initial production on the aircraft will be begin in 2018, with serial production to follow after.
The goal is to offer the Lilum Jet at a price-point that will make it an affordable transportation option for a wide range of consumers. It hopes to offer the vehicle at a much lower price than similar-sized aircraft, with reduced running costs.
"In the longer term, our target is to build an aircraft that not only the super-rich can afford, and that can make private air transportation possible for a much wider number of people," said Wiegand.
"With the concept of taking off and landing almost everywhere, we could see that one day our plane will be used for quick and daily transportation almost like a car today."
Source: Flying cars? This German startup hopes to get users up in the air by 2018
how much would it cost.
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