PAL-V Liberty flying car hits the road as it becomes street-legal In Europe

PAL-V Liberty, the self-proclaimed world’s first flying car, has received approval for road usage and can now be legally used on European streets.

The Liberty passed the stringent European road admission tests and now is allowed on the road with an official license plate. This marks the completion of a rigorous and extensive drive test program carried out on test tracks since February 2020.

After drives on high-speed ovals, brake and emission tests, as well as noise pollution testing, the PAL-V Liberty is now ready to be driven on public roads. This breakthrough means the flying car is another step closer to achieve certification for flying.

Since 2015, the PAL-V Liberty’s design has been going through aviation certification with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), with finalization expected in 2022. The Liberty benefits from the certification experience accumulated in the earlier flight test program with the PAL-V One.

Before the final 150 hours of flight testing can take place, over 1,200 test reports need to be completed. After this, the company will be able to start deliveries to customers. For the coming months, however, the Liberty will be undergoing endurance testing on public roads across Europe.

“We have been cooperating with the road authorities for many years to reach this milestone. The excitement you feel in the team is huge,” said Mike Stekelenburg, PAL-V’s CTO. “It was very challenging to make a ‘folded aircraft’ pass all road admission tests. For me, the trick in successfully making flying car is to ensure that the design complies with both air and road regulations.”

Here’s how Hans Joore, the test driver of the PAL-V Liberty, described the first outing on public roads: “Hearing the vehicle come to life was just magnificent and driving it was great. It is very smooth and responsive to the steering and with a weight of just 660 kg it accelerates really well. The overall experience is like a sports car. It feels sensational.”

PAL-V says reservations are growing “beyond expectation”, despite a $399,000 starting price for the base Liberty Sport Edition. Around 80 per cent of reservation holders are new to aviation, and that’s why some of them have already started training for a gyroplane flying license at the PAL-V FlyDrive Academy.