Design World

  • Home
  • Technologies
    • ELECTRONICS • ELECTRICAL
    • Fastening • joining
    • FLUID POWER
    • LINEAR MOTION
    • MOTION CONTROL
    • SENSORS
    • TEST & MEASUREMENT
    • Factory automation
    • Warehouse automation
    • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
  • Learn
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Learning center
    • eBooks • Tech Tips
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars • general engineering
    • Webinars • Automated warehousing
    • Voices
  • LEAP Awards
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Design Guides
  • Resources
    • Subscribe
    • 3D Cad Models
      • PARTsolutions
      • TraceParts
    • Digital Issues
      • Design World
      • EE World
    • Engineering diversity
    • Trends
  • Supplier Listings
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a Flying Car!

By Tierney King | March 4, 2019

It’s a car. It’s a plane. It’s both? An Australian start up is building a prototype of a flying car that could potentially park in your garage, and literally take up off the ground and fly to a vertical landing point. The five-seat driving car acts as an electric aircraft and has been dubbed Macchina Volantis, according to New Atlas.

This VTOL has retractable and folding wings that allow it to drive on the road like a car and also fly in the air. With winged flight mode and a diesel range extender, the company says it can fly three times that of highway speed.

The inspiration behind this innovation comes from creator of the vehicle, Stephen Fries, who is sick of traffic and believes a road-drivable, electric VTOL craft is the solution to our congested streets.

Fries has planned for a large cabin with five seats and a carrying capacity that allows riders to bring 55 lb of luggage onboard.  

As a vehicle on the road, it can ride at 37 mph. The design shows an enclosed trike with two back wheels and a steerable wheel. But mainly, the craft is designed for the sky, not the highway. When it takes off, it can take off from almost anywhere and achieve cruising speed within 100 seconds using ducted fans and wing lift.

The ‘Flighting Mode’ encompasses a vertical takeoff and landing capability with auto hover mode. Essentially, it flies like a normal small plane, ceiling at 10,000 ft. When it’s time for this thing to fly, the top wing emerges from its space and the bottom wings fold down. The ducted fans at each corner have 80 hp electric motors. Covers on the lower wing slide back and reveal two sets of ducted fans, so there are a total of 12 motors. This allows the vehicle to handle a high power load of vertical takeoff and land the almost 4,000 lb. airframe. Fries says the aircraft is capable of speeds up to 173 mph and a range of 1,000 miles.

The ‘Road Vehicle Mode’ collapses the wings and folds them to reduce the width so it can conform to a normal vehicle.

A few safety features include a built-in redundancy on ducted fan capacity, stall speeds, a ballistic parachute for emergency landing, and a triple redundancy on flight control system.

When talking to New Atlas, Fries seems pretty confident that this prototype has the means to come to fruition. Although he’s never built an aircraft before, he called himself a “serial problem solver,” and said he’s been designing and fixing boats his entire life. Although a boat is no flying plane, Fries definitely believes in his skills, team, and the Macchina Volantis.

“I’m quite au fait with this. I designed it in a freeware piece of software from NASA, aerospace software, so that’s how I know it flies. About this time last year we gave it to an aerospace company in Perth, and they third-party accredited the entire design,” said Fries. “We know it can be done. The ducts are available, you can currently buy them. The electric motors, we know we can get them. The batteries are available, in the sizes we need them. Better and cheaper ones will probably be available by the time we build it, so we prefer not to nominate anything in particular at this time.”

Fries said funds will be the determining factor on bringing this driveable aircraft to the world.

You Might Also Like


Filed Under: Product design

 

LEARNING CENTER

Design World Learning Center
“dw
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for Design Engineering Professionals.
Motor University

Design World Digital Edition

cover

Browse the most current issue of Design World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading design engineering magazine today.

EDABoard the Forum for Electronics

Top global problem solving EE forum covering Microcontrollers, DSP, Networking, Analog and Digital Design, RF, Power Electronics, PCB Routing and much more

EDABoard: Forum for electronics

Sponsored Content

  • Sustainability, Innovation and Safety, Central to Our Approach
  • Why off-highway is the sweet spot for AC electrification technology
  • Looking to 2025: Past Success Guides Future Achievements
  • North American Companies Seek Stronger Ties with Italian OEMs
  • Adapt and Evolve
  • Sustainable Practices for a Sustainable World
View More >>
Engineering Exchange

The Engineering Exchange is a global educational networking community for engineers.

Connect, share, and learn today »

Design World
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Manage your Design World Subscription
  • Subscribe
  • Design World Digital Network
  • Control Engineering
  • Consulting-Specifying Engineer
  • Plant Engineering
  • Engineering White Papers
  • Leap Awards

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Design World

  • Home
  • Technologies
    • ELECTRONICS • ELECTRICAL
    • Fastening • joining
    • FLUID POWER
    • LINEAR MOTION
    • MOTION CONTROL
    • SENSORS
    • TEST & MEASUREMENT
    • Factory automation
    • Warehouse automation
    • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
  • Learn
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Learning center
    • eBooks • Tech Tips
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars • general engineering
    • Webinars • Automated warehousing
    • Voices
  • LEAP Awards
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
    • 2021 Winners
  • Design Guides
  • Resources
    • Subscribe
    • 3D Cad Models
      • PARTsolutions
      • TraceParts
    • Digital Issues
      • Design World
      • EE World
    • Engineering diversity
    • Trends
  • Supplier Listings
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
We use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features, and to analyze our traffic. We share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising, and analytics partners who may combine it with other information you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use this website.OkNoRead more