Experts have designed the world's first practical flying car aimed at frustrated commuters - and it looks like a Reliant Robin. (Daily Mail Tuesday 1st January 2008)The bizarre three-wheeled vehicle promises relief to motorists stuck in traffic jams by turning into an aircraft capable of soaring up to 4,000ft above congested roads.
With a top speed of 125mph on land, the Personal Air and Land Vehicle, or PAL-V, corners like a motorbike by automatically tilting as it negotiates each bend.
But hidden in its roof and rear are a foldable rotor, propeller and tail section which allow it to take off and fly at speeds up to 120mph.
Its comical appearance betrays its rapid acceleration from 0 to 60 in just 5 seconds - a far cry from Del Boy Trotter's yellow Robin Reliant in Only Fools and Horses.
Its inventors believe that when the the one-seater cars go on sale to the public, they would cost little more than an executive saloon car.
When airborne, the PAL-V is similar to the tiny autogyro aircraft Sean Connery flew in the 1967 James Bond movie 'You Only Live Twice'. Called a gyrocopter, the design includes a rotor on the roof to lift it through the air, and a propeller at the rear to provide forward thrust.
To fly the PAL-V you need a recreational pilot's licence, which takes between 10 and 20 hours training to obtain, while a normal driver's licence covers you for use on the road.
