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PAL-V clears essential EASA certification milestone for flying car

Composites-intensive FlyDrive vehicle concept has been issued No Technical Objection certification, endorsing the company’s plans to finalize flight certification.

Grace Nehls
Edited by:  Grace Nehls
Senior Managing Editor, ÂÌñÏ×ÆÞ and Products Finishing

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Source | PAL-V

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has officially issued a “no technical objection” (NTO) to the carbon fiber composite FlyDrive vehicle that is being developed and commercialized by  (PAL-V, Raamdonksveer, Netherlands).

The PAL-V Liberty vehicle, which can both drive on the road and fly through the air using gyrocopter technology, has been under development since 2008. The vehicle drives on the road and can be quickly converted into an aircraft. By integrating air and road travel into one vehicle, it offers safe door-to-door, long-distance mobility.

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“This is the first time ever we have issued an NTO for a FlyDrive vehicle in the innovative air mobility sector,” notes Volker Arnsmeier, EASA’s senior project certification manager for VTOL. 

The flying car’s certification for road use was achieved in 2020. NTO certification is EASA’s endorsement of PAL-V’s detailed compliance demonstration program to finalize flight certification. It confirms that there are no known risks preventing full type certification.

Around the world companies are racing to develop novel aviation concepts, driven by innovations in propulsion, composites and software. Meanwhile, various novel concepts for passenger transportation are being developed, like the PAL-V Liberty. The company contend that it is the first in this sector to reach the last of seven EASA certification phases. EASA is known to adhere to the strictest levels of safety requirements which provides PAL-V a path to global adoption once certified in Europe.

While the certification of the Liberty platform is finalized, PAL-V is concurrently planning various customizations, including sustainable fuels and other CO2-neutral drive trains.

“Bringing our vehicles to market as quickly as possible has always been our goal,” Robert Dingemanse, founder and CEO of PAL-V, says. “But when it comes to safety, there are no shortcuts. Our long-term endurance and vision ensure the maturity and sustainability of our business and the viability of the FlyDrive concept.”

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