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PAL-V presents the first flying car

PAL-V knows how to answer a question that remained unanswered until now, but everyone has surely asked themselves at one time or another: "Why doesn't a car that can fly exist yet? After being founded in 2008 by Robert Dingemanse and John Bakker and more than 100 engineers collaborating, the company is presenting the world's very first flying car, gyrocopter and car in one, at the fair. MASTERS talked to Giordy Wammes: what he hopes the fair will bring him and what he hopes to have achieved in ten years with PAL-V.
PAL-V

If you were allowed to invent something yourself that has already been invented in the past 50 years, what would it be? 

"Exactly what we are working on today; a Flying Car. One vehicle with multiple capabilities, fantastic." 

What was your first reaction when you heard about PAL-V? 

"In 2017, I first heard about PAL-V. At that moment I immediately thought, 'That's the answer to a question no one has been able to answer until now.' Henry Ford said 100 years ago that the question is not whether we will ever get flying cars, but when we will get them. We completed certification for flying in 2024. This means that 2024 may well be the year that our first customers will take delivery of their PAL-V after a very long wait. In fact, we made a conscious decision to begin the certification process before we would show the PAL-V flying to the world. After all, the certification process for an aircraft typically takes ten to twelve years. Should anyone now be interested in a PAL-V, it is also possible to take out an Option To Purchase."

What is the biggest milestone you have achieved so far with PAL-V?

"What I found one of the big milestones was the moment the PAL-V was certified as an automobile. Achieving this official status as an automobile automatically also gives you outward confidence to investors and potential customers, among others. After all, if something doesn't exist yet, you often have a lot of skeptical people. In addition, technical progress is not visible, all people want to know is when they can fly. After getting the car certified, we drove to London; there we were filling up with a flying car, at a normal gas station. The car attracted so much attention that it took an hour and a half before we could drive out of there again."

Giordy Wammes

 

What do you hope to have accomplished ten years from now? 

"Bringing a new form of mobility into the market is historic and also our goal. So I hope that in ten years we will have opened a new market and still be participating in it with once again new, innovative ideas. Once we complete EASA certification, we can quickly move on to other concepts we have hidden in our treasure trove of development..."

 

"I hope that in ten years we will have opened a new market."

Who is your dream customer?

"The dream customer is that one flight enthusiast I get to take into the world of PAL-V; introducing them to real flying themselves. At our own Flight Academy at Breda Int. Airport, you learn how a gyrocopter works and what advantages it has over all other aircraft. Afterwards, you obtain your own PPL (Private Pilot License) and you can fly, but also drive, your own PAL-V from home to the most beautiful destinations."

What do you bring to MASTERS EXPO?

"At MASTERS EXPO, we are introducing the PAL-V to people who, like us, are looking for unique experiences, adventure and innovation. As PAL-V, we offer a vehicle to not only get from A to B faster, but also a vehicle that offers a unique experience. There is no product in the world that combines driving and flying in one vehicle. At MASTERS EXPO, therefore, we will be displaying two PAL-Vs. One PAL-V we will show in flight mode and expand to gyrocopter with rotor, undercarriage and tail. In addition, we will show a PAL-V in driving mode, so you can also see what it looks like when driven around as an automobile. It is unique that we will have two specimens on display at the fair, because actually at least one PAL-V is used 24 hours a day for certification and development."

MASTERS EXPO focuses on craftsmanship, innovation and entrepreneurship. What do you hope the fair brings you?

"After doing very long homework, we are now ready to take the next step: expand the commercial structure and actively sell the PAL-V. MASTERS EXPO is the perfect partner to raise PAL-V's profile at the moment we take this step. MASTERS EXPO has a lot of potential customers, both private and business. There are also many influential people with large networks spreading the news about what they have seen at our place."

Visit the PAL-V website here.


MASTERS EXPO 

Visit PAL-V at MASTERS EXPO. From December 8 to 12 in RAI Amsterdam: MASTERS EXPO - The Colourful Edition. Order your tickets here.