AeroMobil, a company whose target is to build a working flying car, had to face a crash during one of their test flights. While this is part and parcel of tests, the company released a press statement which mentioned that the inventor and test pilot, Stefan Klein was behind the wheel when it happened.
Fortunately no one was hurt, Stefan managed to engage the parachute system in order to minimise the crash.
Here is the press release from AeroMobil:
Saturday, May 9, 2015 —
The AeroMobil 3.0 experimental prototype is currently undergoing a rigorous analysis and testing programme. During one of the test flights that took place on May 8, 2015, the inventor and test pilot, Stefan Klein, encountered an unexpected situation and activated the advanced ballistic parachute system in an altitude of approximately 300 meters (900 feet).
The system has proved itself fully functional and landed the entire vehicle without any injury to the pilot. The detailed data and overall experience from this test flight will be thoroughly analyzed and the results will be used in the ongoing R&D and improvements of the prototype. Testing of the current prototype 3.0 and further product development will continue after the replacement of the damaged parts.
In the process of developing new vehicles, especially in the prototype phase, the possibility and likelihood of an unexpected situation is a natural part of the testing program. This is a learning period which allows us to detect and subsequently refine our design. It is necessary to test the prototype in every way possible to establish its limits and to improve on them. The flight recording details will help us learn from the data and improve the performance of the vehicle prior to our next flight test.
It was indeed fortunate that there were no loss of life and we continue to support industries trying to push the boundaries in technology.
