Who is envious of S.H.I.E.L.D’s Helicarrier? Better said, who is not envious?! Every one of us would ditch in a moment’s notice a car, yacht, even helicopter to fly a personal vertical jet with a quarter of that vehicle’s power and functions. As it is, we’re left to dream of the Marvel-constructed jet, especially since we don’t have the space to store such a beauty. Until 2018, that is; then, Lilium Aviation will put at civilians’ disposal a vertical take-off jet #todaymagic
The startup company hopes to start selling a VTOL personal jet aircraft starting with the following year, writes International Business Times, at a price yet unknown (but surelly bigger than you can anticipate). Backed by the European Space Agency, a team of engineers and students from University of Munich started the small company with the goal of making a small, vertical plane that is quiet, eco and easy to fly by anyone.
The result is a futuristic looking Lilium plane (see in the video above) with two seats, that can achieve a maximum speed of 250 mph and a range of 310 miles at cruising speed. It will take off and land vertically almost by itself, in the sense that an onboard computer will control both actions, so you don’t have to worry so much. That doesn’t mean you won’t need about 20 hours of training and a pilot’s license before going up with this baby!
A GPS-assisted navigation system will help you stay on course, although the ESA plans to limit the flying sessions to the days with clear skies and up to 3 km in the air. Even with these limitations, it’s hard to pass the chance of flying on a regular basis.
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