Skyrunner all-terrain flying car uses a Ford EcoBoost engine

When most of us think of flying cars, we probably immediately think of complicated vehicle such as the Aeromobil flying car or the offerings from Terrafugia. It can be years before those complicated flying cars are available to purchase and drive on roads around the country. A company called SkyRunner has announced the official introduction of its own flying car.

The vehicle recently made its public debut, and is part all-terrain vehicle and part light sport aircraft. The vehicle needs no airport and is designed to take off from fields, secluded beaches, and other open fields. The little vehicle looks a lot like a dune buggy and weighs 926 pounds.

Power for the car comes from a 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine built by Ford, which is the same engine used in some versions of the 2014 Ford Fiesta. The SkyRunner promises a 500-mile road range at 53 MPG and can travel 200 nautical miles in the air. The vehicle doesn't have fixed wings and relies on paraglide wing technology.

Basically, the aircraft uses a parachute as a wing and gives pilots the ability to climb or descend and turn left or right. The vehicle has a top speed of 115 mph on the ground and 55 mph in the air. The SkyRunner certainly isn't cheap at $119,000 and it appears to be a single seat vehicle. The company building the vehicle expects shipments to begin by mid-2014. Pilots will need a light sport aircraft pilots license.

SOURCE: SkyRunner