Air Mobility Company Behind the 'Car That Flies' Opens UK Office

PAL-V (Personal Air and Land Vehicle), the company behind the flying car Liberty, has set up shop in the U.K. with a new office at London Oxford Airport. 

The Dutch company has established the new office as the U.K.’s first “fly drive” simulator for prospective clients, allowing them to “familiarize [themselves] with the vehicle’s unique characteristics.”

The Liberty car is fitted with rotors that fold out from its roof, turning it into a gyrocopter in a matter of minutes. The two-seater vehicle can reach a maximum drive speed of 99.4 mph and a maximum flight speed of 111.8 mph.

“London Oxford Airport offers PAL-V the space to grow as we commence our pre-launch activities,” said Andy Wall, leader of the U.K. office. “It is rich in the heart of the motoring industry and easily accessible to London. The team at the airport have been superb and very adaptable to our needs and there is great synergy with established tenant companies there,” 

Plans are underway for PAL-V to ramp up rollout of its flying car, with the company pursuing an airworthiness approval certificate that will see Liberty’s commercial approval in 80% of the world market, including the U.S. Initial markets for Liberty are expected to be Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the U.K., widening out to the rest of Europe, North America and then into the Middle East and Asia. Thus far, interest in the vehicle has been split evenly between commercial, defense and private users.

“The whole genre of Flying Cars is one of puzzlement and excitement,” said Wall. “By keeping it simple and getting the first approvals of the type, we aim to demystify the complex, the unknowns and maximize the excitement.”