When Airspeeder was announced, there was a lot of talk about the category and all it has to offer to the world of sustainable racing, but this time combining aerial and terrestrial elements to bring them together and take them into the sky to provide a world-class spectacle.
Airspeeder will become the first flying car category to officially compete. However, Matt Pearson, co-founder of the series, revealed all it represents for technology and the world beyond the previously mentioned factor, highlighting a number of points that will elevate the division’s name straight into the historical record books.
For Pearson, the words of Henry Ford when he mentioned that “the airplane and the automobile will merge into one” are coming true through the Airspeeder, given that this scenario has long been promised without success, but 2022 will mark a milestone in sports and general history with the first crewed flight of an aerial car.
Related content: Matthew Pearson: architect of Airspeeder and part of the breakthrough in electric mobility
The first step was to announce the birth of the category, the second to present the Airspeeder MK3, the flying protagonist weighing 130 kg and capable of reaching 96.5 km/h (60 mph) in just over two seconds with a flight range up to 15 minutes, according to data from flight tests conducted in South Australia.
Airspeeder, a new step in technology
“There have been several attempts to mix a car with wheels into a vehicle with wings but they are not optimized for neither of them. You either have a weird vehicle on the ground or a weird airplane in the sky,” Pearson said regarding attempts to create a successful flying car.
Three unmanned races will be held in the Airspeeder this year, because it is still too early to take the risk of putting a pilot in the vehicle because data must be collected to optimize the development of the MK3 in terms of speed, reliability and safety. In addition, Pearson pointed out that his company will be the first to put flying cars up against each other.
It is worth noting that Airspeeder will have the support of IWC (International Watch Company) as an engineering and timing partner, demonstrating the interest generated by the category which will no doubt become the driving of the future, regardless the category is competitive, since it will lay the groundwork for other companies to replicate the concept and adapt it to other types of transportation.
Written by | Ronald Ortega
