Flying Car Manufacturer Aska Nabs FAA Flight Test Signoff

Aska’s A5—a car, eVTOL, fixed-wing glider hybrid—got an FAA greenlight for flight testing.

Jack Daleo

Friday, June 30, 2023 at 02:39 PM ET

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Aska’s A5 flying car, with wings and rotors unfolded, undergoes field testing. [Courtesy: Aska]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is increasingly focusing on flying car designs, with Aska's A5 eVTOL-car hybrid recently receiving a special airworthiness certificate for expanded flight testing.
Aska's A5 is a unique "drive-and-fly" vehicle that is street-legal, SUV-sized, and capable of both vertical takeoff/landing and short runway takeoff/landing, powered by a hybrid-electric system for a 250-mile range.
A key advantage of the A5 is its design to utilize existing infrastructure like roads, parking, and airports, simplifying its integration as it progresses towards FAA type certification, with initial deliveries targeted for 2026 at a price of $789,000.

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Though slow progress on advanced air mobility (AAM) rulemaking has so far kept electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft like air taxis grounded, the FAA is starting to turn its attention to an even more complex design: the flying car.

Following Alef Aeronautics’ announcement that its eVTOL-car hybrid received an experimental special airworthiness certificate, another Jetsonian firm, Mountain View, California-based Aska, has obtained the same FAA approval. Now, Aska’s preproduction four-seater A5, first unveiled in January at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, has the green light for expanded flight testing.

Flying Car Manufacturer Aska Nabs FAA Flight Test Signoff

Aska’s A5—a car, eVTOL, fixed-wing glider hybrid—got an FAA greenlight for flight testing.

Key Takeaways:

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