A flying car may seem like the stuff of sci-fi movies and every child’s fantasy, but within the next year, it’s going to be a reality. AirCar is a car that turns into an aircraft and takes to the skies. The futuristic craft has been given the green light in Slovakia by the Slovak Transport Authority, according to AirCar’s developer Klein Vision, a flying car inventor based in Nitra, Slovakia. It is one of the first craft of its kind to receive formal certification.

In a release about the groundbreaking news , the company said that the organization issued AirCar its Certificate of Airworthiness after it completed more than 200 takeoffs and landings as well as 70 hours of test flights that meet the standards of the European Aviation Safety Agency. “The challenging flight tests included the full range of flight and performance maneuvers and demonstrated an astonishing static and dynamic stability in the aircraft mode,” the release said. “The takeoff and landing procedures were achieved even without the pilot’s need to touch the flight controls.”

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The Slovak Transport Authority also weighed in. René Molnár, director of the Civil Aviation Division, said, “AirCar combines top innovations with safety measures in line with EASA standards. It defines a new category of a sports car and a reliable aircraft. Its certification was both a challenging and fascinating task.”

AirCar before takeoff.

AirCar came to fruition following more than 100,000 hours of work by a team of eight specialists that turned drawings of its design into 3D models, which subsequently went through wind tunnel testing. A two-seater prototype came next, and it was powered by a 15KW engine. A spokesperson for Klein Vision says that this initial life-size version of AirCar was powered by remote control.

The AirCar in the skies.

Klein Vision’s founder Stefan Klein led the development team, and was also the test pilot for the final model that converts from a vehicle to a small plane. “AirCar certification opens the door for mass production of very efficient flying cars. It is official and the final confirmation of our ability to change mid-distance travel forever,” he said.

AirCar will be available globally for consumers to purchase within the next year, but Klein Vision’s spokesperson says that only licensed pilots will be eligible to actually fly it. The asking price of the innovation will range between $550,000 to $1.1 million, and will depend based on the features that the model has. “If you want a model with the latest GPS or the most current technology, for example, it will cost more,” the spokesperson says.

Pricey? Without a question, yes. But depending on who’s buying, the cost may be more than worth it.  It is, after all, a flying car that we’re talking about.