Carplane® GmbH

Carplane® is a serious business venture catering to a niche in the private airplane market. On November 14, 2016 we passed our final major test for airplane certification (wing load-test). We are funded until 2020 by the EU and the German State of Niedersachsen.

The subject of “flying cars” creates emotion. People are either opposed (citing scenarios of the heavens being blackened by masses of vehicles – a problem we’d like to have) or they’re over-exuberant in a “gee whizz” kind of way. In reality, however, there’s nothing especially high-tech about putting powered wheels on a light plane, retracting the wings and driving it home. All it is, really, is another transport option. Getting this rational message into the emotional packaging of a flying car is one of our main challenges.

What makes Carplane® different is our focus on real-world certification. Whereas others focus on "proof-of-concept" of fabulous new technologies, in the foreseeable future drones will not pick up and drop passengers over populated areas beyond line-of-sight control. And no airplane with folding wings or rotors has ever been certified for non-experimental, regular civilian use.

Since our vehicle does not fold its wings and has both conventional wing-size and handling characteristics, it can be regularly certified. We have patents on its layout, wing-deployment and hybrid steering in the EU, the USA and China.

Will we "revolutionize transport"? No.

Will we make money? Yes.