cars news 10: Skyrunner Flying Buggy Is Ready for Anything

Flying cars don’t have to be futuristic machines that belong in worlds of the “Matrix,” “Judge Dredd,” and “Oblivion.” They don’t need to be so complicated, at least that’s what a company called Skyrunner believes.

What you’re looking at is called the Skyrunner Flying Buggy. It seats two, has four wheels, an engine, and all the bells and whistles you’d expect in something that transports you across land. Yet, its general shape has more in common with the off-road side-by-side buggies from the likes of Polaris or Can-Am. It features Fox Piggyback shocks, Maxxis Bighorn tires, a Polaris ProStar 1000cc engine, and a double A-arm suspension both front and back.

All of this allows the Skyrunner to tackle most types of terrain. Nevertheless, when terrain runs out, it’s been fitted with a parachute and a rear-mounted Rotax 914 UL light-sport air-craft engine powering a rear propeller.

The standard road engine is capable of 70 mph on dirt, pavement, and everything else. Up in the air, the Rotax-unit can propel the Skyrunner to approximately 40 mph depending on the rider’s weight. It takes about three minutes to deploy the ram-air parafoil wing, while takeoff requires about 450 feet and landings just slightly less, needing only 400 feet.

The Skyrunner Flying Buggy is capable of reaching a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet and can climb at a rate of 465 feet per meter. It also has a flight range of about 120 miles and a terra-firma range of 240 miles.

Skyrunner says it requires 14 hours of flight training to learn how to fly the buggy once it is in the air. There are only two flight controls: left and right steering via the buggy’s toggles and a throttle pedal to climb or descend.

As for the price, the Skyrunner costs $139,000 — considering you could truly go anywhere, that doesn’t seem like an astronomical amount for a flying car.