It's a bird; it's a plane; it's a car?

[GobbleDog 815]

A flying car capable of hitting speeds over 100mph and altitudes above 8,000ft has been issued with a certificate of airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority.

The hybrid car-aircraft, AirCar, is equipped with a BMW engine and runs on regular petrol-pump fuel. It takes two minutes and 15 seconds to transform from car into aircraft. "AirCar certification opens the door for mass production of very efficient flying cars," its creator, Prof Stefan Klein, said.

In June, the flying car completed a 35-minute flight between international airports in Nitra and Bratislava, Slovakia. The company told BBC News it planned "to fly to London from Paris in near future". Other companies are also developing vehicles that can fly and be driven on the roads.

Are flying cars the future? "Yes... and no," he said. "From a transport point of view, it has a niche - although, a very interesting niche."

[fandandy 3,311]

Good luck parking that at Walmart.