Minnesota lawmakers may pave the way for flying cars

It's a plane! It's a car! Actually, it's both — a flying car. And lawmakers at the Capitol are considering a measure that would streamline the adoption of these futuristic modes of transport in Minnesota.

The so-called Jetson Bill, named after the boomer-beloved Jet Age cartoon, unanimously flew through the Senate Transportation Committee Monday, and is heading to the House on Thursday. It defines a "roadable aircraft," and sets forth the rules of the road and means of registration in Minnesota by their pilot-drivers.

"Believe it or not, the way things are going with technology, we're actually looking at flying cars coming maybe as early as 2025," Sen. John Jasinski, R-Faribault, the bill's author, testified on Monday. But Transportation Chair Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, suggested the bill should be called the "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" bill, a reference to the 1968 film featuring a magical car.

Flying cars are being developed by several companies and are not yet available for private use in the United States. But proponents say they could be available within two years. Generally speaking, the vehicles operate as a car while on roadways, and as a plane in the air.

The "Switchblade" prototype being developed by Oregon-based Samson Sky could be parked on the street or in a home garage with its tail tucked under and wings drawn close, then driven to an airport where both are unfurled into an aircraft in three minutes. The company's executives testified on behalf of the bill Monday. They call it "your own personal time machine."

Another vehicle by Dutch company Pal-V looks more like a mini-helicopter; rotor blades are folded on top of the three-wheeled vehicle. Two other firms are working on their own models: California-based Alef Aeronautics, whose version will sell for about $300,000 and looks more like a conventional car, and Klein Vision AirCar, which will be manufactured in Slovakia. Both are aiming to begin production as early as 2025.

While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates the aircraft part of the vehicle, it's up to states to oversee their use on local roadways. Last year, New Hampshire adopted a similar law, and the companies are currently approaching lawmakers throughout the country to smooth adoption once they're ready for prime time.

"Minnesota, along with several other forward-looking states, is helping to make a clear and simple path forward for the new era of transportation afforded by roadable aircraft," Samson Chief Executive Sam Bousfield, said in an email.

"The time for handling this is now, just ahead of deliveries of these kinds of vehicles, so that their adoption by Minnesota residents would be unimpeded."

The three-wheeled, street-legal Switchblade model being developed by Samson can be flown up to 200 miles per hour and nearly 13,000 feet in the air using unleaded gas, as opposed to leaded aviation fuel. Considered an experimental aircraft, the cost of the Switchblade ranges from $170,000 to $190,000, and part of it must be assembled by the owner.

People operating the flying cars must have both a motor vehicle and pilot's license.

"It's kind of a novelty," said Rep. John Petersburg, R-Waseca, who is sponsoring the bill in the House. "It's nice to think of something in the future. But it sounds like it's coming." He hopes Minnesota will be ready.