What is "xplorair"

The Xplorair is a project of compact VTOL aircraft without rotating airfoil from aerospace engineer Michel Aguilar, funded by the French Armed Forces procurement agency DGA and supported by various European aeronautics firms such as Dassault Systèmes, EADS Innovation Works, MBDA, Altran Technologies, Sogeti, Turbomeca, COMAT Aerospace and the Institut Pprime. Announced in 2007, the project aims to develop a UAV prototype scheduled for flight in 2017, followed by a single-seater flying car whose commercialization could occur the decade after.

The Xplorair is a personal air vehicle (PAV). The term "flying car" is often used by authors referring to the Xplorair project. While it is true that the vehicle has the same rough size as an automobile and is intended to be flown in the future above cities by anyone with a driver's license (thanks to a fully automated, SATS-like flight mode), it has no wheels and won't be driven on roads as a roadable aircraft like the Terrafugia TF-X. Nevertheless, the Xplorair is capable of VTOL operation whereas the Terrafugia needs more than for take-off and landing. Another project of VTOL flying car that doesn't need roads is the Moller M400 Skycar. But unlike the Xplorair, the Moller skycar has rotating ducted fans powered by Wankel engines.