Turkish engineer’s flying car: “We can connect it with the skies”

Young entrepreneur Eray Altunbozar is preparing to make Turkey a leader in the field of flying cars with his project named AirCar. Aiming to enter mass production with state support for domestic and national production, Altunbozar stated, “If our government helps, we are ready, we can bring AirCar to the skies.”

After completing his Electrical and Electronics Engineering education in the USA, Eray Altunbozar returned to Turkey, where the AirCar project came to life in his workshop in Kocaeli Technology Valley. The project is set to make Turkey a pioneer in the age of flying cars.

“I started the project in 2017”

Describing the development process of AirCar, Eray Altunbozar noted that he started this project in 2017 and it is a product of about 7 years of work. Altunbozar said, “Our company has been active for about 7 years. It is a company that makes electric autonomous flying vehicles. We are currently working in the Technology Valley in Gebze. We have developed the 7th prototype of the vehicle.”

Stating that he is an engineer who has developed himself in entrepreneurship, Altunbozar mentioned that he decided to make a flying car in 2017. Altunbozar said, “With the widespread use of drones around the world, I also started my research. After researching, I decided to do this job. I thought the time had come. I thought, ‘If we start in 2017, we will be ready by the time it is finally here.’ I started with that intention, and we have come this far.”

“We are ready, we can bring AirCar to the skies”

Altunbozar emphasized that AirCar is currently only at the testing stage and could enter mass production with the necessary support, saying, “We are ready, but producing AirCar and partially entering mass production is a costly and burdensome issue. If our government helps, we are ready, we can bring AirCar to the skies. Right now, we are flying in the test phase.”

“If we do this in Turkey, we won’t be importing, our money won’t go abroad”

Young engineer Eray Altunbozar also touched on the advantages that AirCar will provide. Altunbozar stated, “We cannot go anywhere in traffic in Istanbul. We waste a lot of time. It is a pity for everyone’s time. Fast flying vehicles like AirCar can reduce this problem. This is the beginning of the flying car era; just as electric cars have gradually spread, these will also spread. If we do this in Turkey, we won’t be importing, our money won’t go abroad. We will introduce it to our citizens as domestic and national products.”

“We need to industrialize and move to mass production”

Explaining that he has brought his project to this stage with equity capital, Altunbozar said, “Most of AirCar has progressed with equity capital. We received support from the government and TÜBİTAK for two projects for R&D developments, but from now on, we need to industrialize and move to mass production. If our government decides that ‘flying cars like AirCar should be produced in Turkey,’ we want to establish a factory here and create a facility that can produce at least 500-1000 units annually. We have made the planning for this.”

“Anyone who completes the 30-hour training can fly AirCar”

Stating that he developed all the details from the design to the production of the vehicle with his team, Altunbozar continued: “We developed all the details like motors, seats, software, components used, wiring, and battery integration. We have complete control over the entire system. We have made quite an advanced model. The vehicle is 2-seater and weighs approximately 300 kilograms. It can carry 2 people and approximately 200-250 kilograms of cargo. It has autonomous features, but current regulations require that a pilot and a joystick are mandatory. It can have autopilot, but there must be a pilot onboard. This pilot needs to undergo 30 hours of training. Anyone who completes the 30-hour training can fly AirCar. We will be able to fly for about 45 minutes with 2 people. This is sufficient to fly from one end of Istanbul to the other. It is electric and can charge its batteries in 15 minutes. It can travel at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour.”

Stating that test flights have been successful, Altunbozar said, “The world has evolved in this direction. With the support of our government, I firmly believe that Turkey will be among the leading countries in flying cars.”