The future of transportation is coming to Narromine after the city was chosen as the location to test electric flying cars.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Sustainable aerospace company AMSL Aero will test its electric Vertical TakeOff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles at the Narromine Aerodrome Industrial Park.
Company co-founder Andrew Moore says testing of the first full-scale aircraft will begin "later this year" and he thinks "2023 is when commercially available aircraft will start to be around our skies".
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said with flying cars on the way it was like The Jetsons had arrived in Narromine.
While Mr Moore didn't want to give too many details away, he said the aircraft would be faster than a modern helicopter.
ALSO MAKING NEWS:
It'll also be better for the environment. The autonomous two-seater vehicles will be electric and emissions free.
"This sort of technology provides a great opportunity to rapidly decarbonise transport, which we know is a critical part of what we need to do for our children and our grandchildren," Mr Moore said.
"We focused very heavily early in the piece to make something that is far superior to driving a car, flying a plane or catching a train."
One of the next steps will be getting safety certification for the eVTOL vehicles. About 1500 hours of flights need to be undertaken.
"Narromine is a great place for that because you want open space, you want free access to an airfield and the surrounding area so you can try out those critical safety tests," Mr Moore said.
Narromine mayor Craig Davies said it was an exciting and humble day for the town.
"It's fantastic to know there is confidence in the industry that they can come to a small, rural regional centre like Narromine and bring an industry with this capability," he said.
AMSL Aero with Narromine Shire Council will begin construction of the facility later in the year. The company will be the first to set up in the new Narromine Aerodrome precinct.
AMSL Aero was able to expand to the town thanks to a $950,000 support grant from the NSW Government's Regional Investment Attraction.
Mr Barilaro said the flying car would have the potential to revolutionise transport across regional NSW.
"Imagine the convenience of having a flying car land in your suburb when you need to travel to a regional destination that is not serviced by an airport," he said.
Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders said it was fantastic to see businesses like AMSL Aero expanding and bringing job opportunities to the Dubbo electorate.