How far did the Aerocar travel by road?

Short answer

More than 200,000 miles (321,865 km) combined across the six Aerocars built, plus over 5,000 flight hours. During development, the Aerocar had logged about 20,000 road test miles and met every traffic code then in force.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Fulton Airphibian FA-3-101

More than 200,000 miles across six vehicles

The combined road mileage of the six Aerocars built topped 200,000 miles (321,865 km), on top of more than 5,000 flight hours. Only six examples were ever built. During testing, the Aerocar logged about 20,000 road miles and met every traffic code in force at the time.

A plane that folded up to drive

Folding wings let the vehicle switch from road mode to flight mode in five minutes with just one person. The transformation from plane to car has also been described as roughly a 15-minute operation. Taylor began designing a roadable aircraft in 1946, and on a trip to Delaware he met inventor Robert E. Fulton, Jr., creator of an earlier roadable, the Airphibian, with detachable wings.

Certified, but never mass-produced

Earning the airworthiness certificate took almost eight years, about $750,000, and roughly 700 flight hours. Taylor struck a deal with Ling-Temco-Vought for series production contingent on gathering 500 orders, and when only half that number came in, the plans fell through. Despite public interest and media attention, he never found an aerospace company or carmaker willing to mass-produce it.