The scope of aviation activities has been expanding into new and fascinating areas and a potentially significant development, one which has been flying mostly under the radar until recently, is roadable aircraft. A roadable aircraft is a vehicle that is capable of being both flown in the airspace and driven on public roads. The industry is coming into full commercial fruition and the regulators are becoming more involved. For example, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is actively engaging with roadable aircraft and in Europe the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has recently participated in a round table with the industry. Due to the recent revitalization of this topic and because it is relatively unexplored from a legal perspective, this article will critically examine the current laws that are in place that would allow a member of the public to operate a roadable aircraft. This will require certification, licensing and insurance to be examined, and this will be done within the context of three of the most prominent companies; Terrafugia, PAL-V and AeroMobil. The article will focus primarily on European Union air law; however, due to the nature of the roadable aircraft, reference will also be made the United States and road law. This will allow for the current legal situation to be highlighted and for any legal issues to be exposed.
Air and Space Law