Pennsylvania state senator introduces bill legalizing flying cars

Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.

A Democrat state senator in Pennsylvania introduced an oddball bill last Wednesday seeking to legalize flying cars that aren’t anywhere near being readily available for widespread public use.

Sen. Marty Flynn is shooting his shot a second time after the same bill failed to pass during last year’s Pennsylvania General Assembly session.

Flynn hit the ground running as early as January, where he announced in a memo that he would be reintroducing the bill even after it flopped. In the note, he explained he was looking for eager co-sponsors to help make Pennsylvania “one of the first states to introduce this revolutionary technology.”

He managed to secure just two co-sponsors, according to the bill’s status tracker.

In the memo, Flynn didn’t hesitate to admit that the “roadable aircraft” industry isn’t “fully realized,” but insisted that there is still a “significant need” for legislation like his to pave the way for urban and rural aviation technologies.

“Across the nation, advanced air mobility — a rapidly evolving sector within aviation that encompasses a range of innovative aircraft, technologies, and infrastructure — has the potential to generate new revolutionary transportation options and transform how people access essential services, like emergency and medical services, goods, and mobility across urban, rural, and regional communities,” Flynn wrote. 

“As technology continues to advance, the integration of these types of vehicles requires forward-thinking legislation that addresses operating and equipment requirements.”

The state legislator added that it’s important to start installing “key regulations” early in order to make sure flying cars “are integrated safely into existing traffic systems without causing disruption or safety hazards,” according to the memo.

Other states and agencies have floated normalizing flying vehicles — and fast.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s Department of Transportation are advocating for the use of flying vehicles within the Sunshine State by the end of 2026.

Minnesota and New Hampshire already passed legislation recognizing flying cars as legal vehicles, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also jumpstarted a flying vehicle pilot program in August.

“The next great technological revolution in aviation is here. The United States will lead the way, and doing so will cement America’s status as a global leader in transportation innovation,” Duffy said in a statement at the time.

In 2023, the Federal Aviation Authority approved Space X-backed Alef Aeronautics’ flying car for road and air testing.

The car costs $299,000 — excluding additional pre-order deposits, according to its website.

In March 2024, the company said it had reached roughly 2,850 preorders.