ENgINEERINg EVENTS EN EVENT AeroTech plays big role in Purdue grad's " roadable aircraft " SAE member and Purdue University graduate Joe Caravella founded Caravella Aerospace to develop an affordable roadable aircraft and has been making steady progress since 2008. Not to be confused with a flying car or EVTOL aircraft, a roadable aircraft is a vehicle that can fly but is also legal to operate on public roads, " he told Update. Design choices, presented at 2011 SAE Aviation innovator Joe Caravella. AeroTech in Toulouse, were made with an eye toward affordability, resulting in a kit-build approach powered by a commercially available motorcycle, " Caravella said. " The CaravellAir prototype and has been registered street-legal since 2011 and proves that a roadable aircraft need not cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. " Caravella is still working on the flight surfaces and hopes to take the vehicle airborne in 2025. 32 March 2023 Initial development and road operation on public highways was presented at the 2013 SAE AeroTech conference in Montreal. The donor motorcycle keeps the transmission and suspension for road operations and the pusher propeller is powered through a simple clutch and 90-degree gearbox whose design and analysis were presented at the 2015 SAE AeroTech event in Seattle. The mystique of a vehicle that can both drive and fly persists, and we enjoy helping inspire future generations at events like Fly Your Ride competition at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. UPDATE Joe Caravella Joe Caravella