NASA awarded $250,000 in prize money this weekend to teams competing to build and fly a small-seat plane that could one day be a prototype for so-called air cars. And the $100,000 winner is….Pipistrel Virus, a $70,000 aircraft that can do 50 MPG and take off on short runways.

"Only 682 pounds empty weight complete–it literally carries more useful load, that is passengers, fuel, and baggage, than the aircraft weighs." said Mark Moore, an aerospace engineer at NASA.

A highly modified kit plane, a Vans RV-4, won $25,000 in the speed challenge and another $50,000 for emitting the least amount of noise on its flight. Finally, the team flying a Cessna 172, the most popular small plane in production since the 40s, won $25,000 for handling.

"The results make sense–the Cessna 172 is the most successful (and highest production volume small aircraft) precisely for the reason that the handling qualities are so good," said Mark Moore.

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