The system can be adapted to front- or mid-engine vehicles, according to Automobile, and the first production car to use it will be available only as a hybrid.

The authors had quizzed 24,000 airline pilots and 5,000 general aviation pilots about near mid-air collisions, engine failures and runway incursions.

Kern says: "we are working very closely with the three engine manufacturers so that in the mid-term we'll be able to make a structured decision about the next-generation family of airplanes."