Terrafugia Transition Roadable Aircraft actually flies
Well it may not be the Jetson’s flying car, but it is a car that flies – sort of. Terrafugia has developed a car that can also take to the air although not for very long.
Terrafugia was founded in 2006 by MIT aeronautical engineer and MBA grads who wanted to create a “dual-purpose” vehicle. Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Anna Mracek Dietrich was honored as one of the ten recipients of the 2009 MIT “Women to Watch” Award.
The Transition Roadable Aircraft, Transition for short, is Terrafugia’s first flying car. So far the conveyance works well on the road but flies for only 37 seconds.
The Transition was created to address specific concerns.
The Transition® addresses head-on the issues private and sports pilots face: cost, weather sensitivity, high overall door-to-door travel time and a lack of mobility at destination.
The car/plane was designed to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) new Light Sport Aircraft category and regulations. The revised FAA standards for Light Sport Aircraft went into effect on January 1, 2009. However, companies that had already sought certification under previous standards could still continue with their proposed aircraft.
The Transition has foldable wings that are controlled from inside the cockpit/cabin. When driving through traffic the wings are folded against the body of the car/plane. Once you arrive at the airport, the wings are lowered and the flying car can take off.
On March 5th, 2009, Terrafugia flew the Transition for the first time at the Plattsburgh International Airport. The Transition requires a Sport Pilot License to fly. The “plane” actually only flew for 37 seconds but is expected to eventually fly 460 miles at 115 miles per hour.
As a car, the Transition gets 30 miles to the gallon and is front wheel drive. The car/plane is a two-seater (side by side) and can carry skis and golf clubs in the “trunk” or cargo area.
You only need to put down a refundable $10,000 deposit to reserve the $194,000 Transition. Not cheap. But for a flying car, not bad.
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March 25th, 2009
I would buy one of these.