Now Arriving — The "Flying Car"
By Ed Sunkin
7/1/2010
Transforming from plane to car takes the pilot less than 30 seconds. The Transition will cruise up to 450 miles at over 115 mph, will drive at highway speeds on the road, and fits in a standard household garage. The vehicle has front wheel drive on the road and a propeller for flight.
Growing up in the 1970s, I was always amazed at the flying cars that graced the covers of my dad's Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines. Back then, we were told, we would have people vacationing on the moon, living self-sufficient from the electrical grid and getting around in flying vehicles by the year 2000. Well, one of those predictions came true (nearly 10 years late).
While the flying car has finally arrived, it's not exactly what I remembered it looked like back then. Of course, "artist renderings" usually look a lot cooler.
Anyway, I wonder who would be more proud of this latest achievement for mankind — The Wright Brothers or Henry Ford.
Woburn, MA — Terrafugia, Inc., developer of the Transition Roadable Aircraft, or "Flying Car", has recently received an exemption from the FAA to allow the Transition a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 1430 pounds (650 kg).
This additional weight accommodates the structure and equipment necessary for compliance with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) which are not found in other Light Sport Aircraft.
Items such as airbags, an energy absorbing crumple zone, and a protective safety cage will increase safety both on the road and in the air. Exclusively applicable to the Transition, the FAA's grant of an additional 110 pounds will allow a competitive useful load while providing a revolutionary level of crash safety in a Light Sport Aircraft.
By giving pilots a convenient ground transportation option, the Transition reduces the cost, inconvenience, and weather sensitivity of personal aviation.
In addition to the enhanced protection afforded by applying automotive crash safety technology to light planes, the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of potentially flying into marginal conditions.
Classified as a Light Sport Aircraft, the Transition requires a Sport Pilot certificate to fly and is designed to drive on public roadways and park in a standard garage.
Computer graphics of the production prototype design will be unveiled at a press conference on July 26 at Terrafugia's exhibit at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI.
Last year, Terrafugia successfully completed flight and drive testing of its Proof of Concept Transition. It’s first historic flight was on March 5, 2009 and 20-plus additional flights were completed over the next several weeks.
The successful completion of flight-testing with the Proof of Concept concludes the first stage of a four-stage process to bring the Transition into production.
Work is underway on Stage 2, the Beta Prototype. First delivery is expected in 2011.
The company also said that refundable airframe reservations are being accepted with first delivery scheduled for late 2011
The Proof of Concept vehicle is the first and only Transition to be built thus far. It has now achieved its goals by demonstrating driving, flying, and automated transformation between the two in one integrated aircraft.
The flights conducted a plan set specifically for the Transition: characteristics such as handling, performance, and take-off and landing, stability and stall were evaluated.
Test Pilot Colonel (Retired) Phil Meteer had a positive review of flying the POC: “I would like to keep flying this Proof of Concept vehicle, but it makes sense to move on to the Beta Prototype.”
Road Ready
Transforming from plane to car takes the pilot less than 30 seconds. The Transition will cruise up to 450 miles at over 115 mph, will drive at highway speeds on the road, and fits in a standard household garage. The vehicle has front wheel drive on the road and a propeller for flight.
Both modes are powered by unleaded automotive gasoline. By giving pilots a convenient ground transportation option, the Transition reduces the cost, inconvenience, and weather sensitivity of personal aviation.
Terrafugia (terra-FOO-gee-ah), based in Woburn, MA, is comprised of a team of award-winning engineers who have been advancing the state of personal aircraft since 2006.
Founded by five pilots who are graduates of MIT and supported by a world-class network of advisors and private investors, Terrafugia's mission is the innovative expansion of personal mobility. "Terrafugia" is Latin for "escape from land."
For more information, visit http://www.terrafugia.com.
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My other question is, who will service this? An Automotive Technician or an Aircraft Mechanic?
Fast Eddie —