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Terrafugia
Terrafugia's Transition roadable aircraft, shown here in an artists' rendering, has cleared regulatory hurdles that make it street legal.
A flying car is being exempted from regulatory hurdles, meaning future owners of the vehicle will be able to drive it on public streets, the company behind it recently announced.
What this means is that you'll be able to legally sit in traffic with the rest of the street-legal cars, but have a slight grin as you head home from the general aviation airport where you landed after flying over traffic for the first 20 miles of your commute.
"Think of it as an airplane that drives, not a car that flies," Anna Mracek Dietrich, the chief operating officer of Terrafugia, the Woburn, Mass.,-based company that is making the Transition roadable aircraft, told me in an email Thursday.
"Once on the ground, the pilot can fold the wings on his Transition with the push of a button, drive home, and park in their garage."
The exemptions granted from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration allow the company to use windshields made of lightweight polycarbonate materials rather than heavier traditional laminated automotive safety glass and tires that are not normally allowed on multi-purpose vehicles.
The Transition's tires are rated for highway speeds and the vehicle's weight and fit in the same classification as SUVs and light trucks, Dietrich explained, but they weigh only a fraction of other tires in its class. The exemption makes this OK.
Last year, the vehicle was granted a weight exemption that allows it to be classified as a Light Sport Aircraft by the FAA even though it is 110 pounds too heavy for that rating.
The clearing of these regulatory hurdles will allow Terrafugia to begin delivery of the Transition when it is ready for commercial production next year.
One way to avoid the morning rush: fly around it. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
More on flying cars:
- 'Flying car' goes to market
- Flying car lifts off in maiden flight
- 'Flying car' concept gets a design tweak
- 7 flights of fancy that fizzled
- Dude, where's my flying car and jetpack?
John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by hitting the "like" button on the Cosmic Log Facebook page or following msnbc.com's science editor, Alan Boyle, on Twitter (@b0yle).
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It looks too bulky for a street vehicle and can be easily damaged in a parking lot, enough to make it non-airworthy. Cool concept though.
Yeah, pretty bulky.
I do like the "Think of it as an airplane that drives, not a car that flies," concept behind the idea though.
But yeah, I think they need to get this down to at least half that size before you could even think about it being a practical option (and then add about 5 - 10 years after that.)
But, in the meantime, where's my damn jetpack!?
I don't even want to think of the body work (or the cost of it) that would be needed if you had the misfortune of getting in an accident...
Chad, not sure what you mean by "half that size." It's the size of a car right now, and will fit in a single-car garage.
http://www.terrafugia.com/NewTransition.html
Thats the beauty of it once one gets started others will follow making them better and even more practical. see what happens when you get some regulation out of the way of innovation.
Just wait until they get around to the regulations required to fly the thing. That's going to be a mess.
"A motor car that can fly!" Can you say-- Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty chitty Bang bang ?
Go on Sing it! you know you want to!!
Patience! It's coming soon. Though this is more of a ducted fan design driven by a traditional gas-powerplant than an actual "jet" thrust pack of chemicals and fuel. Way better IMO - more efficient, safer, and a much higher reliability.
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/06/jets.html
Geeze. Do people even read anymore?
"Last year, the vehicle was granted a weight exemption that allows it to be classified as a Light Sport Aircraft by the FAA even though it is 110 pounds too heavy for that rating."
The Sport Pilot Rule: A sport pilot may exercise flight privileges in one or more of the following aircraft categories:
The sport pilot rule:
JJ
Not if the artist rendering above is supposed to represent the actual product ... that thing is huge.
Well, it does seem like it would not handle well in tight spaces and the suspension looks primitive. It may be a different animal in the air, though. A friend of mine builds experimental aircraft and he always wants me to go on maiden flights. Not me. I am not afraid of anything except up-ness.
For less money one could buy a Catheham Lotus 7 and have almost as much fun. It won't fly but you could pretend.
Stupidest thing since the football bat.
I believed that I would have worded that headline a little differently. The prospect of hitting anything while flying isn't a happy one.
Yay! Now people can live 2hours away from their job and just fly in, as well as visit familly more often. Im excited.
ok sweet! now i'd like to be exempt from that stupid catalytic converter than only reduces my gas mileage and only reduces my emissions by an insignificant amount these days!!! i'd also like to be exempt from the tinting laws in VA to tint my front windows to the same 85% that my rear windows have! there's also a lot of other stuff i'd like to be exempt from on my car! after all, i think my vehicle is special too!...
how can people take any form of governance seriously if they make laws and then just exempt certain things and people from those laws haha? if you make a law regarding ALL vehicles on the road, then ALL vehicles on the road must abide by those rules... i know this isn't related to the article but for example, hybrid cars are allowed to travel in HOV lanes with only one person because they produce "less emissions." why? the battery shuts off around 30-40 mph in hybrids and then they run off of gas, so they are actually putting out the same emissions on the highway hahaha.
Also, that thing is pretty ugly hahaha
I don't know why these folks still pursue the flying car idea. Its never been viable and it never will be. There is a reason they never "took off" even back in the 50's. Sure, you might see one on the road in your lifetime. I wouldn't want to park my flying car at Wal-mart, would you? Besides, one can buy a decent car and airplane (probably several) for less than the price of one of these. I'm sure they'll at least be $200K. And then there is the training to become a pilot if you're not already one. Being an instructor myself, I know that less than 20% of those that pursue a license ever obtain one, not to mention the time and monetary investment. That flying car will look like a pretty bad investment without the license to go with it.
Sure, you could buy another car and plane, but when you fly to an island, where is your car? If you take a sightseeing trip across the country, are you going to rent a car at every stop? What if you don't want to fly over the Rocky Mountains? Or the weather turns bad? And how much are you paying for your hangar? One reason many people don't maintain their pilot licence (and General Aviation is in decline) is that people can't practically do anything AFTER they fly somewhere except eat a hamburger at the airport. I hope they come out with a larger four-seater for those of us who already have a pilot licence.
Flying car ready for the runway? More like Driving plane is ready for the highway.
I want to see it unfolded and ready for flight.
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/03/Terrafugia-Flying-Car.jpg
Naaaaah, that's not a flying car. I want a flying car just like George Jetson's.
Very cool idea. I'm sure it works, but is this really practical or simply created to be able to say, "I made the first one."
Traffic collisions and soon more small plane collisions landing on cars. Geez...
First of all, how am I supposed to park a big thing like that in the parking garage, where the parking spaces are only big enough for a compact car??
And second of all, what's the point of telling us about this vehicle if you don't tell us how many people can fit, the mileage it gets, and most important of all, the price?
It fits in a normal parking spot.
It holds two people, gets over 25 miles per gallon, and will cost over $100K.
This vehicle isn't designed or intended to takeoff from a traffic situation. It's designed to be an airplane that you can drive to the airport, fly 500 miles, land and drive to your destination. If the weather gets too bad to fly, you land at the nearest airport and drive the rest of the way.
As far as accidents, yes, body damage will have to be repaired, and that'll cost some bucks. But so will the damage to any $100K car, so keep it in perspective.
nice..... easier to get away from the cops
mike
What you been up to you crazy son of gun
The article doesn't mention what kind of power this thing runs on. Does it run on fuel? and if it does, then how much fuel comsumption will it need to fly or be driven?
No, it doesn't need fuel because it uses the new Henderson Affirmative Feedback Engine. This is a new type of engine that runs on positive chi; the pilot can get unlimited range simply by thinking pleasant thoughts.
......and a little pixie dust I presume.....................
lol Can i have a dozen of them, and some mustard on the side..thanks :-))
Sounds like an interesting idea. The thing about this kind of transportation vehichle is, it will only be for the rich, and it will be only for 2 people, so you and your gf/bf or bff, whichever seems to fit in your lifestyle. I see it as a nice gesture to say we are moving in the sci-fi future, but not star trek future, not even jetson future yet. Let's see how it pans out the next 48 months and then see the reviews, all pros and cons, then we can see and make a rational decision if this kind of vehicle works for us....
Oops.... Wrong button!! Arrrrrgggggggghhhhhh..... Boom...
So Gieco can insure this thing? sweet, wonder if I still save 15% or more...
I don't think the owner will be making pit-stops at the mall on their way home with this vehicle.
No more pesky DUI's. Fold out the wings and cccccccccc-ya :^)
At last I have the right reason to get my pilot's license. What propells this on the road adn what would the top speed be? In the air what gives it thrust? Is it equiped with all the elctronics a small plane woudl normally have?
Will there be color choices, hahaha.
Fuel is provided by your local Taco Bell. If you eat a lot of their bean burritos.
Seriously, from what I've read on the company website, it uses premium unleaded, 25 MPG on the road and approximately a 500 mile range in the air.
somebody got their pockets lined pretty well for something this crazy to pass. I thought govt. was here for the people but this shows me that it's all about greed.
Huh? You do realize there was a "flying car" in the 1950s that passed CAA regulations, right? (CAA=Civil Aeronautics Administration, the predecessor of the FAA). There were not enough buyers however and the company gave up. The same can happen here. Google "Aerocar" and learn some facts before spouting mindless knee-jerk drivel.
Lets see what CARB says about any potential California exemptions...
Somthing tells me they wont be so easy as the FED's...
Dude, you know someone thats driving this thing down the road, straight stretch of course, is gonna say to their passenger, "Hey, you wanna see something cool?" That would be sweet, just to make up for a little lost time fighting traffic. 100K seems a bit steap for this flying yugo casket. I was thinking more like 70K tops. James Bond perhaps? Yes, yes I am. Bet the chicks would dig this. In my best butt-head voice, "Hey baby,...huh...uh, so you wanna take a ride?"
All jokes aside, this thing has been in the works for sometime & this is not the first time I've read about it. Hope their IPO goes public. Buy it up and in 10yr...cha-ching. Money like Whitey Bulger's suitcase....
I don't know how everybody missed this...including the MANUFACTURER!!.....But.....Wouldn't it make more sense to have a car that morphs into a portable Helicopter?!?!?!!? Come on....If you get stuck in traffic, you just take off from the location you are stuck at.....Thereby not needing a runway to take-off from, let alone even trying to get to the airport......Thoughts??
That would be good for those people that live in an area where the traffic is horrible. Like NY, LA, Seattle, etc.
Practicality.
Helicopters are not as aerodynamically efficient as a plane where they use vertical rather than lateral propulsion. Wings give lift, speed helps, using this speed comes easier lift is just a bi product of it moving forward. A helicopter would have a hard time moving, never the less at a decent pace, using the weight of a car.
It would be cool, yes. But less practical. Your flying car now has a 500 horsepower v12 engine and still makes a meager 100mph in air. Just doesn't sound as good to the public; more gas, more money, more weight, slower...... And further more.
A pane is a lot easier to use/land/lift off as well.
I'm sure the hotdog vendor in NYC wouldn't appreciate your 6,000 pounds of thrust you used to get out of your traffic frustration, which, would take a while to build up.
Yeah how will the ejection seat work ;-)
umm, the MANUFACTURER didn't miss anything. They just designed something that people have been trying to design for years, and they've overcome a lot of obstacles. There will be ten times as many obstacles to your portable helicopter flying right out of a traffic jam. But if you want to design one (and tackle the obvious traffic safety issues, i.e. trucks, signs, billboards, etc.), go ahead! No one's stopping you! Oh yeah, no one is allowed to fly within a few hundred feet of a busy road (except for a medical helicopter), so your vehicle would be illegal the instant it left the ground.
This product has been in design for more than three years now. I saw the concept "wing" for the Terrafugia at the 2008 EAA air show in Seabring Florida and listened to a presentation of their business plan too. How exciting to see that the project is still moving forward!
However, it's a big misrepresentation to describe this as a "car that flies." This is most certainly an "airplane that drives." (Though, titling the article "car that flies" was smart marketing. It's sure to draw more attention than "airplane that drives.")
As far as the cost of insurance....Anyone who can afford to purchase the airplane, will surely be able to afford the insurance to cover it in a fender bender. :-)
I wonder if they`re using green fuel.
So long as it doesn't dump raw fuel for 10 minutes before you leave for work.
So I guess the choice comes down to; do I spend the time in traffic or doing flight plans and pre-flight checks.
I guess if your rich enough to own an airplane but not rich enough to live in one of those aviation neighborhoods with it's own runway then this probably works. The real airplane owners probably wouldn't let you play their reindeer games anyway.
Check out this website regarding one of the five original "flying cars".
It's an interseting read.
http://www.aerocarforsale.com/history.htm
Way cool back in the day.
People have enough trouble operating a motor vehicle in two dimensions... what do you think will happen if we add a vertical dimension?!!!
Not only will you have to worry about cars driving around you, but cars will also probably be landing near you, and/or crashing on top of you. Great.
Two dimensions? Only if you text while you drive.
Yes, two dimensions. Last time I checked, we had forward/reverse and left/right. There wasn't the element of up/down in driving, like one has to do when flying an aircraft.
Next focus: drive free; go solar.
Billie
Heere Here Solar Panels on ALL the Cars would mean that they Recharge while waiting for a 50 mile trip back home FREE Power NO pollution well said!!!
Give me a Mopar any day of the week over this ugly thing. NOT street legal in any parallel reality either!