Boston based Terrafugia, Inc., achieved first flight for its 'flying car' concept 'Transition' on March 5. Photo Credit: TerrafugiaMarch 19, 2009, (Sawf News) - Boston based Terrafugia, Inc., achieved first flight for its 'flying car' concept 'Transition' on March 5.
The Transition took to the air for a fleeting 37 seconds at Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, NY, following six months of road tests and years of design.
Flying car, 'Transition' on its first flight, view from chase plane. Photo Credit: TerrafugiaThe 'flying car' was piloted by Phil Meteer, Colonel, USAFR (Retired).
"The flight was remarkably unremarkable," Mateer said.
Flying car, 'Transition' on road. Photo Credit: Terrafugia"The point of the test was to prove that this could both fly and drive," said Anna Mracek Dietrich, a Terrafugia co-founder and its chief operating officer.
"The first flight is great, but first landing is what matters," she told Discovery News.
You can fly the two-seat aircraft from one airport to another and then drive it to your home or destination.
The Transition is only 6'9" tall and 80" wide with wings folded. It cruises up to 450 mi at over 115 mph, can 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 gasoline from a regular gas station.
Flying car, 'Transition' goes for a car wash and ready to be parked in the standard household garage. Photo Credit: TerrafugiaBy giving pilots a convenient ground transportation option, the Transition reduces the cost, hassle, and weather sensitivity of personal aviation. It also increases safety by incorporating automotive crash structures and allowing pilots to drive under bad weather.
Categorized as a Light Sport Aircraft, the Transition requires a Sport Pilot license to fly. The Proof of Concept will undergo additional advanced flight and drive testing and a pre-production prototype will be built and certified before first delivery. Refundable airframe reservations are being accepted.
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