The flying car is finally 'road legal'

Its finally here guys

It's been cleared to take to the skies for more than a year - but that's not much use when you're supposed to be able to drive it, too.

But now the flying car has at least been declared officially road legal.

It means the Terrafugia Transition could be in U.S. garages as early as next autumn, after two years of delays.

It may not be the world's first flying car, but its makers say it is the first to have wings that fold up automatically at the push of a button.

It costs $200,000 - about the same price as a Ferrari - and can be reserved online for what Terrafugia describes as a 'modest' $10,000 deposit.

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THE FLYING CAR'S SPEC

Cost: $200,000

Length: 19ft

Width: 5ft 6ins when wings are folded, 27ft when they're open

Top speed on the road: 65mph

Top speed in the air: 115mph

Range in the air: 500 miles on one 20-gallon tank of fuel

Power: 100hp four-stroke engine

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The polycarbonate windscreens can withstand the impact of birds, so they won't fracture.

The administration has also granted Terrafugia permission to use heavier-grade tyres, which are not normally allowed on multi-purpose vehicles.

It's the second hurdle the Transition had to overcome before it could go on sale, after the Federal Aviation Administration ruled last year it could fly with its current weight, 110lbs over the normal legal limit for light sport aircraft category.

Terrafugia had originally hoped to deliver its first production vehicles as early as this year, but after problems with suppliers it has had to delay the release date to late 2012.

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For more info view the source article



Official Terrafugia website

Its not a VTOL but i guess its the next best thing

i want one!!

wonder if well be seeing police driving around in these. 65 MPH is pretty bad but if they can take off and get up to 115 thats pretty useful for skipping traffic and shortcuts.

ive seen an older thing like this on a show with james may.
probably need a few lisences and parking would be a bugger.
it looks awesome though and i want one.

It will never be a big thing.....only a select few people will be able to fly/drive these.

First of all you would need many licenses to allow you to use the vehicle.....then theres the price...the need for a runway etc.

Then theres the safety aspect, its all very well having a shunt on the ground...but up there....not good.

reply to post by listerofsmeg


The 1960 Aerocar that James may tested looks a lot more hassle than the new version. If i remember corectly though it was worth over £1 million.



At just $200,000 I think theres going to be a big market for the new TERRAFUGIA Transition.

This isn't very practical... at all.

You need a pilots license to fly the thing, and a runway to take off and land. This isn't the flying car you saw in comic books and movies in the 80s... You wont be zipping around the skies like George Jetson.

Hell just look at the price tag... for that price you could buy yourself a plane, and a couple BMWs....

I don't even wanna imagine the cost of repairs and maintenance.

you want - you loose...i loose
2nd

but i thing the gyrocoptercar is much better because you can make a vertical start

reply to post by PhoenixOD

I was saving for a trip aboard Virgin Airways space flight. But I may have to reconsider.

I want one!!!

reply to post by beezzer


Keep saving for the space flight imo

At least you wont have to suffer through the pain of a non-refundable recall of this flying car after the 50th drunk tries to take off using the interstate as a runway at 3am.

Originally posted by Adyta
reply to post by beezzer

 

Keep saving for the space flight imo

At least you wont have to suffer through the pain of a non-refundable recall of this flying car after the 50th drunk tries to take off using the interstate as a runway at 3am.

edit on 7/9/2011 by Adyta because: (no reason given)

I'm serious. I've got my pilots license (cessna 150 plus some time in the 172) and this'd be a perfect SHTF vehicle!

Dunno if I could convince the wife though.

reply to post by beezzer


I dunno... the thing doesn't look like it could carry much of a payload... and look at those tires. Looks like the first time you jump a curb or hit some road debris it'll rip the whole front end apart.

Originally posted by beezzer

Originally posted by Adyta
reply to post by beezzer

 

Keep saving for the space flight imo

At least you wont have to suffer through the pain of a non-refundable recall of this flying car after the 50th drunk tries to take off using the interstate as a runway at 3am.

edit on 7/9/2011 by Adyta because: (no reason given)

I'm serious. I've got my pilots license (cessna 150 plus some time in the 172) and this'd be a perfect SHTF vehicle!

Dunno if I could convince the wife though.

Perfect SHTF vehicle
for what other peoples target practice/skeet shooting
no thanks

reply to post by spoonbender


I'm thinking zombie apocalypse.

reply to post by Adyta


I'd have to "road test" it. But I'm still interested.

Originally posted by beezzer
I'm serious. I've got my pilots license (cessna 150 plus some time in the 172) and this'd be a perfect SHTF vehicle!

Question: do you have to file a flight plan each time you take off in the plane?

And wouldn't you also have to file a flight plan each time you take off in the car/plane? That would seem to be a little annoying though I don't know how much trouble it is to file a flight plan.

It does look like it might be fun though if you've got the cash.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


I would imagine that it's size and class, you'd have to file. But that's no big deal. Especially if you're just doing local stuff (crash and dash) from a local airport.

I have to add, with all honesty, I failed my first test for private pilot, still a student pilot. I know this is the intraweb, but I do try to be honest.
(darn meteorology portion of the test KILLED me)

The wife made me fess up.

There is NO way that will ever be street legal in the United States.

Look at how Obama stopped India from selling their Mahindra pickups in the US....Unions would never let it become street legal. The roads belong to them.

This thing is stupid. It is just an airplane, and a crappy one at that. And looks like it would be pretty lousy as a car, too, with those dinky wheels.

Much like an SUV, the stupidmobile. Has all the bad points of a truck, and all the bad points of a car, in one retarded package!

Most people should not be allowed to even drive CARS, imagine all those morons at the controls of airplanes? OMG.

Me, I'll take one of these:

You don't even need a pilot's license! And you could build one yourself, if you know how to weld, for about a grand!

www.vortechonline.com...