Terrafugia Transition flying car gets a little closer to reality with FAA approval

If you're a little heavier than your spouse would like, you have two choices: get a new diet, or get a new spouse. However, if you're the Terrafugia Transition flying car and you're a little heavier than the FAA would like, you have a third option: get an exemption. The, uh, car is 120lbs too heavy to fit into the FAA's "light sport" designation, defining craft that can be flown by pilots with only 20 hours of logged seat time. However, the 1,560lb craft was given special exemption, enabling it to continue onward to production. If you haven't been following along, the thing can manage 115mph in the air then land, fold up its wings, and get 30mpg on the highway. If all goes according to plan we should be seeing this car get its big, beautiful self up for sale sometime next year -- all $194,000 worth of it.

[MRCUR Posted Jun 30th 2010 10:23AM]

Me want.

[pankomputerek Posted Jun 30th 2010 10:30AM]

@MRCUR
Me want M400, not that thing...

[dhodory Posted Jun 30th 2010 12:29PM]

@pankomputerek Yeah, cuz that's gonna' happen in our lifetime . . .

[pankomputerek Posted Jun 30th 2010 10:29AM]

What happened to old good M400?
Check out this link this is what you call flying car!
http://www.moller.com/

[Gregory Pius Posted Jun 30th 2010 11:01PM]

@pankomputerek Unfortunately, I've been following the M-series of flying vehicles from Moller with mild interest since 1992, ever since I saw that cool spread in Popular Mechanics about it.

Unfortunately, Paul Moller is a bit of a crackpot--and Miller Aviation has definitely bit off -waaaay- more than they can ever chew. Sadly, I doubt the Moller "Volantors" will ever amount to a consumer-level product.

[BuzzMega Posted Jun 30th 2010 11:07AM]

Car. Boat. Locomotive. Airplane. Helicopter. Bicycle. Spaceship. Horse.

Pick two.

Been there. Done that.

[CooterLightman Posted Jun 30th 2010 11:09AM]

What happens when it hits 88 mph?

[Gregory Pius Posted Jun 30th 2010 10:55PM]

@CooterLightman You rotate. :-) (Actually, VR in the Terrafugia is 80mph, or 70 kts)

[rcc Posted Jun 30th 2010 11:25AM]

I'm not sure what scares me more now: flying or driving on the highway.

I can see it now. Doing 80 in the fast lane and three of these.... 'things' graze my roof at 115mph to merge into traffic. Be afraid. VERY afraid. :)

[acme64 Posted Jun 30th 2010 11:43AM]

so, while driving, can i just take off and fly away? or do i still need to go to an airport?

[Rudolphe22 Posted Jun 30th 2010 12:56PM]

@acme64 obviously you still need to go to an airport...

[Gregory Pius Posted Jun 30th 2010 10:56PM]

@acme64 You need an airport. The Terrafugia Transition is not a flying car, per se; it's a roadable aircraft. Its claim-to-fame is that you drive it to your home field, fly away, land at your destination field, and drive to your destination.

[Sarig Posted Jun 30th 2010 11:49AM]

Is it road legal?

[Vrmithrax Posted Jun 30th 2010 11:50AM]

Is it just me, or does anyone else think they should change the name to Terrafugly?

[oneglory Posted Jun 30th 2010 11:55AM]

Is the average fastfood resturaunt drive thru lane long enough to use as a runway?

[Gregory Pius Posted Jun 30th 2010 10:57PM]

@oneglory Oh--Ma'am, can I get a side of 110LL with that?

[ilh Posted Jun 30th 2010 12:16PM]

Do the wheels come further out for landing? Doesn't look like there's much room for error with the fuselage that close to the floor.

[TheKingsEighth Posted Jun 30th 2010 12:50PM]

So would you need to go to the DMV to get a license plate for this thing? "How many miles does it have on it sir?" "Ground or air?"

[Gregory Pius Posted Jun 30th 2010 10:58PM]

@TheKingsEighth :-) in aviation, airframe and powerplant usage is measured in time, not distance.

[Rudolphe22 Posted Jun 30th 2010 12:52PM]

Any successful flying car would have to be VTOL.

[Gregory Pius Posted Jun 30th 2010 11:03PM]

@Rudolphe22 As much as I love this concept, and will root for the company to "make it," history has sadly proved that far too many compromises must be made to get a vehicle to drive on regular roads and also fly.

[Showbiz Posted Jun 30th 2010 1:06PM]

30MPG on the road? They should start thinking seriously about removing all the plan parts, and the weight they added, to make a little 50+MPG car to supplement their profits.