I do believe that, when we were little, many of us dreamed of driving a flying car at some point in our future, because every sci-fi movie seen promised us that this particular concept would become reality at some specific point. Hold and behold, that moment has finally arrived, since Terrafugia has just announced the successful development of such a moving contraption, dubbed the Transition.
The Transition is a two-seat aircraft designed to take off and land at local airports and drive on any road. Transforming from plane to car takes the pilot less than 30 seconds, the company informs us. Plus, the vehicle is capable of cruising up to 450 miles 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.
This very innovative moving contraption can be included in a whole new category of vehicles, namely roadable aircraft. Unlike novelty flying cars, which can be anything from a military hovercraft to a road car with wings grafted onto it, the Transition is first and foremost an aircraft. It is designed primarily for private pilots who fly to business and personal engagements and need a road vehicle for commuting to and from airports. So, in addition to its flight assemblies, the Transition has a full automotive suspension, crumple zones, and roll cages to meet safety standards for road vehicles. Its wings fold to the side with the push of a button in the cockpit. As a double-duty vehicle, the Transition has to be light enough to get off the ground, yet sturdy enough to pass government regulations for crash safety, which translated into reducing the amount of material wherever possible and years of careful engineering.
The Terrafugia Transition recently completed its first test flight at Plattsburgh International Airport in New York, which means that the design works quite fine, as you can also see in the videos. For the time being, we're only talking about a proof of concept, but we might actually soon see it hit mass production, at least if the level of demand is high enough (and the price tag reasonable enough).
