Flying car passes flight tests
UPDATE June 29: Terrafugia says its Transition "roadable aircraft" has now had six successful flights – a milestone in the company's bid to get the multipurpose vehicle certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Late last year, the so-called "flying car" gained a series of special exemptions, paving the way for its approval to drive on US roads.
On thing that has changed is the price, which the Wall Street Journal notes has been bumped up to $US279,000.
Terrafugia hopes to make the first deliveries to customers by the end of this year.
"I'd love to see this idea succeed and this certainly seems like the slickest of the many flying car designs produced since the 1940s," former RNZAF pilot turned social media magnate Vaughn Davis told NBR ONLINE.
"But I'm not sure I'll be spending my $US279,000 on one anytime soon. (FYI that money would buy not just ZK-TGF but a decent Aston Martin to drive to and from the airport in)."
Mr Davis added, "It's hard to tell from the video how well the thing flies, but what seems certain to me is that it would be terrifying to drive in anything other than the wide open traffic-free streets they filmed on. It's not so much a car as a blind spot on wheels."
Nov 14, 2011: Terrafugia's Transition, a "roadable aircraft" popularly known as a flying car, has been granted a series of special exemptions by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, paving the way for it to become the first flying/driving vehicle approved to for use on North American roads.
The Massachusetts company is now set to sell the Transition once a crash-testing certification program is complete.
The anticipated purchase price is a relatively modest $US148,000.
The company designed the plane to take off on a conventional runway. But if owners see a clear stretch of road ahead of a traffic jam, they could be tempted to fold their tray tables and arm the doors.
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Comments and questions6
I cant weait to see it on Top gear - let the stig take that sucker for a rip!
Now the dream to fly will not be a dream. The US government has now approved the flying car and soon we the US consumers will be able to buy them.
second hand car
This news sounds good. At last the impossible will now become possible. I hope that this flying car will be implemented all over the world. Business such as
auto parts corner should be aware of this.
this is awesome. i really want to see this one. i think the brand that used for this car is anzo.
hope one day i will be the owner of this flying car, but right now i have just bought Used Honda Accord.
It's a wonderful concept, although I don't believe that these kind of cars will be ever used. There will be a total chaos and panic if people will start flying cars. You need years to learn how to fly a plane, then how many years will an ordinary person need to succeed to fly a car? Of course, for fun, it will be cool to own such a car. I donate a car to charity just to have a flying car, to feel new sensations while flying it.