Flying car passes flight tests
Commercial launch expected by year's end.
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.
NBR staff
Fri, 29 Jun 2012
Fri, 29 Jun 2012
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