VIDEO: Fuel-sipping flying car flies!
It may have been a few months behind schedule but the Terrafugia Transition® has officially taken to the skies and, perhaps more importantly, safely landed. In the competent hands of retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Phil Meteer, the roadable airplane (A.K.A aero-auto hybrid A.K.A. flying car) made its inaugural flight (and six more more afterwards) at the Plattsburgh International Airport this past March 5th. At 37 seconds and a distance of 3,000 feet, it's fair to say this maiden voyage was a bit short but that was the way the script was written. According to Colonel Meteer, "It was remarkable for being unremarkable, it just flew like a really nice airplane."The company has already received 40 orders for the craft that is expected to sell for $194,000. Before you plunk down the refundable 10 grand to reserve your airframe, keep in mind you may have to wait a while before you can start getting 23 mpg at 100 mph. Terrafugia expects to deliver their first flying car sometime in 2010. Hit the jump for videos of the flight and the pilot's impressions as well as the full press release.
[Source: ITWire / Terrafugia]
PRESS RELEASE:
Historic Takeoff Makes "Flying Car" a Reality
The Transition® Roadable Aircraft Completes Successful First Flight
Boston, MA – March 18, 2009: Terrafugia, Inc., a game-changing aircraft company, announced today the first flight of its Transition® Roadable Aircraft Proof of Concept. Often referred to as a "flying car", 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.
An historic milestone for aviation, the flight comes after six months of static, road and taxi testing. The Transition® cruises up to 450 mi 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 breakthrough changes the world of personal mobility. Travel now becomes a hassle-free integrated land-air experience. It's what aviation enthusiasts have been striving for since 1918," says Carl Dietrich, CEO of Terrafugia.
By giving pilots a convenient ground transportation option, the Transition® reduces the cost, hassle, and weather sensitivity of personal aviation. It also increases safety by incorporating automotive crash structures and allowing pilots to drive under bad weather.
For its first flight, the Transition® was flown by Phil Meteer, Colonel, USAFR (Retired) at Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, NY. The chase aircraft was piloted by Giora Guth.
Categorized as a Light Sport Aircraft, the Transition® requires a Sport Pilot license to fly. The Proof of Concept will undergo additional advanced flight and drive testing and a pre-production prototype will be built and certified before first delivery. Refundable airframe reservations are being accepted.
Terrafugia (terra-FOO-gee-ah), based in Woburn, MA, is comprised of a team of award-winning engineers who have been advancing the state of personal aircraft since 2006. Founded by five pilots who are graduates of MIT and supported by a world-class network of advisors and private investors, Terrafugia's mission is the innovative expansion of personal mobility. "Terrafugia" is Latin for "escape from land."
The Transition® will temporarily be on exhibit at the Museum of Science, Boston on March 18, 2009.
Terrafugia would like to acknowledge and thank its corporate sponsors: SolidWorks Corporation and CableOrganizer.com. Additionally, the following business partners have contributed to a successful first flight by furnishing equipment and services: Garmin International, Dynon Avionics, CO Guardian, David Clark Company, Bose Corporation, Icom Inc. and Air Graphics LLC.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jharlan 12:40AM (3/20/2009)
The Aptera has just been passed up in coolness. Still, the Aptera is almost affordable.
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scammer-killer 12:57AM (3/20/2009)
what an utter waste of time and resources. This is nothing more than bragging rights for rich people. It will NEVER serve any useful purpose and will NEVER be mainstream. These people should spend their time and energy working on solving transportation problems that people are dealing with currently.
Geez, even the CAMI people have a motor home that can drive on the lake. That is something people MAY actually do. It's the ultimate party barge. At least an amphib-auto can be used by just about everyone even if they aren't that practical.
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Sean 9:27AM (3/20/2009)
Actually, though I make a modest salary, I'm seriously considering purchasing one of these because I run an IT business with clients all over the USA and due to my wife's military service, we move often. This would allow me to visit clients (and family) more easily and efficiently since I could use General Aviation airports (which are usually alot closer to my destinations,) I wouldn't have to rent a car when I got to my destination, and I could visit multiple clients in one trip without paying a fortune for multi-hop airline tickets (which I currently don't do.) Plus, that price is about right for an aircraft with those specs, so as long as I can make the economics work with the business, I'm in.
For the record, I REALLY wish this was a series plug-in hybrid configuration. (ABG has already shown us an all-electric light aircraft using ACP parts.) Hopefully they'll add that powertrain option next.
Jeff Grant 1:59AM (3/20/2009)
Man that looks like a ridiculous amount of fun. Stinking rich folks.
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mister nomer 3:16PM (3/20/2009)
Regarding the comments about "rich folk who fly":
People from all walks of life and all income brackets fly.
How?
By renting, by building their own, by belonging to flying clubs with low monthly dues, and by simply hanging out with people who fly.
Thanks to the new Sport Pilot classification more people than ever before can afford to train and get their license. Seriously, if you can bring yourself to give up your monthly cable bill, you can afford to learn to fly as a Sport Pilot.
And, yes, $194,000 is a lot of money for anybody. But if a flying club buys one and spreads the costs out to dozens of members over 5 years (or so) then that price (and cost per flight) starts to look more reasonable.
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bruce 3:23PM (3/20/2009)
The vehicle seems to be powered by a Rotax engine, as are a lot of small sport aircraft. Unfortunately Rotax has stated that their engines are not to be operated with gasoline that contains any ethanol whatsoever - which is a big problem, when you consider that more and more states are making ethanol blending mandatory in all automotive gasoline.
Rotax seems wholly unconcerned about ever resolving this, but anyone planning on flying one of these (or any other small airplane that burns autogas) should be.
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Sean 8:24AM (4/12/2009)
Oooh, that's interesting. But do they do the ethanol blending in Premium gas as well?