Amazing device: the flying car

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Source Večernji list, 13. 07. 2010.
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	Terrafugia Transition Woburn.
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The joy of being able to lift off from the midst of a Bank Holiday traffic jam and then just zip to your destination by air has for almost a century been one of those technological marvels that was, we were promised, just around the corner, quotes the Mail online.

That dream is one giant leap closer today as the Terrafugia Transition, a light aircraft that can fold itself up into a road-legal car is to go into production after having been given a special weight exemption by the US Federal Air Authority.

The exemption is an important one because the safety features, such as airbags, crumple zones and roll cages, that go to making a motor car street legal are just too heavy to allow any flying car qualify as a 'light sport aircraft', one that requires the most basic and therefore easy to obtain pilot's licence.

Drivers can be qualified to fly light sport aircraft after just 20 hours of logged flying time. Once you have that, all you need to find is the £129,000 purchase price (the manufacturers are currently asking for £6,650 deposits from interested parties) and it's up, up and away.

The manufacturers expect to deliver finished aircraft in the last quarter of 2011.

Airborne, you can expect speeds of 100 kts (115 mph), and road fuel consumption is a not unreasonable 30mpg. Payload is around 430 lbs and the cargo area has space for skis, fishing poles or golf clubs.

The wings can fold and deploy at the press of a button, and the Transition requires (with wings folded) garage space that's 6’ 9” tall, 80” wide and 18’ 9” long.

Nervous flyers will no doubt be pleased to hear that there is provision for a full vehicle parachute, so if the 100 hp Rotax 912S engine were to fail, they would be sure of a soft landing.