Flying car a ‘step closer’: US firm
- From: AAP
- April 03, 2012
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The dream of a traffic-jam defying flying car has come a step closer as Massachusetts-based firm Terrafugia presented their prototype ‘Transisition’ car plane which has completed a successful test flight of a street-legal airplane. Source: AFP
DRIVERS hoping to slip the surly – and traffic congested – bonds of Earth moved a step closer to realising their dream, as a US firm announced the successful test flight of a street-legal plane.
Massachusetts based firm Terrafugia said their production prototype Transition car-plane had successfully carried out an eight-minute test flight, clearing the way for it to hit the market within a year.
“With this flight, the team demonstrated an ability to accomplish what had been called an impossible dream,” said founder Carl Dietrich.
Terrafugia argues that the Transition offers unparalleled freedom of movement, with a range of 787km and without the need to che2.3m as a car, it fits into a normal-sized garage, before unfurling an 8m wingspan.
To take advantage, would-be owners will need to have both a driver’s and pilot’s licence – with a minimum of 20 hours of flying time.
The craft needs 762m of runway for takeoff, meaning pulling onto the shoulder and escaping the traffic is not really an option.
While many companies have tried to market an aerocar, none have succeeded in producing more than a handful of models.
“The Transition Street-Legal Airplane is now a significant step closer to being a commercial reality,” the company said on Monday.
The two-seater craft costs around $US279,000 ($A268,000) and some 100 vehicles have been ordered.