The dream of a flying car was one step closer to reality, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted homologation to a hybrid ground-to-air vehicle that can fire at speeds of 100 mph.
The Terrafugia Transition received a special airworthiness certificate for the agency’s light-sport aircraft, which gave it the green light for takeoff.
An exclusively in-flight version is now available for pilots and flight schools, though it will be a year or so before the components of your car are “legal on the street”; it has yet to meet road safety standards.
Ultimately, drivers will be able to go from flying to driving in less than a minute, taking off and landing at small airports or on the road.
Terrafugia hopes to have the production and approvals of the full two-seat hybrid by 2022, but those interested in turning it on will need a driver’s license and a sports driver’s certificate.
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The FAA has approved the Terrafugia Transition, a “flying car” that can fly at speeds of 100 mph and an altitude of 10,000 feet. Models are now available for flights only, with a full air-land version scheduled for 2022
Terrafugia, owned by China, has been too optimistic about delivering a “viable aircraft,” a small aircraft with retractable wings that can travel both on the roads and into the open air.
He first promised that the transition would be sold in 2015, then in 2018 and then in 2019.
But Terrafugia CEO Kevin Colburn praised his team’s efforts during “an extremely challenging pandemic year”.
“Our team stayed focused, improved our quality system, completed critical design aspects, built the vehicle, completed 80 days of flight tests, delivered 150 technical papers and successfully passed the ‘FAA audit,’ Colburn said.
The Transition has a 27-foot-wide wing span, but its wings fold to make history easier in a one-car garage. Terrafugia expects owners to land at a small airport or on a stretch of highway and then drive the vehicle home
“This is a great success that drives the execution of our mission to deliver the world’s first practical flying car.”
WHAT IS THE TERRAFUGIA TRANSITION?
The Terrafugia Transition was recently granted a special certificate of airworthiness of the FAA light-sport aircraft.
The plane, which weighs approximately 1,300 pounds, has a fixed landing gear and folding wings.
It can reach speeds of 100 mph and an altitude of about 10,000 feet.
Owners will need a driver’s license and a sports driver’s certificate.
Powered by a 100 hp Rotax 912iS Sport fuel-injected engine, the Transition has a top flight speed of 100 mph and a range of about 400 kilometers, with an altitude of 10,000 feet.
The engine of the aircraft can run on gasoline or 100LL aircraft fuel, while the car runs on a hybrid electric motor.
Standard features include four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes, a rigid carbon fiber safety cage and a cell parachute.
The vehicle weighs approximately 1,300 pounds and has a fixed landing gear and a 27-foot-wide wingspan.
The wings are bent to allow easy storage in a single car garage.
Terrafugia expects owners to land the transition at a small airport or stretch of highway and then drive it home.
This differs from flying car prototypes developed by Uber, Kitty Hawk, BMW and others, which involve vehicles occupying commercial airspace.
According to Terrafugia, the vehicle goes from flying to driving in less than a minute.
In 2018, the two-seat Transition was priced at $ 400,000, NBC News reported.
Terrafugia is developing several models of flying cars, including the four-person TF-X, a four-seat hybrid electric vehicle with vertical landing and takeoff capability.
The TF-X is expected to be semi-autonomous, with computer controls that will allow passengers to simply type in their destination.
You will be able to automatically avoid air traffic, bad weather and restricted airspace.
Terrafugia was acquired by Geely, a parent company of Volvo, owned by China in 2017.