Flying Car – Terrafugia Transition – Completes Successful First Flight
Posted by Admin on April 4, 2009
Flying Car - The Terrafugia Transition
Last month was the first registered flight of the Terrafugia Transition, which makes this a significant marker in the development of the flying car. While there have been many attempts to develop a flying car in the past, the Terrafugia Transition might be the most promising in the modern era. The prototype was debuted in early 2006, and the project spearheaded by five pilots, all of whom graduated from MIT, has come a long way since.
The Transition transforms between road use and flight by folding down its wings in only 30 seconds. With its wings retracted, the Transition is compact enough to fit in a normal-sized garage, which means owners won’t have to rent hangar space at their local airport. Indeed, they can just drive the Transition home, as it uses the same gas engine (of unknown displacement) to power its front wheels on the road as it does its propeller when in flight.
Today’s test flight at the Plattsburgh International Airport in New York went well with Phil Meteer, Colonel, USAFR, at the controls. Terrafugia claims the Transition can fly up to 450 miles at over 115 mph, and since it is categorized as a Light Sport Aircraft by the FAA, a Sport Pilot license will be required to fly one. Check out the videos below from the flight, as well as videos of Terrafugia’s own maiden voyage after the jump.
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