Ready to Fly a Car? Terrafugia is Making it Possible!

Have you ever wanted to fly a car? You may now have the chance in the near future, as near as 2009. It's called the Transition, an airplane that is also capable of driving like a car on the highway. The Transition will be street legal just like any other car out there, and it can also be parked in your garage.

"Terrafugia, Inc. is based in Cambridge, MA, and was begun in 2004 to bring the Transition road-able aircraft to market. Terrafugia's mission is the expansion of personal mobility through the practical integration of land and air travel."

The Transition will drive like a car on the ground and be controlled like a normal small airplane in the air. On the road it will be light weight, tightly controlled, and a little overpowered. It will be more sensitive to side gusts on the road, and may cause a little fishtailing, but the vehicle will self-correct. Over all the Transition will have good stability on the ground and well as in the air.

The Transition will be serving the needs of pilots, in the air and on the ground. It will also be for the needs of weekend travelers, business people, and anyone who values their mobility and independence. If you don't have a pilots license you will need to get one before you purchase the Transition.

The pilot can unfold the wings with the touch of a button, without leaving the cockpit. The wings fold by hinges at two points for each wing and are driven by a linear actuator at the root of each wing. The propeller has a special compartment to which it goes when the Transition is on the ground driving. It seats two people and has a cargo space that holds five hundred and 50 pounds and long enough to fit a pair of skis. The fuel capacity is 20 gallons and holds super unleaded auto gas or 100LL, and cruise speed at 75% power is 100 knots, or 115 miles per hour. Fuel consumption at 75% power is four gallons per hour and has a range of up to 460 miles. The wingspan is a total of 27.5 feet. The Transition has a length of 18.75 feet and a height of 6.75 feet. It also has aerodynamic bumpers on front and rear of the vehicle with a protected propeller.

The Transition will need about 1500 feet to take off but only a few hundred to land, offering the pilot more landing options.

The Transition will fit in a standard house hold garage, but will fit anywhere that you could park a large SUV such as a Cadillac Escalade or Lincoln Navigator, and will also fit in a standard parking space.

So you are wondering how much the Transition is and will it will be available for purchase or reservation, right? Ok well, Terrafugia is currently at the beginning of the prototyping phase for the Transition. A fully functional flying prototype will be operational in late 2008. The first production Transition delivery is currently scheduled for the end of 2009. So it will be just another two or three years before they even let loose of the first vehicle. Of course they have to make sure everything goes as planned before they let just anyone operate this vehicle. The estimated cost of the Transition is $148,000. As Terrafugia gets closer to the first production vehicle delivery in 2009 a firm price for the Transition will be announced. Now you can put a deposit on the Transition that is refundable. Deposit amount is currently $7,400 and all deposits are held in individual accounts at Cambridge Trust Company. If you would like to reserve your Transition now call 1-781-491-0812.

Now here's my personal view on the Transition. I think it will be a great opportunity for Terrafugia and for pilots as well, but that's just it. If anyone can get a pilot's license after completing a pilots course, who exactly would be flying this plane? And can the Transition go to a local gas station to fill up on fuel, or would you have to purchase the fuel in large containers and carry it with you in the plane incase you run out on a trip? There are still a lot of questions to be asked about the Transition, being as it hasn't been finished yet. But I guess for the people interested in this multi-purpose vehicle, we will have to do some more research about it before we make up our minds whether we want one or not. Please let me know what you think about flying a car!!