80beats: The Little Flying Car That Could…

[bystander]

The Little Flying Car That Could… Get FAA Approval
Discover Blogs | 80beats | 30 June 2010

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It’s a car… It’s a plane… It’s a car-plane. Last March, we described the maiden flight of Terrafugia’s new flying, driving machine, called the Transition. Now we’re one step closer to a Jetson’s reality: the Transition has just received FAA approval as a “light sport aircraft.”

Approval was not guaranteed, since the little guy is a bit husky, weighing more than the FAA’s “light sport aircraft” limit. As The Register reports, Terrafugia wanted to keep the plane in this classification to keep the vehicle available to more drivers/pilots. [The Register]

But giving Transition road-worthy safety gear (like an air bag) meant adding on the pounds. The FAA has said that they’re willing to let a little extra weight slide, allowing the Transition 110-pounds worth of stretching room.

The vehicle can travel at 115 mph in the air and requires 1,700 feet to take off. When it folds up its wings (which it can do electronically), it can snuggle into a garage or a gas station. Though it does seem an exciting commuting option, Terafugia designed the Transition with pilots in mind, giving them the option to land and drive when flying conditions are too rough. [The Telegraph]

So far, Terrafugia says 70 futuristic folks have pre-ordered the car, paying a refundable $10,000 deposit. The total price tag is $194,000.

[bystander]

'Flying Car' One Step Closer to Reality
Tech News Daily | 29 June 2010

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The Transition, a roadable airplane. (Credit: Terrafugia)

The Terrafugia, a small airplane that can drive on roads and has been billed as the first "flying car," is now one step closer to becoming street- and sky-legal.

The vehicle has cleared a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulatory hurdle for craft classification by weight. A full-fledged production prototype might be just around the corner, according to multiple reports.

At issue was Mass.-based company Terrafugia wanting its Transition vehicle to be classified as a "Light Sport Aircraft" by the FAA so people eager to fly it would need only 20 hours of flying time.

The Terrafugia, a small airplane that can drive on roads and has been billed as the first "flying car," is now one step closer to becoming street- and sky-legal.

The vehicle has cleared a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulatory hurdle for craft classification by weight. A full-fledged production prototype might be just around the corner, according to multiple reports.

At issue was Mass.-based company Terrafugia wanting its Transition vehicle to be classified as a "Light Sport Aircraft" by the FAA so people eager to fly it would need only 20 hours of flying time.

Yet the two-seater vehicle came in 110 pounds (50 kilograms) overweight in accommodating roadworthy-assuring safety items such as crumple zones. The FAA said that so long as customers are advised about this extra weight, the car-plane hybrid can be sold.

The Terrafugia completed its maiden voyage last March in upstate New York. According to its maker, the Terrafugia can transform from a roadable vehicle that can hit a highway speed of 65 mph to a winged aircraft in 30 seconds.

The plane version can cruise at about 115 mph (185 kph) and cover about 400 miles (644 kilometers) worth of turf before needing a refill of regular unleaded gas.

The price of a Terrafugia is expected to be around $200,000 and deliveries could start next year, assuming the vehicle passes crash tests. The company has envisioned its vehicle as finding a home with amateur pilots who live near air fields, but as any Jetsons' fan knows, flying cars might well be the wave of the future.

[neufer]

<<George Jetson is the 38 year old, self-centered, but caring father of the Jetson family. He is the husband of Jane Jetson (Age 35) and the father of teenage daughter Judy (Age 16) and elementary school aged son Elroy (Age 7).

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George resides with his family in the Skypad Apartments in Orbit City, in a future (c. 2062) with the traditional trappings of science fantasy depictions of American life in the future, such as robot servants, flying saucer-like cars, and moving sidewalks. Indeed, all the buildings are set on giant poles, resembling Seattle, Washington's Space Needle; the ground is almost never seen. George starts his day with a refreshing ultra-sonic shower, which is much more convenient than a wet shower as he does not need to remove his clothes. George's most famous catchphrase is "Jane! Stop this crazy thing!" but is also known for frequently uttering the phrase "Hooba-dooba-dooba!" to express wonder or astonishment.

When George was a kid he went through 10 miles of asteroid storms to go to Orbit High School, where he was the Star Pitcher of the Spaceball team. George is now an employee at Spacely's Space Sprockets, a manufacturer of "sprockets" and other high tech equipment. His job title is "digital index operator". His boss is Cosmo G. Spacely, noted for being short in both height and temper. George's job primarily requires him to repeatedly push a single button (or on occasion a series of buttons) on a computer (named RUDI {Short for: Referential Universal Digital Indexer}). Once, George complained of his heavy work load- having to push a button for one hour, one day of the week!>>