It's Not a Flying Car - It's a Drivable Airplane

waderoush writes "Aviation enthusiasts have been dreaming of flying cars since the 1940s. But in an old machine shop in Woburn, MA, a team of MIT aero/astro grads is building what could be the first practical airplane that's also certified for highway driving. Angel-funded startup Terrafugia, headed by 2006 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize winner Carl Dietrich, hopes to have its first full-scale proof-of-concept vehicle ready to show off at July's AirVenture aviation festival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin."

Comments

Good thing it can fly

[Skyshadow]

That whole ability-to-fly thing will come in handy when the first gust of wind you encounter blows you off a bridge.

A very light car with a huge side profile = the ditch.

wrong department

[SuperBanana]

hopes to have its first full-scale proof-of-concept vehicle ready to show off at July's AirVenture aviation festival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

From the "endeavors best left unrushed" department...

Seriously, rushing to meet unrealistic deadlines is what causes spectacular failure- and this is really something best left to perfect.

You don't want to hear "AAAAAAAH!" from the crowd, you want to hear "oooooooo"...

This Has Ended Badly Before

[void*]

The flying Pinto crashed and burned:

http://www.fordpinto.com/mitzar1.htm

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=84720&key=0

Flying car has already been invented

[mfnickster]

Here's how it's done, ladies and gents...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcusjb/440970636/in/photostream/

Re:Great. Now where will I get the gas?

[ZeroExistenZ]

Please God, tell me it's a hybrid!

It is. Half car, half plane. A hybrid.

Re:Actually...

[Chris Burke]

We take off, he sets the gps up then leans back in the seat and says "wake me up if I fall asleep". Slightly disconcerting for your first time in the air.

Nice.

I want to hear a commuter jet pilot say that over the intercom on a red eye flight some light. "*kkrsh* Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. I've pulled a double shift today, so if the plane starts to list, please knock loudly on the cockpit door."