"Roadable Aircraft" Moving Towards Launch

We discussed Terrafugia's plans for what they don't like to call a "flying car" — rather a "roadable aircraft" — last spring. The Boston Globe has an update on Massachusetts-based Terrafugia and its fight to get airborne in these parlous times. "The last serious attempt to bring a car-airplane hybrid to market was the Aerocar, in 1949. According to Carl Dietrich, chief executive of Terrafugia, that company built six prototypes. It needed 500 orders in order to gear up for mass production, but it never got there... 'It can be hard to explain the value of this to non-pilots,' Dietrich says, 'but when you're a pilot, the problems of high costs, limited mobility on the ground, and weather sensitivity are in your face, all the time.' The company says more than 50 of the vehicles have been pre-ordered. The target price is $198,000."

Comments

Not new.

[plasmacutter]

This report reminds me of the many videos of people donning various winglike arm attachments and diving off platforms or tall structures to disastrous results.

This concept is not new. Everyone's been developing their own "car-o-plane" for ages. I'd be very surprised if this one goes anywhere beyond the previous ones

Re:Not new.

[plasmacutter]

On the contrary, I do think Moller is on the right track.

Is prototypes work, and work well. They're too expensive right now, but they have the range, safety, and power necessary. The government just has no structure to deal with it, and the FAA is far too rigid and geared toward a completely different paradigm.

The crucial difference between moller's models and concepts like this is he doesn't try to work off either an automobile or aircraft chassis.

He's developed his own, unique system.

It is not roadworthy, but it's quite skyworthy, and designed well for its purpose.

Re:Uses

[petermgreen]

The big questions are

1: how much extra will a roadable airplane cost compared to a normal one?
2: how much will this cost to insure (i'm betting a lot, particularlly for fully comprehensive cover)
3: how long will it take to convert between airplane and car modes?

In summary will it really be cheaper and/or more conviniant than hiring a car at your destination airport?

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[Anonymous Coward]

That "magic" will likely be to digitally image all the molecules in your body, construct a copy of yourself in another location, and destroy the original... there are ethical and moral issues with this, since it basically means cloning and killing yourself.

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[Pooua]

I should hope that anything that flys, regardless of how popular it becomes, still requires a pilots license and that the skill needed to attain such a license remain quite high. Lay drivers manage to kill 43,443 people in 2007.

Absolutely correct! Most people are horrible pilots of anything they operate and make poor transportation decisions. They do whatever they want, with little regard for what the people around them are doing. Every region has different ways of driving poorly, but in my region of Texas, they don't know how to maintain speed while cornering or going up hills, they don't know how to merge or yield, they don't signal their lane changes or turns, they drive at night like they are night blind, they drive either 8 mph under the speed limit or 15 mph over the speed limit, they blare loud music out of their vehicles, they swerve across 3+ lanes of traffic at the last minute to take an exit or entrance ramp, they use all available space to make a turn (even breaking State law to make a right-hand turn across as many road lanes as are available), they tailgate, they sit at red lights blocking the right-turn lane from turning because they won't make the legally-allowed right-hand turn on red, they won't make a left turn on a solid green light (they have to have a green arrow, or they won't even attempt the turn), they pace vehicles, especially while driving in the other driver's blind spot. In the last few weeks, I've encountered several drivers who simply stop and remain in the middle of the road whenever they have a problem, even in a 45 mph zone. The concept of a free flow of traffic is alien to most Texas drivers, and many of them drive like they have spent their lives on a country road without having to consider other drivers.

Texas drivers are mostly annoying, and only somewhat hazardous. In Virginia, especially closer to D.C., the drivers are more ruthless, more vicious. If you signal a lane change, they usually will attempt to block you from changing lanes.

I've long said that when flying cars become marketable, I'm installing an anti-aircraft gun in my front yard.

Re:Uses

[Original Replica]

The same idea apply to sailing open water, yet I have seen boats run right into buoys and over other boats' anchor lines. I've seen sailors lock the wheel and then run below decks to grab something, leaving the boat going full speed with no one at the wheel. In open water, I frequently lock the wheel (I stay on deck) and eat a sandwich or apply sunscreen or whatever. On open water at times it can be difficult to remember to look up every fifteen seconds, getting sidetracked is easy. There is a salty saying "There's three types of sailors: those who've gone aground; those who haven't, but are going to; and liars." The danger isn't in the featureless open space, it's near the destinations, navigation points, and obstacles. That's where the degree of attention required changes more quickly than is often accounted for. Everyone gets used to a big open space and they lose the focus to avoid the easiest obstacles, that's why I sited such common driver distractions as putting on make up, talking on the phone, and yelling at the kids in the back. Drivers do these things now, with something that demands as much attention as highway driving, and I think that a less demanding environment would exacerbate these behaviors and habits, making those drivers completely unaware of when they were entering a situation that demanded more attention. Compare your own level of focus between driving on a long straight stretch of road vs a winding road.

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[vtcodger]

You're right. They had to do a lot of engineering to build an airplane that can back up, has proper brake lights, etc, etc, etc ... and keep it light enough to fly. FYI, the maximum takeoff weight of a fully loaded Cessna 172 is 1043kg. A Chevrolet Aveo -- an extremely small and light car -- weighs in at 1066kg with no payload whatsoever including driver, fuel, or fuzzy dice.

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[lakeland]

I don't think comparing new to used is fair, so lets look at your new prices - $200k vs $120k. That means you're spending about $80k extra getting a road-certified plane - probably a bit more in reality as parts are likely to cost more, etc.

You suggest purchasing a car for each airport that you plan on flying this plane to. Lets say you purchase just two cars for $15k each, using rentals whenever you go anywhere else so you've now got a buffer of $50k. How much will you pay in hanger fees, car fees, and car storage fees, not to mention maintaince on three veichles instead of one?

$300/month seems fairly conservative for hanger fees. Add a couple hundred extra for the car fees and your Cessna is looking at being more expensive after about eight years.

I for one wish them success

[LordFolken]

I'm a glider pilot (engines are for wimps. physics rules.)

but i have come to understand what problems private plane owners have to face.

One is cost. Flying from A to B in your own plane is incredibly expensive. You usually pay higher landing fees, parking/storage fees, even fuel prices at an airport other than your own. Not yet counting cost of getting to and from the airport to your final destination.

Gliders always have had the distinct advantage that they are meant to be taken apart and loaded onto a trailer. Many glider pilots I know keep their plane at home, and set it up at the airport.
The only disadvantage is when you outland, then someone will have to hook up your trailer and come to get you. This is where the team sport comes into play.

I sort of never understood why the concept of taking the plane apart and putting it on a trailer on a daily basis hasn't carried over to non glider types. Size isn't really an argument since some of these gliders have wingspans of 25 meters. Multi-seat capability and engines too.

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[icebrain]

I'd love to commute by airplane, especially since I work at an airport.

There are many good reasons not to bike to work even if you're that close:

Hot weather--nobody likes body odor.

Traffic--multi-lane highways full of semi-trucks are rather dangerous anyways; it's almost suicide on a bike.

Lighting--I get to work before sunrise every day of the year. Riding a bike to work in the above conditions, in the dark, with bleary still-sleeping drivers says "I wish to die"

Heck, I wish I could ride a motorcycle to work, but I'm not sure I even feel comfortable doing that in those conditions.