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Flying Car Ready To Take Off

Posted by timothy on from the fill-up-on-windshield-fluid-please dept.

ChazeFroy writes "The first flying automobile, equally at home in the sky or on the road, is scheduled to take to the air next month. If it survives its first test flight, the Terrafugia Transition, which can transform itself from a two-seater road car to a plane in 15 seconds, is expected to land in showrooms in about 18 months' time. Terrafugia claims it will be able to fly up to 500 miles on a single tank of unleaded petrol at a cruising speed of 115mph. Even at $200,000 per automobile, they have already received 40 orders."

9 of 315 comments (clear)

  1. Re:we will NOT have flying cars by 4D6963 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yes we will have flying cars. Only they'll be nothing like a tiny airplane, and fully automated. Fully programmed VTOL is the only thing that would happened. May be a long shot, but we won't get anything short of that no matter what.

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  2. Roads do nasty things to vehicles by Viol8 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wouldn't want to be around when one of these that has done 20,000 miles of potholes, salt, grit and all the other things you drive through on the road that mess up vehicles takes to the air because god knows what it would do to a light airframe over 10 or 20 years. Sure , you're supposed to do maintenance - but that doesn't prevent loads of cars breaking down at the side of the road due to lack of it. If people drive this like a car (even if they're qualified pilots) they may start to treat it like a car rather than like an aircraft and skip on servicing. The rest you can guess.

    1. Re:Roads do nasty things to vehicles by Thumper_SVX · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I can guarantee you that since this is a roadable aircraft and not a flying car, it will be subject to the same inspection and maintenance requirements as a light aircraft.

      Reality is, this thing is going to be expensive to own, but no more so than an average light aircraft *and* a car (since as you point out you'll have the same wear and tear as a car with a very rigorous maintenance schedule).

      There's a good reason light aircraft fly for 20 years or more; they need to be in order to maintain an airworthiness certificate. This vehicle will be no different.

  3. Re:This isn't a flying car... by QuantumG · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is not a flying car like the moller which envisioned VTOL from your driveway.

    And that's probably a good thing. Why is it that everyone understands that you have to have an Atari 2600 before you can have a PS3 but, when it comes to the "flying car", they expect the future today.

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    How we know is more important than what we know.
  4. Indeed. OTOH Here's a real transport revolution - by Colin+Smith · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The first real PRT system is nearly ready to enter active service at Heathrow Airport.

    http://www.atsltd.co.uk/news/29/32/First-Flight-at-Heathrow/d,News%20Display/

     

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  5. Holy cow by Verteiron · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I SAW one of these things on I-80, and spent some time with Google trying to figure out what the thing was. Unfortunately it was being towed, rather than driving under its own power, but still. The wings were folded up but there's no mistaking the shape of the thing.

    Neat.

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  6. Re:Rules? by notaspunkymonkey · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It is not the first flying car - check out this bad boy - it begins its journey from London to Tombouctou tomorrow! http://www.skycarexpedition.com/the_expedition.php

  7. Re:Rules? by yabos · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The Lycoming engines in the Cessna 152s and 172s I fly are shut off by pulling the mixture to idle cut off. I don't think this is a big deal for the engine since it's the recommended procedure by the Pilot's Operating Handbook for these planes. When starting it you usually prime 3 times which sprays fuel in the carburetor.

  8. Re:Rules? by GooberToo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This sounds unsafe, but this is by design - They didn't want an electrical fault to kill an engine. The radios and such will die without the battery, but as long as the engine has fuel and air, it will turn.

    Ignoring the latest generation of light, single and twin piston aircraft which have dual electronic ignition, which do require a functioning power bus and battery.

    There is even an accident on record of a Diamond twin engine crashing immediately after take off because of dead batteries, despite it being diesel. The fuel pumps are electric (not sure if its actually mechanical with electric axillary or fully electric) along with the retractable gear. Seems retracting the gear was enough to deplete the batteries, causing the fuel pumps to turn off. This caused both engines to simultaneously quit.

    I would have provided a link to the NTSB accident report but the web site is currently unreachable for me.