Flying Cars Hop Slightly Closer With FAA Weight Waiver

JimFive writes "For years we've been waiting for the flying car to arrive. The FAA has made an exemption that moves this one step closer to reality. Terrafugia has been granted a weight limit exemption for a 'Roadable Airplane.' Next up is passing the federal highway safety tests."

Comments

Say what?

[djupedal]

Years? Anyone? Anyone....? Bueller?

- Moller Skycars: 1962

Try decades.....nearly two generations if you go back to when PM touted them as the next step in the American dream...

Re:Say what?

[FooAtWFU]

That is a flying car. This is just an airplane that you can drive home to your garage so you don't have to pay exorbitant hangar fees.

Re:Say what?

[gman003]

Which is still a big step towards flying cars.

Re:Say what?

[wilbrod]

Years? Anyone? Anyone....? Bueller?

Refundable airframe reservations are being accepted with first delivery scheduled for late 2011.

Re:Say what?

[OldTOP]

But really not the point.

As a lot of people have pointed out, flying is harder than driving. A roadable airplane would appeal to an existing market of licensed pilots. The concept of a flying car is that you trade in the clapped out Taurus and take off in your new whirlygig from the dealer's parking lot and somehow make your way home without making an appearance on the nightly news -- assuming that such mayhem had not become too commonplace to make the news any more.

This project actually expands the potential market a bit, since they've managed to get it certified as a Light Sport Aircraft (LSA). You only need a Sport Pilot license to fly it, and you can get one more easily (and cheaply) than a Private Pilot license. There are restrictions (only one passenger, no night flying, and don't go near the major airports, for example -- and even with a Private Pilot license, the restrictions apply because it's an LSA) but it would be great for recreational use.

You'd still have to keep the old Taurus on the road, because you certainly wouldn't want someone rendering your $100K LSA un-airworthy while you left it in the supermarket parking lot.

"Roadable" means you don't have to leave it at the airport, and if you run into bad weather you can land and drive home, and if you fly down to the airport near the beach, you can drive the rest of the way -- if you think it's safe to park it off the airport.

Taking an airplane and making it roadable may not seem like much of an idea if you were thinking of the Jetsons, but if you're already a pilot, or are thinking about becoming one, it's a pretty neat idea.

Already got one...

[drwho]

Yes you see I've already got one. The flying, though, isn't the difficult part. It's the landing that's a bitch. Gravity sucks. Quick change of inertia sucks more.

Duck.

[w0mprat]

People have enough trouble using their turn signals, safe following distances and I don't know, general road rules? Adding a 3rd dimension and 200mph is asking for chaos. So what we're talking about is a aircraft that fits in a domestic garage and has road-legal extended taxiing ability. It's still a aircraft first. Thankfully.

Re:Duck.

[cynyr]

but there is a lot more space, and make an annoying blinking beeping light if they are too close... They should do that on road cars now that i think of it. use the speedo and the radar range finder, to figure out the "safe minimum distance" granted it wouldn't know about things like cold wet brakes, or black ice... but it would be helpful as a "you are way too fucking close" sort of light.

Re:I hate the idea of flying cars

[QuantumG]

Not to disparage your opinion of the average person's flying ability as I'm sure most of us would agree with that, but..

I don't understand where this attitude came from that because you anticipate someone, some day, may crash into your house that you would ban anyone, ever, from having a flying vehicle. I know that's not precisely what you're saying, but I don't understand how you imagine a ban on these vehicles would actually work. For example, if you're suggesting that no-one should be able to fly one of these vehicles without first obtaining a pilot's license then I would say ok, no problem, couldn't agree with you more.. but I don't think you are. I think what you're saying is that you don't want there to be a populous movement to acquire a pilot's license as that will somehow make flying more dangerous. Or, maybe, you're saying that no aircraft should be allowed to fly near your house... but I find that a terribly strange position to take because there's already laws against that..

So, uhhh.. could you maybe clarify what exactly it is you're opposed to and what action you imagine should (or shouldn't) be taken to prevent it?

Re:I do not give....

[gyrogeerloose]

...a flying fuck.

No, no, you've got it all wrong--it's a flying car. A flying fuck is an entirely different thing and, as anyone who's ever banged a flight attendant can attest, probably almost as much fun. Easier to find and no hangar fees to pay, either.

Re:I hate the idea of flying cars

[MichaelSmith]

Even if everyone got a pilot's license, I don't trust normal people with that kind of responsibility. What a dumb idea. Futuristic mental masturbation, really.

I see your point. Automated aircraft are here now, while automated surface vehicles are a long way off. So maybe the "flying car" when it comes will be largely automated. The pilot will say "take me to X,Y" and the computers will do the rest.

Re:Weight limit?

[MichaelSmith]

Well I drive an 11 kilo bicycle to work on highways. Maybe the real problem is with the Jeep Wrangler et al.

Flying cars already happened, you idiots

[Anonymous Coward]

We call them helicopters.

Most of you cannot afford one, and will never be able to afford one.

Tough shit for you.

I've got one.

                                                                                                  - Clint Eastwood

Re:Weight limit?

[cynyr]

you sir speak the truth, the problem isn't the bike/small car, but the guy on his phone in his 2.5 ton SUV, drinking his coffee. I vote the limit for a drivers license be 2000 LB, and that it must be a stick, unless you apply for an exemtion from the state for physical disability to drive a stick. You try driving a stick in rush hour while on the phone, eating a bagel, drinking coffee. Bet it sorts it's self out after a few weeks.

Re:I hate the idea of flying cars

[Anonymous Coward]

You're mistaken. I follow F1 a lot and whilst I'm no expert, I can assure you that the reason why driver aids were limited was the opposite of what you believe. Driver aids were limited because they were too good and consequently driver skill mattered less. Drivers were not competing with each other anymore - the teams' driver aids were. If any driver could outperform such systems, teams would obviously have removed them voluntarily.

Re:I hate the idea of flying cars

[MichaelSmith]

Well I am talking about aircraft. Many military jets are almost impossible to fly without computer assistance. The airframe is unstable in the sense that without control input they would tumble about and crash.

Not primarily for avoiding hanger fees

[jjo]

The Terrafugia "roadable airplane" (not flying car) is designed principally to make the airplane more practical for trips where either

1. nearby airports with convenient ground transportation are not available, or
2. due to weather, it may not be possible to fly the entire route in a light airplane

The Terrafugia does save money on rental cars, but much more importantly, it makes it practical to use small airports where rental cars are difficult or impossible to obtain. On round trips with several days between the outbound and inbound legs, it is difficult or impossible to be sure that the weather will be aceptable for the return flight. With a roadable airplane, if the weather turns bad you just drive home instead of flying.

Drivers aids are like hearing aids

[tivoKlr]

You're right, drivers aids in F1 were limited as to make driver participation a part of the sport. Drivers aids in current road automobiles are a reaction to the absolutely horrific driving skills of the average driver, or even worse, the aging driver.