Terrafugia Transition Flying Car
February 16th, 2006 9:43 AM | by Christen da Costa | 3 Comments
Terrafugia, a startup by MIT grad student Carl Dietrich, is posed to deliver a fully operational flying car prototype by 2008. The Terrafugia Transition flying car, or “personal air vehicle,” as they’ve been calling it, is just a model right now.
The Transition is expected to get 30 miles per gallon in the air, travelling at 120 miles per hour, with up to 430 pounds of payload (two adults and some suitcases).
The Terrafugia Transition has collapsable wings. When in car mode, the Transition should have the same footprint as a large SUV, making it garage and road friendly. All at the push of a button.
The Terrafugia is estimated to cost $148,000 when it debuts.
Check the Terrafugia FAQ for more information.
via CNET
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DAMN! That is one small ass payload. I would hate to think what would happen if you had some kids, or some big ass kids for that matter.
The limiting factor seems to be their desire to stay within Sport Pilot restrictions (GTOW about 1325 lb) – a marketing consideration rather than a technical one. A slightly heavier model with a bigger engine – and increased payload – seems to be feasible, but would be less accessible because of the need for a full Private license as opposed to Sport Pilot rating.
I wonder if they are considering the fuel as part of their payload or if they mean what it can carry after the tanks are topped up. Normally fuel is considered part of the payload.
Perhaps they’ll start with a sport pilot version and then produce a more capable version for serious users.
any chance the transition will get any cheaper by 2015