It was exciting to hear that the Terrafugia Transition was given FAA clearance this week. The FAA made allowances for it to be in the light sport category (LSA). The aircraft/car was 110 lbs over the weight limit, but adjustments were made by the FAA for the aircraft to also be roadworthy (airbags, safety cage, steering wheel, etc).
The design does have a number of attractive features. It runs on premium automobile gas (92 Octane), gets about 400 miles range in the air with a top speed of 110 MPH in the air and about 30 MPG on the road. It has a control yoke for flying and a steering wheel for driving. The instrumentation is an all-glass cockpit and there is even the parachute option, like the Cirrus.
The wings fold up against the side of the airplane for the roads and it is really nice when the weather gets bad for flying, you can take it to the streets. For anyone who has done some flying to remote destinations, ground transportation is always something you have to think about when arriving at your destination. Not any more!
Wouldn't this be the ultimate date car, guys? While I will admit it is a bit ungainly looking (yes, some say it's homely), you could pick up your date, drive to a local ariport and fly to some really cool destination for a romantic dinner, beach, etc. Then fly home, fold the wings and drive her home!
For the commuters, what better way to beat the traffic than to dial up the closest airport on the GPS, get there and get around the traffic mess out there by flying over it! Seriously, how many times have you been sitting in traffic thinking "If this thing could just fly". Okay, maybe it's just me...
They are currently pre-ordering the Terrfugia Transition with a $10,000 deposit, with deliveries scheduled for 2011. The final price tag is estimated to be about $194,000. While that seems steep for most, you are getting a car AND an airplane out of the deal.
I am hoping that this is the first of many "roadable aircraft" from Terrfugia.
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