flying car for $194,000 who's in?
06-30-10, 05:39 AM
#1
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
flying car for $194,000 who's in?
http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/93804?fp=1
Weird-looking cars are a dime a dozen. Far less common are weird-looking cars that can also fly AND have approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Indeed, as far as we know, there's only one of those babies: The Terrafugia Transition.
The private aircraft/funky-looking car has been in the news before. But the recent announcement that it's going into production sparked mega-searches on the Web. Almost immediately, online lookups for "terrafugia transition" and "terrafugia transition pictures" both, well, took off.
A popular article from the UK's Daily Telegraph explains that the FAA's special exemption allows the vehicle to function as both a "light aircraft" and a car. Normally, for a plane to meet the "light aircraft" designation, it can weigh no more than 1,200 pounds. The Terrafugia Transition weighs 1,320, due primarily to the number of car-related safety features, like airbags and crumple zones. The "light aircraft" designation is key, because licenses for planes with that label require only 20 hours of flying time. Fewer hoops to jump through means more potential sales.
So, how does the plane/car work? Check out the flying car's official video below. So far, 70 people have placed a deposit. The total retail cost: $194,000. Expensive, but really, can you put a price on skipping commercial flights?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHXnL...017&feature=iv
Weird-looking cars are a dime a dozen. Far less common are weird-looking cars that can also fly AND have approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Indeed, as far as we know, there's only one of those babies: The Terrafugia Transition.
The private aircraft/funky-looking car has been in the news before. But the recent announcement that it's going into production sparked mega-searches on the Web. Almost immediately, online lookups for "terrafugia transition" and "terrafugia transition pictures" both, well, took off.
A popular article from the UK's Daily Telegraph explains that the FAA's special exemption allows the vehicle to function as both a "light aircraft" and a car. Normally, for a plane to meet the "light aircraft" designation, it can weigh no more than 1,200 pounds. The Terrafugia Transition weighs 1,320, due primarily to the number of car-related safety features, like airbags and crumple zones. The "light aircraft" designation is key, because licenses for planes with that label require only 20 hours of flying time. Fewer hoops to jump through means more potential sales.
So, how does the plane/car work? Check out the flying car's official video below. So far, 70 people have placed a deposit. The total retail cost: $194,000. Expensive, but really, can you put a price on skipping commercial flights?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHXnL...017&feature=iv
Last edited by bagwell; 06-30-10 at 05:43 AM.
06-30-10, 06:51 AM
#3
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really great!
06-30-10, 09:48 AM
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06-30-10, 10:12 AM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
Ahh jeez - all we need is a bunch of amateur pilots in the skies. Not only will we have to worry about them hitting each other, but when the fall they can take out a house or something. 
06-30-10, 10:24 AM
#7
Lexus Fanatic
The Aero-car concept, of course, is nothing new. A number of versions have been tried since the 1940s. Most, if not all, out of necessity, have turned out to be very stretched compromises at best. The designs have ended up being both mediocre cars and mediocre airplanes. It was the same way, more or less, with the famous Amphibicar, which was a mediocre car and mediocre boat.
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06-30-10, 02:02 PM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
an amazing creation. This is what I imagined 30 years ago when I thought of the cars of the future. According to the Jetsons we should all be flying around
06-30-10, 02:15 PM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Actual flying, though, requires far more than simply being able to keep from crashing and in one piece....that's the easy part. I've had a pilot's license, myself, for 25 years....and a Ground (Classroom) Instructor's rating for 23. (and was, before retirement, an FAA Flight Procedures Specialist/Cartographer). To be a competent pilot, one must have a throrough knowledge of weather/forecasting, FAR's (Federal Aviation regulations) that apply to the pilot/aircraft-class, Aeronautical charts/navigation, the different types of airspace, the individual characteristics of the aircraft such as critical airspeeds for take-off/stall/approach/high-turbulence, airport-traffic/communication rules, etc...and numerous other factors. It takes a lot of study and training. In many cases, one must also pass aero-medical exams, and, since 9-11, pass a Government background check.
Last edited by mmarshall; 06-30-10 at 02:19 PM.
06-30-10, 03:02 PM
#12
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I'm going to be seriously wanting one of these within the next 10 years.
Read: unless something goes seriously sideways with this line of progress I'm going to buy one.
Read: unless something goes seriously sideways with this line of progress I'm going to buy one.
06-30-10, 05:53 PM
#14
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Will consumers have to drive this into an airport before taking flight or can they just be cruising down the highway, open up the wings and fly away? I figure the latter would make this a worthy purchase since driving to the airport almost defeats the purpose of having a flying car at home.
