Flying Car--very cool.

beasly

beasly

Well-Known Member
terrafugia1_1668799c.jpg



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7860966/Terrafugia-Transition-flying-car-gets-go-ahead-from-US-air-authorities.html

More pics at the link.

Very cool, but ....we can "do stuff" to our cars that the FAA won't let us do to airplanes. This should be very interesting to play out over time.

When I used to live in Tampa, I would see jobs in O-town that I would take if I could fly between the cities. This would make it possible to do that.

I am curious how the "yoke" handles. Does it have one idiom for flying and another for driving? ditto rudder pedals.


edit: here is the company website: http://www.terrafugia.com/
 
This is awesome! Think of the value this would have in Los Angeles, if you live in the valley and drive to Van Nuys airport. Take off, fly to where you work in Long Beach or Ontario, land and then drive off the runway/airport to work. Then do it again for the commute home during the worst times for LA rush hour. This has the capability of being an extreme time saver.
 
Here's the really interesting part....

You're flying along and see weather ahead and decide to land....

....on the freeway you've been flying over. You drive under the worst of the weather (assuming you can't fly around it) and then take off again when you have enough highway.

The FAA obviously doesn't like it if you land your plane on a highway...but if that plane is also a DOT-approved car, how can they gripe?
 
My question is how efficient this thing is on the highway? What if i start cruising at 65-70 mph and the damn thing wants to take off on me??
 
Bigey said:
My question is how efficient this thing is on the highway? What if i start cruising at 65-70 mph and the damn thing wants to take off on me??
Click to expand...

The two-seater Transition can use its front-wheel drive on roads at ordinary highway speeds, with wings folded, at a respectable 30 miles per gallon. Once it has arrived at a suitable take-off spot - an airport, or adequately sized piece of flat private land - it can fold down the wings, engage its rear-facing propeller, and take off. The folding wings are electrically powered.
Click to expand...
 
F9DXER said:
Then there was always the Goodyear GA468 from back in the 50's.

And if you think the "roadable airplane" is cool,

this is what I want!!!!

http://samsonmotorworks.com/
Click to expand...



Awesome.

But in a way, that is the point. When if/ some of these things show up at 6:a.m at the local 7 eleven and fuel up (btw, what is the fuel? 100LL ? ouch!) while the owner goes in and orders himself a Krispy Kreme and a large coffee--people are gonna talk. Then more people will want one. Then , human nature being what it is, somebody will put an obnoxiously loud stereo in one blaring rap music and then somebody else will come up with a redesign like you posted.


Sigh. I was born in the 60's and I grew up wanting a flying car.

I hope this works.

Edit: and notice the tinted windows!
 
Just thinking about somethings semi-logically, would you need both a license plate and an "N" number?

If you were involved in a wreck while driving does your A/P still have to look it over?

A lot of variables.
 
F9DXER said:
Just thinking about somethings semi-logically, would you need both a license plate and an "N" number?

If you were involved in a wreck while driving does your A/P still have to look it over?

A lot of variables.
Click to expand...

You would probably have to pay a lot of taxes for both aviation and DMV. And then what kind of insurance would you carry? Both car and plane?
 
flyingmaniac said:
I can imagine someone's car bumps you and your airplane/car is no longer airworthy!

What a waste of investment.
Click to expand...

That's what would scare me! That would get pricey...

But, on the other hand, if anyone has a million bucks burning a hole in their pocket, I offer free rides to them if they bought me one. Just saying...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top