Terrafugia, a New England-based company has introduced the Transition. It’s a street-legal airplane that the company calls “the first step on the road to the practical flying car.”
At first glance, the Transition basically looks like a plane with collapsible wings that make it drive-able on city streets.
The carbon-fiber Terrafugia Transition is in development since 2006, and first flew in 2009.
On the road, it can drive 70 mph (110 kmh) and 93 kn (107 mph / 172 kmh) in the air and have a flight range of 425 nmi (489 miles / 787 km).
Nearing production in 2012, the price was holding at US$279,000 and more than 100 customers were waiting for delivery, possibly in 2014.
The Terrafugia Transition has received exemptions from the NHTSA that make it legal to drive on the road. With polycarbonate windows instead of automotive safety glass and tires not normally considered street legal, it has nevertheless passed muster for both the sky and the highway in terms of weight and safety.
The Terrafugia company had been doing lots of fine tuning since then to attain the proper licensing and exemptions needed to ensure these roadable aircraft are ready for delivery by the end of 2012.
Geely, the company that also owns Volvo, agreed to acquire Terrafugia in 2017. The Terrafugia flying car, created by a handful of MIT grads, received FAA approval in 2016 allowing the transforming car to be certified as a light sport aircraft. The exemption means Terrafugia can create a road- and air-legal vehicle that weighs up to 1,800 pounds.
Terrafugia’s Transition model, the company test vehicle, claims a range of 400 nm at a top speed of about 90 knots. The Transition air/car’s wings fold back to allow the craft to fit in a standard single-car home garage.
The Zhejiang Geely Holding Group confirmed that it is hiring engineers, who must be English-speaking, to help introduce and test-produce prototypes to produce flying cars in China. The company was also seeking contractors to renovate workshops in a passenger car production facility in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, for the same purpose. Geely said it expects to finish the development of Terrafugia’s first model, TF-1, and launch it in the United States by July 2019.
Transition N302TF
Engine: Rotax 912S, 100hp
Wingspan: 27’6″
Length: 19’2″
Useful load: 430 lb
Cruise Speed: 100 mph (160 km/h)
Stall: 51 mph
Range: 410 mi (660 km) plus 30 min. reserve
Mileage on Road: 35 mpg
Seats: 2
All Aero 