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The TEDx conferences are always good for surprises, and the TEDxBoston conference yesterday was no exception. Two presentations caught the most attention: Brigham and Women’s Hospital surgeon Bohdan Pomahac talked about the first full face transplant in the United States. Carl Dietrich, CEO of Terrafugia showed a (soon) commercially available flying car.
According to International Business Times, Terrafugia “says it expects to deliver the first production vehicle late next year.” Terrafugia’s Transition car/plane was originally scheduled to hit road and skies this year, but problems with suppliers and production challenges are delaying the take-off. The price? Around $200,000 …
5 Comments on “There’s Your Flying Car...”
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It reminds me of Top Gear’s Reliant Robin Rocket!
That’s way too sophisticated for Top Gear, lol.
It reminds me of an Aptera at first glance. Aside from it being a novelty, I can’t come up with any uses for a flying car offhand, though. Purpose-built vehicles are better at what they do, and this thing looks so highway unworthy on windy days or around Semis that it looks like it should only go short distances by road.
Maybe that’s the point: land at a remote airstrip and drive your plane to a place cause there’s no ground taxis or rentals available. Are there any places like that which won’t require travel over rough roads or terrain?
I think the point is that it is a “drivable aircraft” rather than a “flying car” in spite of the way the media describes it.
To me it would make sense for someone wanting to fly a few hundred miles, get to a meeting/restaurant/show/whatever then get back home all without worrying about taxis etc..
Also, the safety aspect of “shall I risk flying in this bad weather or stay overnight and fly tomorrow” but now maybe I can just drive home. Not a great drive and a lot slower than the flight but much less risky and more convenient than hanging around a small airfield for hours hoping for the weather to clear.
Aside from the fact that I will never be able to afford/justify this and I’m not a great fan of “rich boys toys” in general I actually think this is a pretty good idea.
For reference, $200,000 isn’t an outrageous price for a new single-engine piston aircraft. (Unsurprisingly, there’s a healthy market for used aircraft.)
@Advo: roadability is definitely a plus from a recreational pilot’s perspective (assuming the airplane is at least moderately competent both on the road and in the air):
1) You avoid hangar costs.
2) You don’t have to arrange ground transportation at your destination.
3) Some recreational pilots avoid #1 by living in communities with a shared airstrip; their houses have hangars built in. Terrafugia offers similar convenience with more flexibility.
4) Terrafugia creates new possibilities for the term “extreme commuting.” :)
Damn, that thing has more/bigger wings than a ricer’s Civic. Swap that Rotax for a Vtec, and you’ve got something….
Realistically, what are the chances of this thing driving through road debris, salt, potholes and whatever else cars, as opposed to planes, are exposed to; without requiring at minimum a thorough inspection of its designed to weight mechanisms?
As a toy for aircraft enthusiasts this may be cool, but for more serious use, I just don’t see it. Nice engineering project, though.