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2010-06-30 03:09:24





With only 20 hours of flying time, you too could become licensed to fly the Terrafugia, the flying car.

Terrafugia has received an examption from the FAA to be classified as a "light sport aircraft" even though it is 110 pounds over the required takeoff weight for the classification.

Flight tests are expected to start next spring, Vice President Sam Schweighart tell Drive On, and deliveries could begin by the end of 2011. The "roadable plane" fits in home garages, run on either high-octane gas or aviation fuel, gets 30 to 35 miles a gallon on the ground and 5 gallons an hour in the air and has a range of 460 miles, the Associated Press says. It cruises at 115 miles per hour -- in the air.



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2010-07-04 15:22:22




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2010-07-05 20:03:09



Sid2
 
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2010-07-05 20:05:44



Sid2
 
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2010-07-05 20:11:49



Sid2
 
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2011-07-08 02:58:07





Sure, video chat on Facebook is important, but what will really let us know the future has arrived are the flying cars. I’m totally serious. And it’s about to happen. Massachusetts startup Terrafugia is cleaning the final hurdles to getting its $250,000 flying car in the skies — and on the roads.

But does this thing have a real business plan?

First, an important distinction: the Terrafugia Transition isn’t exactly a car that flies — it’s more like a plane that drives. Or as Terrafugia puts it, a “roadable aircraft.” It has dual flight and driving controls, wings that fold up, and requires a relatively easy-to-get sport pilot license to operate.

And we already know it works. The Transition successfully took to the skies in 2009.

It has also received some special exemptions from the government, mainly to avoid having to use windshield glass and tires that would add excessive weight. Next up, crash testing. Then… well, get ready to see you some flying cars. Terrafugia has taken $10,000 deposits from a 100 salivating customers.


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2011-07-18 16:37:16






A flying car retailing for $227,000 could be on roads in a matter of months -- and customers are already lining up to be the first to get their hands on one, its maker claims.

Just over a week ago, the Terrafugia Transition passed a significant milestone when it was cleared for takeoff by the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration. It's taken Terrafugia founder Carl Dietrich just five years to realize his dream, with some media outlets reporting that the Transition could now be on U.S. roads by the end of next year.

The two-seat plane is made of carbon-fiber and aimed primarily at the U.S.'s 600-strong "fly-in" communities. It can lift off from almost any long straight road and, once in the air, has a top speed of 115 mph.

On landing, its wings fold up in 15 seconds, with power then routed to the rear wheels, giving it a top land speed of 62 mph and size dimensions equivalent to a large sedan.

"It's like a little Transformer," Mr Dietrich said.

The Transition will be available to those with a light-aircraft license and requires as little as 20 hours of training to fly.


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2011-08-09 15:29:18


Maverick: The flying car that does.



The Maverick is the true flying car: drivable on public roads with a civilian driver's license, and pilotable when airborne under S-LSA/E-LSA certification with a Sport Pilot license and Powered Parachute rating. Preparation for flight is quick and simple, thanks to our innovative wing deployment system, which also provides the Maverick maneuvering capabilities unique among powered parachutes.

Flight has always been one of man's greatest dreams. While this dream has been grasped, the sky remains dominated by specialized equipment capable of little more than that for which they were originally envisioned. The Maverick aims to change that. Rugged and untraditional, the Maverick is designed to be a platform for whatever task you need it to perform, whether it be checking pipelines or cattle from the air or delivering medicine to tribes in the heart of the jungle. The key to the Maverick's adaptability is that it transforms easily from an off-road vehicle, to a highway-speed car, to an aircraft.


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2011-11-04 20:23:13


A flying car -- it's an iconic image of the future. But after 100 years of flight and automotive engineering, no one has really cracked the problem. Pilot Anna Mracek Dietrich and her team flipped the question, asking: Why not build a plane that you can drive?


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2012-04-03 10:52:59


Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality. The government has already granted the company’s request to use special tires and glass that are lighter than normal automotive ones, to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The government has also temporarily exempted the Transition from the requirement to equip vehicles with electronic stability control, which would add about six pounds to the vehicle. The Transition is currently going through a battery of automotive crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards.

Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft. The standards govern the size and speed of the plane and licensing requirements for pilots, which are less restrictive than requirements for pilots of larger planes. Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a relatively low hurdle for pilots.

The Transition can reach around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the air, spokesman Steven Moscaritolo said. It flies using a 23-gallon tank of automotive fuel and burns 5 gallons per hour in the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon.


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