Sunday, July 4, 2010


  First Flying Car - The Terrafugia Transition sets world record
  Washington, DC, USA -- The Terrafugia Transition , which is designed with foldable wings, made by Terrafugia Inc., a company founded by MIT graduates, successfully completed its first flight, after six months of road testing , setting the world record for the First Flying Car .
 Photo: The Terrafugia Transition, the World's  First Flying Car , shortly after a takeoff. photo courtesy Terrafugia
  ( enlarge photo )

   The World's  First Flying Car , which runs on unleaded gasoline, can travel up to 450 miles and can fly at 115 mph. It's also designed to fit into a typical household garage, to fly primarily under 10,000 feet, and has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Gas mileage on the road is about 30 miles per gallon (12 km/litre).

   So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits. "It is the next 'wow' vehicle. Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don't fly," Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh said.

First Flying Car in The World recently cleared a major hurdle when regulator Federal Aviation Administration granted a special weight limit exemption to it, the company said.

   With that FAA clearance under the its belt, the company said it is on track to deliver the first Transitions to customers late next year.

    "To actually have it fly is a dream come true," said Richard Gersh , a vice president at Terrafugia , at the time. "I'm not sure it's up there with the Wright brothers, but it's awfully close."

    The World's  First Flying Car falls into the light sport aircraft category and costs USD 194,000, excluding additional charges for options like a radio, GPS and a full-plane parachute.

   "If you get into a very dire situation, it's the ultimate safety option," Gersh said.    

     People will need a sport pilot certificate to fly the Transition, which is designed to take off and land at small, local airports and to drive on virtually any road.

Terrafugia is Latin for "escape from the land." The company was founded in 2006 by five Massachusetts Institute of Technology grad students who were also pilots. They received some seed money from the school.

    The concept of a car-plane has been around since at least the 1950s, but it's possible that Terrafugia may become the first company to mass-produce one, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said.

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