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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Chevy Truck Parade - Heinrich Chevrolet
Longest
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Sunday, July 4, 2010