I’m certain that some of my friends who are pilots might be excited by this bit of news, but on the whole, I’m actually kind of horrified. If you don’t know what a Terra-what-in-the is, you’ve been under a rock for a bit. The Terrafugia Transition has been bouncing around since 2010 in several forms, but the basic layout has been the same: a two-seater flying car with a Rotax 912ULS boxer-four for a powerplant. The goal is to have a highway-drivable flying car that can fly using pump gas, and the Transition has proven that it does work, with 212 flight hours and 317 takeoff/landing cycles under it’s belt. But it’s had an extended gestation period, with the proof-of-concept vehicle first appearing in 2008. It’s had price increases over and over again, which have gone from an initial planned purchase price of $194,000 to “somewhere between $300,000 and $400,000”. Multiple FAA waivers had to be granted to keep the Transition viable, and let’s not forget that for ground transportation purposes, it’ll be a hybrid packing a lithium-ion battery cell. Keep in mind, you can get into a used Cessna 172 Skyhawk for about a third of the cost, and either way you’ll need a pilot’s license.
Raise your hand if you think the public is ready for a sky filled with these things. Anybody?
I suppose a few could sell to some people looking for the pure novelty of the concept, but hardly a practical transit alternative. I don’t see anything too cutting edge here. Basically a small version of a Corsair. We’re a still long ways from George Jetson, aren’t we?
I suppose a few could sell to some people looking for the pure novelty of the concept, but hardly a practical transit alternative. I don’t see anything too cutting edge here. Basically a small version of a Corsair. We’re still a long ways from George Jetson, aren’t we?
Why hasn’t somebody come out with the idea of a car/helicopter combo? No wings or fuselage extension to cart around and it would be able to take off and land almost anywhere.