Monday, April 6, 2009
Flying cars
Want your own personal flying car? Get your driver's and pilot's licenses -- and $10,000 deposit -- ready and head on over to Terrafugia. Their "roadable aircraft" is set to roll off the assembly line in 2011. The prototype hit the skies on March 5, 2009 for a test run. The company claims that the wings can fold up in less than 30 seconds! In car mode, the company says the vehicle can get 30 miles per gallon and can go up to 65 miles per hour. The full purchase price is expected to range around $200,000 (US).
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3 comments:
This is by far the most "roadable" aircraft I've seen, but it isn't the first one. You can find "flying cars" dating back to the fifties in aviation museums. Unfortunately (or I should say fortunately), the flying car will never become a common sight unless there are such extensive safety measures in place that crashes become nonexistent. This will mean fully automated controls because who wants to share the sky with the same pantheon of idiots who are currently on the road? ;)
The other problem is that flying cars can't exist in the current FAA regulatory climate. Even if the owner has the proper pilot's certificate and currency, airworthiness certificate, radio station license, etc., legally, you'd have to bring the flying car to a licensed aircraft mechanic after something as trivial as a shopping cart ding in a parking lot. Then there's the security put in place after 9/11...
It's a fun invention, but I don't see it as a symbol of our future.
Thanks for your insightful comments, Wendy. I didn't realize that "flying cars" dated back that far. Interesting.
As far as this "roadable aircraft" goes, I'm wondering how many people have gone, $10,000 in hand, and signed up for one. Seems like a lot of money for something that might not wind up being very useful. On the other hand, their target market probably doesn't include penny-pinchers like me. ;)
This is by far the most "road able" aircraft I've seen, but it isn't the first one
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