Chances are, you probably have never heard of a “roadable aircraft” before. That’s because, there never was such a thing until now. Terrafugia has been working tirelessly to fine-tune their aircraft that can double as a car, called the “Transition.” Building such a vehicle might be easy in theory, but building it in such a way that it abides by laws set forth by the FAA as well as the NHTSA is easier said than done. The car has to abide by weight requirements in order to be classified as a light sport aircraft, yet it still has to incorporate standard safety features to protect it’s passengers in the event of a car accident. Those features add weight though.
Thanks to a pardon from the FAA allowing them to add that weight in order to be a safer vehicle, Terrafugia has now refined it’s aircraft. Previously, flying cars were chastised for being both a mediocre car and plane. They never seemed to excel at being both. The Transition however meets the criteria of being a sports utility vehicle while still being able to power through the air at 105mph for a 500 mile distance. It features a sleek touch screen that alternates between aircraft instruments and car gauges.
The CEO of Terrafugia, Carl Deitrich, believes that pilots will be interested in an aircraft that they can ground in inclement weather conditions and drive home safely. “The added freedom and convenience provides a flexibility that can’t be found in any other vehicle, and for that people are willing to give up a couple knots of airspeed,” he said in this news report.
As a Tacoma personal injury attorney, I won’t be the first in line to pay for one of the nearly $200,000 aircrafts, but it is inspiring to see the technology of the future in action.
