A light aircraft that can convert into an automobile has been allowed
into US skies to help a long dreamed-of "flying car" come true.
Whether
it is to avoid a traffic jam or just get to a destination faster, the
idea of combining a car and plane or having a flying gear has always
been appealing.
A private aircraft manufacturing company based in
Woburn, Massachusetts, has blended the two modes of transport quite
well in its roadable Terrafugia Transition
According to
Terrafugia Inc., the vehicle can fly a distance of up to 640 kilometers
(around 398 mile) on a single tank of gas at a cruising speed of 185
km/h. Upon landing and with its wings folded up, it can also drive
highway speeds on the road.
It is also permitted to take off a
maximum weight of about 650 kilograms, which is 50 kilograms above the
limit for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) light sport aircraft
category.
Terrafugia won a key federal approval for its flying
car which has already completed flight tests to become the latest
manifestation of a long-running fantasy.
The significant innovation now fills a blank in humans' life which existed almost as long as there have been automobiles.
The company will begin production later this year with about 20 vehicles.
Terrafugia
said it has collected $10,000 deposits from more than 70 potential
buyers for the $194,000 craft with the first flying car expected off the
production line in 18 months.