Well the Terrafugia Transition is not quite as slim or sexy as the flying cars in Back to the Future Part 2, but at 35 MPG on unleaded gas, we’ll take it!
The two-seater plane wraps up its wings into a seven-foot tall, seven and a half foot wide, nineteen-foot long car.
The prototype’s first flight took off in Plattsburgh in 2009 (pun intended here, folks), and since then Terrafugia has attained an exemption from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for a “roadable aircraft.”
It is a legal, functional, land-air vehicle that will be one of the highlights of this week’s New York International Auto Show.
Why wait for the endless airport lines and the arduous connecting flights – from NY to Atlanta to Philadelphia before getting on to Miami – when a Transition can hit the road, get to the airport, take off in the air and arrive at another landing strip before shedding its wings and driving to the final destination.
Forget the cabs, the airport shuttles, and the incessant juggling of carry-on luggage (unless of course you decide to charge yourself for extra bags).
The details as to how far one can fly with this are not yet available, but anyone who is a licensed pilot can certainly use this to travel in style.
If the lightning gets too hazardous, landing at a local airport and driving the rest of the way is also very feasible. Production is ongoing and for a $10,000 deposit, you can reserve a Transition which the company expects to sell for $279,000 (Ouch!).
Check out the license plate, this bad boy’s street legal!
