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BREAKING NEWS | |
“FLYING CAR” PRODUCTION COULD BEGIN IN A FEW MONTHS
September 09, 2010
(NATIONAL) -- In a story back in June, the Chronicle informed readers of the emergence of what appeared to be the first practical “flying car” for the masses.
You can see photos of the flying car and read that story HERE
At that time the Terrafugia “Transition”®, a small airplane that can drive on roads and was billed as the first "flying car," was a step closer to becoming street- and sky-legal as the vehicle had cleared a Federal Aviation Administration regulatory hurdle for craft classification by weight.
That in turn cleared the way for a full-fledged production prototype.
The Massachusetts based company Terrafugia wanted the plane/car to be classified as a "Light Sport Aircraft" by the FAA so buyers who wanted to fly it would need only 20 hours of flying time.
However the two-seater hybrid weighed in 110 pounds overweight in accommodating roadworthy-assuring safety items such as crumple zones.
The FAA said that so long as customers are advised about this extra weight, the car-plane hybrid can be sold.
The Terrafugia completed its maiden voyage last March in New York and now it appears the Massachusetts company behind the concept may be in low volume production by the end of the year, according to a report by USA Today.
Terrafugia says after looking at locations and the U.S. and around the world, it has settled on a plant just down the road in Woburn, Mass.,from where it is headquartered.
Production is the next step.
According to the manufacturer the Terrafugia can transform from a road worthy auto that can attain a highway speed of 65 mph to a winged aircraft in just 30 seconds.
The plane version can cruise at about 115 mph and cover about 400 miles before needing to refuel on standard unleaded gasoline.
The price of a Terrafugia is expected to be around $200,000. The company sees its initial target market buyer as amateur pilots who live near air fields.
More info on the flying car here: http://www.terrafugia.com/index.html
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