Five MIT graduates, including Carl Dietrich the CEO, teamed up as pilots and created a start-up company, Terrafugia, in 2006 with an objective of producing a Personal Air Vehicle. They have recently revealed, what the average onlooker may assume to be, a flying car. Its design is actually portrayed as an aircraft with capabilities of driving off the runway and merging onto highway traffic. Given the name “Transition,” this vehicle is able to deploy its wings from street legal to ready for take-off in thirty seconds. I’m sure the button to expands the wings, as if it were a rag top “convertible,” is right beside the gas tank release trigger, which you’ll need when you pull-in to your usual gas station. Terrafugia recommends filling up with ‘super’ but, if you’re on a tight budget, regular will still get you to your next landing strip. Terrafugia states the performance specifications at a range of 490 miles on one tank of 23 gallons of useable fuel, yet claim 35 mpg road travel… The numbers may not match up but they do sound pretty intriguing.
As far as flying cars go, I think the transition fits well into the concepts of many science fiction writers. Even if the Jetsons envisioned a higher pitched vehicle that transforms into a suitcase. The Transition can still travel a person from their Burlington home to their gorgeous Jersey shore getaway without switching vehicles or getting stuck in weekend traffic. Being that this project had only begun in 2006, I assume that there is much room for scientific redesign and technological improvements of this concept. Perhaps a vertical take-off flying car… Either way the Transition is currently estimated a final purchase price somewhere between $200,000 and $250,000. Terrafugia projected to begin low volume production in late 2011 so get your refundable $10,000 deposits in the mail for your place in line.
http://web.mit.edu/invent/a-winners/a-dietrich.html
http://www.terrafugia.com/index.html
The idea of a flying car seems cool, but I think that I might be afraid to actually drive one myself. I feel like if flying cars were to become big things there would be some trouble with airspace.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think flying cars would be a great idea, however I would be afraid to drive them. Also you have to take in to account the safety of this, for example drivers would need to undergo flying training and get another license before they can actually fly their car.
ReplyDeleteThis seems so neat. I cant even begin to imagine all the luxury's that will come with having a flying car. It almost seems too good to be true in a way. I also think numerous problems could come from this. Including like Kylie said trouble with airspace. I mean what about flying car accidents? Flying cars would be cool but I'm not sure if our world is quite ready for them.
ReplyDeleteThis seems awfully dangerous. The way people drive now is terrifying, let alone in a flying car.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous comments about it being scary to drive. I couldn't imagine a collision between two flying cars. Not only will they smash into each other in mid-air, they will also come crashing down on whatever is below. It's a cool idea, but I don't see society accepting it as a reasonable form of transportation any time soon
ReplyDeleteEven today our airspace is highly monitored and regulated and we still encounter a certain number of airspace accidents every year. While the concept and physical build of the transition works, it will take a lot from the individual riding it to ensure it's success
ReplyDeleteDefinitely dangerous i wonder what type of licence people are going to need to drive these around.
ReplyDeleteThis is incredible! It is such a "George Jetson" piece of technology!
ReplyDeleteAssuming that in the future this becomes the primary mode of transportation where in short distance situations one would drive and in long distance situations one would fly, I can see this as a way to decongest traffic in a more effective way than rebuilding roads.
I think this is a great idea as well but the issue of safety is what gets me. if you get into an accident in this, how bad will you end up? i feel like it doesn't have much to help you in a head on collision.
ReplyDeleteI agree that safety is a concern, but then Dillon's comment made me think - how much more space is there in the air vs on the road. If you're driving on a road and someone is driving at you head on, you don't have much space to get out of the way. In the air however, you could go up or down, as well as to either side.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty cool idea, but with the idea that it's a car and an airplane, what's going to stop people from skipping the airfields altogether and attempting to land on some sort of roadway. I would probably freak out if I was driving along and saw one of these things coming at me.
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty cool idea although I think that I will avoid getting in them for awhile. Until the technology advances I would not consider it safe. Will you need a pilots license?
ReplyDeleteThis vehicle has high hopes.. that is it can take off vertically. Taking your car to an airport to use their runways is too much of an effort. Not to mention the amount of gas you'll be wasting traveling back and foward to airports.
ReplyDeleteI think instead of worrying about crashing in the air, I would worry about the take off-landing stage of this. People driving on the road now cut corners all the time with their driving (no blinkers, speeding, cutting off, etc). The amount of very specific instructions to insure safety wouldn't be taken seriously either if everyone could have one of these cars and taking off and landing seem to be areas where it would be most detrimental to mess up due to space needed and others around.
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