The future is now: Flying road vehicle clears FAA hurdle

It's a car, it's a plane, it's both -- and the Terrafugia may be available as early as the end of 2011

Published June 30, 2010 6:39PM (EDT)

Have you ever been sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, wishing that your car could just take off into the sky? Well, get ready: the flying car may be coming sooner than you think.

The Terrafugia is an airplane that can be driven on roads (although "flying car" sounds cooler), and it just received a special exemption from the FAA classifying it as a "light sport aircraft" even though it's 100 pounds too heavy. This means that potential driver-pilots will only need 20 hours of flying time to get behind the wheel.

The Terrafugia may be available as early as the end of 2011. It'll cost about $200,000, will fit in home garages and will transfer from road vehicle to plane in 30 seconds. Its makers envision the average buyer as an amateur pilot living near an air field. But I just envision George Jetson.

Below, the Terrafugia in action:

 


By Jamie Kapalko

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