It's a car. It's a plane... It's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?? Nope. It's just your everyday flying car... Wait. What?
That's right! The New York International Auto Show unveiled the first practical, functional flying car. Though many attempts have been made, most of them have resulted in glorified small airplanes. But Terrafugia Inc. is changing the future, delivering the Transition to customers as early as this year.
The Transition is a four-wheeled vehicle with folding wings and a rear-facing propeller. This "roadable aircraft" runs on unleaded fuel and gets 35 mpg on the ground, which is better than some boring, old, non-flying cars. It's a fully functioning car as well as plane, up to regulations by standards of both land and air. And though you won't need a hanger for this airplane, it may not be the easiest to find parking for at the mall...
It does require an actual runway (and pilot's license), so sadly the Transition won't get the average consumer around rush-hour traffic. The goal, according to Terrafugia, is to make travel more convenient for pilots. No more worrying about ground transportation at the end of the flight. Private and sport pilots can order their very own "flying car" with an estimated price point of $279,000.
Just goes to show that there is no such thing as a "boring" trade show. Sure it's no Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but you never know when or where something will come along and change life as we know it...
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