Have Car, Will Fly
The other day, a flying car called the Transition made a successful test flight in New York. The two-seat vehicle transforms itself from a plane to a car in less than 30 seconds. It can drive on highway speeds on the road and fits in a standard household garage.
Flying cars have always held a fascination for me. It probably has something to do with watching the “Jetsons” on TV as a kid.
More than two and a half years ago, I wrote a short article in ASSEMBLY entitled “Flying Cars: One Step Closer to Reality?” I focused on a start-up company called Terrafugia Inc. (Woburn, MA) that was developing a 1,230-pound “roadable aircraft” called the Transition. At the time, the company’s chief operating officer told me that the vehicle, which features a folding wing mechanism, would debut by 2010.
However, I must admit that I was a little bit skeptical. Many other people have made similar promises in the past, but their ideas never got off the ground . . . or out of the garage.
The other day, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Transition made a successful test flight in Plattsburgh, NY. My hat is off to the group of young engineers from MIT who dreamed up the futuristic idea and plan to commercialize it.
The two-seat vehicle transforms itself from a plane to a car in less than 30 seconds. It cruises up to 450 miles at more than 115 miles per hour, can drive on highway speeds on the road, and fits in a standard household garage.
“This breakthrough changes the world of personal mobility,” claims Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia’s CEO. “Travel now becomes a hassle-free integrated land-air experience. It’s what aviation enthusiasts have been striving for since 1918.”
I say better late than never. Perhaps that means there’s a market for a magazine that caters to those lucky enough to own a flying car. If there is, I suggest calling it Road & Runway.
Flying cars have always held a fascination for me. It probably has something to do with watching the “Jetsons” on TV as a kid.
More than two and a half years ago, I wrote a short article in ASSEMBLY entitled “Flying Cars: One Step Closer to Reality?” I focused on a start-up company called Terrafugia Inc. (Woburn, MA) that was developing a 1,230-pound “roadable aircraft” called the Transition. At the time, the company’s chief operating officer told me that the vehicle, which features a folding wing mechanism, would debut by 2010.
However, I must admit that I was a little bit skeptical. Many other people have made similar promises in the past, but their ideas never got off the ground . . . or out of the garage.
The other day, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Transition made a successful test flight in Plattsburgh, NY. My hat is off to the group of young engineers from MIT who dreamed up the futuristic idea and plan to commercialize it.
The two-seat vehicle transforms itself from a plane to a car in less than 30 seconds. It cruises up to 450 miles at more than 115 miles per hour, can drive on highway speeds on the road, and fits in a standard household garage.
“This breakthrough changes the world of personal mobility,” claims Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia’s CEO. “Travel now becomes a hassle-free integrated land-air experience. It’s what aviation enthusiasts have been striving for since 1918.”
I say better late than never. Perhaps that means there’s a market for a magazine that caters to those lucky enough to own a flying car. If there is, I suggest calling it Road & Runway.
