FAA Approves Plans for Flying Car

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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FAA Approves Plans for Flying Car


Finally, the question, "where's my flying car?" can be answered.

Flying cars are the like the barometer of the future, and once we have them, we can get started on the moonbase. Well, grab your shiny silver suit and make sure you've eaten your food pills, because the Federal Aviation Administration has approved the Terrafugia Transition, a street-legal car with fold out wings that is capable of flight.

It's not strictly speaking a flying car, more a small plane with certain car-like qualities. Terrafugia's website [http://terrafugia.com/] says that the Transition isn't a replacement for a real car, but that it's perfect for short trips between 100 to 400 miles.

The Transition requires a Light Sport Aircraft pilot's license to fly - which you can get with only twenty hours of training - and a regular driver's license to use on the ground. The Transition won't be available to the public until late 2011, but you can secure yours now with a $10,000 deposit, leaving plenty of time to save up the rest of the $194,000 the car/plane is believed to be cost.

Source: The Register [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/29/terrafugia_transition_weight_exemption/] via Dvice [http://dvice.com/archives/2010/06/this-will-end-b.php]


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Radeonx

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Apr 26, 2009
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I think it's a better idea to admit that we can't drive (Let alone fly) and resort to the giant tubes from Futurama.
 
Apr 28, 2008
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dududf said:
Dear god.. people can barely drive in 2 dimensions let alone 3...
Yeah, people have trouble enough on the ground. In the air lord knows what will happen.
 

VincentX3

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Jun 30, 2009
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I'll wait for REAL flying cars! aka: futurama or jetsons?

194,000$ for that.... <_< no thank you
 

Insanum

The Basement Caretaker.
May 26, 2009
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Its by no means the first[/I] flying car, But if you can achieve a light Sports aircraft licence with 20 hours of training, I have a new licence to get.
 

Hawk of Battle

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Feb 28, 2009
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No. No no no no no no no no no no no no no NO! That is not a flying car of the future. That is a car that happens to ahve wings attached. Any car that requires an airport to land it is not a flying car, at least not the ones by which we measure the future. Hell we've had cars with wings attached for a good 30 years, so it's not even anything new and we're STILL waiting on real flying cars.

Get back to me once we get a working VTOL prototype up and running, then I'll be interested.
 

Vampire cat

Apocalypse Meow
Apr 21, 2010
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Jim Grim said:
I'm pretty this has been done before... I saw it on some James May programme.
Well, he and the two others DID launch Reliant Robin "almost" into space =3 on Top Gear^^.
 

Jim Grim

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Jun 6, 2009
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Suki the Cat said:
Jim Grim said:
I'm pretty this has been done before... I saw it on some James May programme.
Well, he and the two others DID launch Reliant Robin "almost" into space =3 on Top Gear^^.
It wasn't Top Gear. It was like this yellow car, and the wings were carried behind it on a trailer. When they were attached, it became a small plane.
 

iLikeHippos

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Jan 19, 2010
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That's basically a plane with the shell being in the shape of a car...

Damn it, I can't find anything to insult this idea with!
 

Blueruler182

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May 21, 2010
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I like how this is the doomsday device everyone's afraid of. I mean, there are so many other things to be afraid of, things that I've seen people on the escapist bat off like they're nothing, but a flying car is how we're fucked.
 

GodKlown

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Dec 16, 2009
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so roughly over $200k to avoid the airlines... perhaps I'm one of the few whose mind came up with this thought when I read this but, who's going to keep the wrong people out of these things?

If anything, it should make police chases more exciting.
 

Velvo

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Jan 25, 2010
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Irridium said:
dududf said:
Dear god.. people can barely drive in 2 dimensions let alone 3...
Yeah, people have trouble enough on the ground. In the air lord knows what will happen.
Actually, I think that without all the traffic to worry about, flying will be a lot safer. People can just go straight to places and not worry about hitting much.

I mean, takeoff and landing will be sure to crunch a few bodies, but the actual flying part will be quite safe, I imagine. :D

The real enemy is fuel economy. *shudders*
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
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Thats awesome...not oh so practical, but still pretty sweet piece of engineering