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INCREDIBLE!! Flying CAR makes history by taking its first public flight - Goes on Sale 2015 for N48 Million!!
A flying car from Massachusetts-based firm Chas made its first public flight, soaring for 20 minutes in front of aviation enthusiasts in Wisconsin.
The Transition vehicle is part-sedan, part-private jet and is due to go on sale as early as 2015.
It was driven around the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh air show in July before transitioning into the jet and taking off on two 20-minute flight demonstrations.
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TRANSITION SPECIFICATIONS
The Transition can reach speeds of around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the air. It
flies using a 23-gallon tank of automotive fuel and burns 5 gallons per
hour in the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon. It has rear-wheel drive when on the road. The Transition comes with two passenger airbags, and a full-vehicle parachute.
The Terrafugia has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car.
It can carry two people, including the pilot, plus luggage and runs on unleaded petrol.
In a statement, the company said: 'Terrafugia made a dream come true at this year's EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
'The Transition performed its first public demonstrations for the aviation community during the show.
'Flown and driven by Phil Meteer, our Chief Test Pilot and Flight Test Coordinator, the Transition showed the crowd what it's capable of. 'The 20-minute demonstrations included flight manoeuvres over the show centre, converting from airplane to car, and driving along the flight line.'
Transition is considered to be a light sports plane by the U.S Federal Aviation Administration, as well as being a road car.
Owners will have to have pilot's licenses, and will need to pass a test, plus complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the car. Despite the advances in technology the Transition demonstrates, critics have said that it is still not the vision of flying cars seen in many sci-fi films.
To answer these critics, Terrafugia also released designs for a TF-X Model of its Transition range in May.
The TF-X model will be small enough to fit in a garage and won't need a runway to take off.
Whereas the Transition requires a runway, the TF-X can take off from a vertical position because of motorised rotors on the wings.
These rotors will work in a similar way to helicopter rotors.
Although you will still need at least 100 feet in diameter in order to open the wings.
According to Terrafugia, the vehicle will carry four people 'in car-like comfort'.
It is expected to be able to fly, nonstop, for 500 miles.
Terrafugia hopes to have working models of the TF-X available for sale within eight to 12 years.
Like with the Transition, pilots will need 20 hours of flying and a pilot's licence to drive it, though.
The flying car has always had a special place in the American imagination.
Inventors have been trying to make them since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry analyst who owns R.W. Mann & Co. in Port Washington, New York.
But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying cars a reality.
The government has already granted the company's request to use special tires and glass that are lighter than normal automotive ones, to make it easier for the vehicle to fly.
Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration's decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft. The standards govern the size and speed of the plane and licensing requirements for pilots, which are less restrictive than requirements for pilots of larger planes.
Mann
questions the size of the market for the Transition. The general
aviation market has been in decline for two decades, he said, largely
because of fuel costs and the high cost of liability for manufacturers.
Also, fewer people are learning how to fly.
'It has some uniqueness, and will get some sales, but the question is, could it ever be a profitable enterprise?'
Mann sees the western US as the most likely market, where people could fly instead of driving long distances.
Terrafugia has been working on flying cars since 2006, and has already pushed back the launch once. Last summer the company said it would have to delay expected 2011 deliveries due to design challenges and problems with parts suppliers.
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