An autogyro would seem more practical..................
Posted on 06/04/2014 10:07:38 AM PDT by Red Badger
The idea of a flying car might seem like something out of a science fiction novel, but it may soon become a reality.
All it'll take is about $30 million in funding and some patience.
Terrafugia, a Woburn manufacturer of flying cars has been working on its vehicles for almost eight years. The MIT-born company has been working on two kinds of cars: the Transition, which is scheduled to be released in mid-2016 and can fly at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour at up to 10,000 feet in the air; and the TF-X, a semi-autonomous plug-in hybrid vehicle which is currently in conceptual design phase and can take off and land vertically and can fly at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The TF-X does not have a price tag yet and will take about 8 to 12 years before it's a reality.
The Transition, now in its third and final prototype, requires a driver to have a sport pilot certificate, meaning about total 20 hours of training. Already, 100 customers have pre-ordered the vehicles, which have a total price tag of $279,000. That's almost $30 million in pre-orders.
Terrafugia CEO Carl Dietrich said the average customer is retired or semi-retired. They're also interested in the vehicle for recreational purposes, he said. Or they fit in another category entirely.
"Many were promised a flying car when they were younger and now they can get one," said Dietrich.
It hasn't been an easy road for Terrafugia or its promise of flying cars.
In 2010, the Boston Herald reported that the Federal Aviation Administration granted the company an exemption from rules that allow a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds for the Transition. That's 110 pounds above the limit for the FAA's light sport aircraft category. The Herald also reported the car would be in production in 18 months — that was almost four years ago. Last year, the vehicle made its first public flight.
Dietrich said a few things had to happen before the company could start production. First, the company needs to raise more money. By Dietrich's estimates, another $30 million, which would be in addition to the nearly $13 million its already raised from various angel investors. It's also got to successfully complete its final prototyping phase.
Last month, Terrafugia brought on Alex Min, previously vice president of business development at Textron Defense Systems, as its chief marketing and sales officer. Dietrich said Min's main task in the coming months will be secure more capital for the company, which has about two-dozen employees and will most likely hire more in the coming years as it ramps up for production.
Dietrich said that four years after the Transition officially launches, the company could generate $100 million to $200 million in sales, according to its own projections.
"It's a very exciting time for the company right now," said Dietrich. "We really do see Terrafugia as the next Tesla."
....with clear plexi helmet
“Just make the buyer sign an agreement that the mfr will not be held responsible for anything untoward happening while flying the plane....................”
I studied several of the landmark cases in Business Law. One was a plane built in the 1950’s with a carburetor (I want to say it was a Navione (sp?)) It had been through several owners. The carburetor iced up and the plane crashed. The court held that since fuel injection existed when it was built that the manufacturer was liable. You can’t sign your ability to sue away. (Which is why I snicker when people hand out those waivers.)
An autogyro would seem more practical..................
Not to mention all we senior citizens. Wonder if there will be an orange flag flying like they put on golf carts if the player has a disability.
Would be great if we could have enough room for a tail gunner so we can just shoot down anyone who gets in our way. LOL
Going to give a whole new meaning to the mile high club.
Needs a couple of hellfire missiles and a minigun
It probably couldn’t even take off with ONE hellfire missile, let alone two with a mini-gun...............
Three simple words: air traffic control.
Until that problem is solved, the easier technical problem of making safe flying personal vehicles is pointless.
Well, you can always opt for one of these...................
lol
The senior citizen model comes with the left turn blinker hard wired in the on position.
You can fly it IFR......................I Follow Roads....................
thrtee words explain why this cannot work: Air Traffic Control
I don’t think we will ever arrive in a Jetsons’ world where everyone has their own personal flying saucer. People would constantly be crashing into trees and telephone wires and other people’s houses and each other. It would be an air traffic control nightmare. It’s a nice fantasy though.
Having thought about it a bit, the only advantage I can see for the flying car is that you could drive it to your house and store it there, as opposed to paying the fee to keep it parked at an airport. Even then, you would need a good-sized lot and probably wouldn’t want to live very far from the airport.
Everyone would need a heliport on their roof. Building codes and zoning laws would have to be greatly amended...............
I just learned that the rotor is passive. I wonder how safe it is. It seems to have decent speed, economy, and range.
Your photo reminds me of a .007 movie.
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