Terrafugia "Transition" - "roadable" air

[Robert_Moriyama]

The scary thing is that the estimated highway mileage rating is better than a lot of normal cars...

Terrafugia Begins Flight Tests Of Drivable Airplane
Aviation Daily, Friday March 20, 2009

Startup company Terrafugia has begun flights tests of a Transition — the first “roadable aircraft” — able to transition from flying to driving mode at the push of a button by folding its wing within 30 seconds.

The proof-of-concept aircraft made its first brief hop at Plattsburgh Airport in New York on March 10. Powered by a 100 hp. unleaded-fuel Rotax 912S engine, driving either the pusher propeller
or the front wheels, the two-seater is expected to cruise at 400 nautical miles at 100 knots and achieve up to 30 miles per gallon and 65 miles per hour on the road.

The Transition is designed to meet both light sport aircraft and highway crash safety rules. The aircraft has full automotive suspension, crumple zones and roll cage to meet road-vehicle safety
standards. Stall speed is 45 kt. and takeoff distance 1,700 ft. A pre-production prototype will be built for certification. Woburn, Mass.-based Terrafugia is accepting $10,000 refundable deposits on the $194,000 Transition, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2011. The Transition can be viewed at www.Terrafugia.com.

-Graham Warwick, graham_warwick@aviationweek.com