Fly or drive

A US manufacturer aims to meet international demand for a car that can also fly. The vehicle is rather snappily called The Transition and is being built by a firm called Terrafugia. The vehicle requires a conventional airstrip for take-offs and landings, however its wings can also be folded back so that it can be driven on the road like a car and even parked in a garage. Its single engine drives the propellor when the vehicle is in the air and also turns the wheels when it is being driven on the ground. The
February 22, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A US manufacturer aims to meet international demand for a car that can also fly. The vehicle is rather snappily called The Transition and is being built by a firm called 2975 Terrafugia. The vehicle requires a conventional airstrip for take-offs and landings, however its wings can also be folded back so that it can be driven on the road like a car and even parked in a garage. Its single engine drives the propellor when the vehicle is in the air and also turns the wheels when it is being driven on the ground. The manufacturer says that the vehicle offers an alternative for pilots facing bad weather, as it can be driven on the road should aerial conditions prove untoward. The vehicle also means that pilots will no longer have to rent a car once they arrive at an airport. However with a price tag of US$120,000, customers could alternatively buy a small aircraft and a car for the same price or less. Its performance is also less than sparkling, whether on the road or in the air and in the event of even a minor shunt on the ground, its repair costs are likely to be sky-high.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Apple’s aviation inaccuracies
    February 19, 2014
    Two drivers in Alaska caused some concern to aviation movements by following directions from Apple Maps. The drivers first crossed the taxiway and then the runway at Fairbanks Airport. How they were able to enter the supposedly secure airport however has not been revealed and nor have their IQ ratings. The drivers ignored numerous signposts and painted markings saying that the area they were entering was restricted to aircraft and not for road vehicles. The airport authorities erected barriers until the map
    Read More
  • Lowering construction machine exhaust emissions
    November 6, 2017
    The alternatives to diesel fuel as a power source continue to grow as firms move to cut emissions - Mike Woof writes. Only the most myopic could have failed to notice that times are changing in terms of engine technology. In the on-highway automotive sector as well as for the off-highway construction machine segment, manufacturers are looking to lower tailpipe emissions. Similar technologies have been employed in both on-highway and off-highway sectors, although those solutions have been adapted to better
    Read More
  • Get out of my way!
    May 1, 2018
    Paramedics responding to a serious medical emergency in the UK said that they were disgusted when they returned to their ambulance to find a note attached to the windscreen. The note complained that the vehicle had blocked a driveway, preventing a person from moving a car. The paramedics received praise for their efforts in saving the life of someone who had been taken seriously ill, while criticisms were aimed at the selfishness of the unnamed complainant who wrote the note. The writer later admitted his s
    Read More
  • Five roads of the future – cutting transport costs
    June 10, 2019
    Advances in road design and construction will deliver cost savings In the past 50 years there have been huge advancements in the automobile industry but the roads we drive on remain nearly unchanged. As cars get smarter so too should the infrastructure that supports them. Our planet is covered in roads. And by 2050 our global network of highways is projected to increase by 60%. Volvo Construction Equipment takes a look at possible technologies for the roads of the future, looking at some innovations
    Read More

Highlighted Content