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Terrafugia Transition
by Ross Bonander, Contributing Writer
Type: Personal Air Vehicle (PAV)
Class: MotorcycleLight-Sport Airplane (LSA)
Manufacturer: Terrafugia
The Manufacturer Says...
“The Transition® is a roadable Light-Sport Aircraft that will be able to land at the airport, fold up its wings, and drive on the road.”
The Critics Say...
“The Transition isn’t exactly what I had in mind [for a flying car] but though slightly odd-looking, it’s better than nothing.”—mobilemag.com
Overview
The Transition is a two-seat road-worthy light aircraft currently under development by Terrafugia, a privately held and funded company began in 2004 by pilots and engineers out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The company is led by aeronautical whiz kid and Lemelson-MIT Student Prize winner Carl Dietrich (a name we all may be very, very familiar with in the future), and the Transition’s current completion date is late 2008 with a late 2009 delivery.
What We Like
• Commitment to safety. Terrafugia boasts a safety cage, crumple zones, airbags, a number of in-built pre-flight safety measures, and the possibility of a full-vehicle parachute (approval pending, but that’s hard not to like).
• An insurance package. While this is preliminary, the web site offers a pdf file suggesting a “customized insurance package for Transition owners” that would extend coverage to both auto body and aircraft hull. This is uncharted territory, and proof that, if nothing else, the folks at Terrafugia are trying to think of everything.
• The transition technology. According to the web site, the transition from plane to car (folding up of the wings, etc) will require nothing more than the push of a button.
• The fuel. The 100 hp Rotax four-stroke engine will run on LPG, a far better alternative to conventional gasoline, at least in this instance.
• The price. The current price estimate is $148,000.
What We Don’t Like
• The class. As a Light-Sport Airplane, the Transition will require a pilot’s license, and no auto-pilot technologies are planned for the aircraft. That said, it will only require a Sport Pilot’s license, which doesn’t take nearly as long as a traditional license.
• The performance. The Transition will be something of a gas guzzler, earning around 30 mpg in the air and on the road.
Terrafugia Transition Specifications
Propulsion system: 100 hp Rotax 912 S (four-stroke)
Top Speed: air, 115 mph. road 51 mph
Zero-to-60: NA
MPG: 30mpg (air as well as road)
Vehicle range: In Air, 400 nautical miles (460 miles); road, 80 miles
Fuel(s): Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG)
Tailpipe emissions: Yes, but minimal
Conclusion
It’s hard at this stage to find too many things to dislike about such a vehicle. Of course everything’s going to look outstanding, because so much of it has yet to be tested. However, the hype surrounding the Transition seems to be grounded in substantially more reasonable specs and expectations than vehicles like the Moller Skycar, and for this reason we think the Transition has a real chance of delivering on most of its many promises.
More information on the Terrafugia Transition at:
Terrafugia.com
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