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Terrafugia says it has received a special exemption from the FAA, allowing its Transition “flying car” to have a maximum takeoff weight of 1430 pounds (650 kg). The extra 110 pounds enables the vehicle to be equipped with safety features such as air bags, a crumple zone, and a protective safety cage, while still being classified as a Light Sport Aircraft.

The Transition is designed to drive on public roadways and park in a standard garage. You can even gas it up at a normally filling station, as seen in the photos below.

Terrafugia’s Transition “Flying Car”
(click each image to enlarge)

Thanks to its classification as a Light Sport Aircraft, Transition drivers only require a Sport Pilot certificate to fly it, rather than the more stringent Recreational Pilot license.

Terrafugia says it successfully completed flight and drive testing of a proof-of-concept Transition in 2009, and that a computer graphic representation of the production prototype design will be demonstrated at a July 26 press conference at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis.

Here are several YouTube videos demonstrating the Transition — click each to play…

 

 

 

The following Transition specifications and features were provided by Terrafugia:

• Specs:
  • Cruise: 100 kts (115 mph)
  • Rotate: 70 kts (80 mph)
  • Stall: 45 kts (51 mph)
  • Range: 400nm (460 mi)
  • Takeoff over 50 ft obstacle: 1700 ft
  • Fuel burn: 5 gph
  • Fuel tank: 20 gallons
  • Useful Load: 430 lbs
  • On road: 30 mpg, highway speeds
  • Classificaiton: Light Sport Aircraft
• Dimensions, folded (car mode):
  • Height: 81 in.
  • Width: 80 in.
  • Length: 225 in.
• Dimensions, airplane mode:
  • Height: 75 in.
  • Length: 230 in.
  • Wingspan: 330 in.
  • Cockpit: 51 in. at the shoulder
• Safety features:
  • Drive in case of inclement weather
  • Proven 100 hp Rotax 912S engine
  • Full vehicle parachute available
  • Modern glass avionics
  • Automotive crash safety features
• Convenience features:
  • Front wheel drive on the ground
  • Automotive-style entry and exit
  • Two place, side by side
  • Automated electromechanical folding wing
  • No trailer or hangar needed
  • Cargo area holds skis, fishing poles or golf clubs

Anticipated purchase price for the Transition is $194,000, with first expected in “late 2011.” The company currently is accepting a $10,000 “airframe reservation deposit,” which it says is “fully refundable” except for a “modest processing fee.”

Woburn, Mass.-based Terrafugia was founded by five pilots who are graduates of MIT. The company’s mission is “the innovative expansion of personal mobility.” The company’s name means “escape from land” in Latin.