Woburn (MA) – A company called Terrafugia is currently developing a plane that transitions into a car. For a mere $148,000 you too can own a Transition. When completed in late 2009, it will have an average cruising speed of 115 mph, gets over 25 mpg in the air. It’s classified as a Light Sport Utility vehicle and weighs only 1320 lbs. It will be powered by a 100 hp, 4-stroke Rotax 912 ULS. This engine is FAA certified to run on both 91+ octane autogas as well as 100LL. The same engine is used to power the rear push-prop and front wheels, using a clutch-based transmission for power selection. The Rotax engine is certified to allow a 5% ethanol mixture.
- Cargo and dimensions:
- Folding wing:
The key feature of Transition is its folding wing. With the push of a button, and when the vehicle is turned off and parked, the wing can extend out for air flight, or retract into large, wide vertical posts near the car for normal driving and garage storage. Concerns over the hinge mechanism may be the biggest remaining hurdle for early adopters, however. Terrafugia has a patent-pending for a system they’ve developed which meets all requirements of air-use. They also point out that military aircraft currently use various folding wing designs.
Transition’s wing loading is approximately 8.8 lbs per square foot, which is comparable to light sport or general purpose aviation aircraft. They currently have a working prototype wing design, however it is machine mounted and is not part of the actual aircraft. All of the pictures and images seen are either from a 1/5th scale prototype that was built and flown, or from computer generated animation.
The vehicle goes from 1-2-3, or from 3-2-1 via the push of a button. It must be stopped, engine off, to make the transition. The vertical stabilizers double as rear taillights and indicators. A pilot’s license is required to operate the vehicle, which will have a price tag of approximately $148,000. It will be available in late 2009, with a full-size prototype completed in late 2008. A 1/5th prototype has already been created and flown.
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Construction:
Transition is comprised of composite aluminum and “modern materials” which address safety and weight concerns. The company’s 1/5th scale RC version was successfully flown earlier this year at Shirley, MA. They also used a 1/5th scale model for wind tunnel testing at MIT’s Wright Brother’s Wind Tunnel facility. The scale model continues to fly at air shows, including the recent Oshkosh 2007.
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Pilot’s license required:
In order to operate the vehicle, the pilot (not the driver) will have to be FAA certified and hold a pilot’s license. Currently only a visual flight rating (VFR) ability is planned, as the on-board instruments will not be sufficient for a full Instrument Rating.
A minimum runway of 1,700 feet is required to take off over a 50 foot obstacle. The vehicle can land in a few hundred feet due to the car-like four-wheel braking system. The intended audience is the regular commuter who travels in excess of 100 miles at a stretch. The idea is to drive to the nearby airport, take off, land at the destination city, and then drive to the final destination for a business meeting, luncheon, vacation getaway, or other purpose.
Vehicle tags will be mounted in back and front (where required, not all states required front tags). Terrafugia is currently working with insurance underwriters to develop a policy which encompasses its multi-modal method of operation. Normal operations when in automobile mode will be comparable to driving today, with the exception of the additional gauges and foot pedals.
- Planned completion and summary: