Flying cars are no longer an idea for the future. We just have to wonder if a flying taxi or limo is next.
The company: Terrafugia, which is a New England based Aviation Company.
New flying car: TF-X , which is a 4-seat hybrid electric flying vehicle.
Who can fly or drive: anyone with a driver’s license.
The TF-X and safety:
- Avoiding other airplanes, weather issues, and restricted airspace areas is easy because it will be automatic.
- If you consider the statistics then flying one of these is safer than driving a car.
- The vehicle can land in spots other than landing zones in case of emergency.
- Auto-land procedures can be implemented if the operator runs into trouble (becomes unresponsive or incapable).
How to fly the TF-X:
- It is estimated that only 5 hours of instruction is all it takes to get a regular driver ready to fly one of these.
- Flying this vehicle is similar to driving a car, with both manual and automatic modes of flight between takeoff and landing.
Technical specifics:
- The wings are fixed and electric power is used to both takeoff and land.
- Batteries can be recharged from the engine and from plugging into a car charging station.
- Navigation from takeoff to landing zones is pre-configured and updated while in flight, if need be. Which means your TF-X will let you know if the landing locations are too far away and another needs to be chosen.
How son will we see these vehicles:
The Transition (which is explained below) will be available much sooner than the TF-X. It is predicted that the TF-X will be in development for the next 8-12 years.
The other flying vehicle to be put out by Terrafugia: called the Transition
This flying ca is only able to be driven by those with a valid pilot’s license. It has the capability of converting from a driving to flying mode in less than a minute’s time. When it is in driving mode it is legal to be driven on the street and is compact enough to fit inside the average garage.
What about safety?
The Transition is equipped with a parachute that works for the entire vehicle. It is the only aircraft that has been safety approved by the Federal Department of Motor Vehicles.
