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I’m always on the lookout for new and innovative vehicles that may prove to be commonplace in the near future. Let’s face it, the day of the standard auto is slowly winding its way down into the history books and the day of a completely new auto is approaching. One of these new vehicles may include the Terrafugia Transition, a combination standard auto and airplane. The Transition is the brainchild of a group of engineers at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Sure, most of us have heard of various companies that claim to have an auto in stock that may be able to fly or even go underwater, for example. However, taking one look at Terrafugia’s Transition, one may very well may be seeing the future of travel right in front of them.
The Ultimate Hybrid
The obvious pulling force for many (including myself) is the fact that besides being a car, the Transition is also a plane. Who hasn’t been stuck in a traffic jam and wished that they could just fly over everyone to their destination? Not everyone is a fan of flying, but when you are the pilot, that all changes. Right now it takes around 1700 feet for the Transition to take off, but with more development, that could all change in the near future.
When the Transition is converted from auto to plane, it isn’t the most conspicuous “transition,” but it is indeed a sight. Once its wings are unfurled from inside of the cockpit, it has a wingspan of 27.6 feet (I’d stay away from residential streets with a lot of mailboxes). But once you have taken off, the Transition proves to be just as airworthy as a standard personal aircraft. With a potential airspeed cruise rate of 115mph (100 knots), it doesn’t take much of an imagination to believe that you could make it to your destination in no time at all. Plus, with a 20 gallon fuel tank, it has a potential range of around 460 miles in the air.
But what makes the Transition the ultimate hybrid of sorts is the fact that it is equally up to the task of standard travel on the road as well. Being that it is an airplane, it is made of some of the lightest materials out there, which is why it has the ability to get around 30mpg on the highway. It is also just as safe as a standard airplane, which statistically speaking is far safer to travel in than a standard auto. Its inventors also claim that it doesn’t even require a hanger or any special storage, as it can easily fit in one’s garage when the wings are folded up.
Downsides
Unfortunately, I have the task of playing devil’s advocate in concern to the Transition. I’m sure some readers noticed above that it takes around 1700 feet for the Transition to even take off and obviously, a vast majority of our roadways are not built for such a feat. Yes, you can maybe go to the local airstrip to take off, but how convenient is that? Personally, I think that if the designers at Terrafugia want to design a unique machine based upon convenience, they should potentially look into vertical thrust engines. Furthermore, it isn’t exactly the most attractive prototype, but time and further design tweaks may prove to remedy the situation.
Do not get me wrong, it is a novel idea with a lot of potential, but there remains a lot of work to be done (not to mention how authorities would handle a milieu of low flying “cars” in urban areas).
Price
Currently, the Transition is in development and there remains much to see about its practicality in the real world, but if the idea takes off like the engineers believe it will, it will probably be a while before the average driver is able to afford such convenience. However, for those with deeper pockets than the average Joe, a Transition can be had for $194,000 (USD). Sure, that may be as much as the average supercar, but innovation in its early stages does indeed come at a price. Depending on where you reside and applicable laws, piloting such a vehicle may require a short 20 hour course to obtain a Light Sport Aircraft license.
For more information about the Terrafugia Transition, check out www.terrafugia.com.
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