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| Before flying car can take off, |
| Before flying car can take off, there's a checklist
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 2-May-2012
2:44:44 AM |
| The promise of an airplane parked in every driveway, for decades a fantasy of suburban commuters and a staple of men's magazines, resurfaced this month in Manhattan. On display at the New York auto show was the Terrafugia Transition, an airplane with folding wings and a drive system that enabled it to be used on the road.
The prototype that drew all the attention with regular wing-stowing demonstrations was no mock-up assembled for a cover shoot; just a week earlier this drivable airplane had completed the first of 75 test flights it will make to verify its airworthiness for the Federal Aviation Administration. Amplifying the buzz was the news that a potential competitor from the Netherlands, the Personal Air and Land Vehicle, or PAL-V, had in recent days made a proof-of-concept flight.
Executives from both companies promise that their Jetson-like creations will be fully certified and ready to roll into the garages of customers - within a year for the $279,000 Terrafugia. PAL-V estimates a price of $300,000.
But there can be many delays along the road from concept to certification. For instance, government officials and the designers have had to determine which regulations - aircraft or automotive - take precedence when the vehicle in question is both.
In the United States, development of the flying car was given some breathing room eight years ago when the F.A.A. created a new classification, the light-sport category, to encourage the design of small, easy-to-fly aircraft. To meet the light-sport definition, the aircraft must have a single engine and an unpressurized cabin, have one or two seats and weigh no more than 1,320 pounds; maximum air speed is limited to 138 miles per hour.
Cliff Allen, vice president for sales at Terrafugia, which is based in Woburn, Mass., said that the designers of the Transition asked federal regulators in 2008 if they would consider a road-ready vehicle under the light sport-aircraft rules.
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