Transition: World’s first flying car gets ready for takeoff after US FAA approval

New Delhi: In what appears to be something straight out of a dream, a flying car or a hybrid ground-air vehicle has been approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The Terrafugia Transition, which can soar upto 10000 feet at a speed of 100 mph, received a Special Light-Sport Aircraft airworthiness certificate from the federal agency, essentially giving it a green light for takeoff.

With ‘Transition’ drivers will be able to convert the vehicle from driving to flying in less than a minute, taking off and landing in small airports or even at the highway.

Features of the ‘flying car’

The aircraft has a 27-foot wingspan that folds down to a size small enough for the whole thing to fit inside a single car garage, and a full air and road model of the two-seater craft.

The plane engine can run on either premium gasoline or 100LL airplane fuel, while the car is powered by a hybrid-electric motor.

The standard features of the vehicle include four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes, a rigid carbon fiber safety cage and an airframe parachute. It weighs roughly 1,300 pounds (590 kgs) and has fixed landing gear and a 27-foot-wide wingspan.

Currently, a flight-only version of the craft is available to pilots and flight schools, though it will take another year before its car components are ‘street legal’.

The Chinese-owned Terrafugia has been optimistic about delivering a ‘roadable aircraft,’ and hope to have all the approvals on the two-seat hybrid complete for 2022.

Notably, those interested in taking it for a spin will need both a driver’s license and a sport pilot’s certificate.