It’s been just under a year since Terrafugia, the Massachusetts-based company that is building a roadable aircraft — known popularly as a flying car — conducted its first flight.
Momentum from that flight continues, according to Richard Gersh, vice president.
The company flew the proof-of-concept vehicle last March, racking up 28 flights at Plattsburgh International Airport (PLB) in New York. “The flights were very successful and we learned a lot,” Gersh recalled while at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, last month.
While the flights certainly were a benefit to the engineering side of the house, the success of the test flights did wonders for boosting the credibility of both the aircraft and the company, he noted.
“The people who were skeptical about the idea of a roadable aircraft have pretty much gone away now,” he said.
One of the greatest challenges the company has faced is getting the public to embrace the concept of a roadable aircraft rather than a flying car. Another big challenge: Meeting Department of Transportation requirements for a ground vehicle, as well as the regulations imposed by the FAA to allow it to fit into the Light Sport Aircraft category.
Terrafugia was able to do that, said Gersh, noting that now the design team is refining the vehicle.
“It won’t look the same as the proof-of-concept model, but you will be able to tell that it is the corporate successor,” he said. “You will see that it is still a two-place, pusher propeller aircraft.”
An aircraft that can be kept in a garage, he added. “No more hangar or tie-down fees and the engine burns five gallons an hour of auto fuel,” he said.
The Terrafugia appeals to a wide audience, Gersh said, adding the company has more than 70 orders on the books.
“We have sold aircraft to retirees who want to travel around country,” he said. “We have taken deposits from businesspeople who travel and don’t want the hassle of having to rent a car. We have taken deposits from people who want the next ‘WOW’ vehicle. We have taken deposits from pilots who already own an aircraft and are looking for this as a replacement or as their second airplane.”
Terrafugia requires a $10,000 deposit, which is held in an escrow account. The money is refundable, minus a service fee.
First deliveries are expected to begin in late 2011.
For more information: Terrafugia.com.
Interesting comments, Steve. I’ve talked to their test pilot recently, and he was ready to go further with it. He said that the flights they conducted proved it’s capabilties and he wanted to do more. The problem was that the engineers collected enough data to understand what they needed to change for their production design and that they didn’t need any more test flights. He flew the plane a total of 28 times.
As for potholes and road debris, their vehicle is designed to meet the standards that NTSHA puts out, including crash worthiness as well as be able to take a significant landing impact. Drop tests have already validated that. They even have to deal with additional problems where standards conflict, like windshields of aircraft and cars differ significantly for various reasons. They have to design a system that works with both environments.
As for who would drive it, I would. I fly several times a week and always need to have some other form of transportation at the other end. This would eliminate that need. As for weather, their design is to meant specifically to do that… land in bad weather and drive. I see no reason why it wouldn’t. They had the test vehicle up to 90mph in their road testing, so it should easily handle that task. I’m not sure where the “motorcycle” certificatation came in, they’re not trying for that. This is a vehicle that will meet all the required standards for a motor vehicle as well as for the LSA aircraft standards.
I do understand they are trying to get an exemption to add 120 lbs to the vehicle, like an amphibian aircarft, because they basically are a dual mode vehicle as well. (I see no reason why that would be denied.) Doing that will allow them to carry a little extra luggage/fuel, I guess.
Your comment about it being nothing more than a novelty might be right, but even novelty items sell. They’re not trying to take over the car world, just sell a product that people (even if only a few) actually want. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. Apparently there are dozens of people who agree with me who have placed their orders already.
Bill
The skeptics haven’t gone away – we’re just waiting to see if you really put up now. Can this thing fly outside of the airport environment? What are its handling characteristics – spin recovery, stall recoveries? Can it handle a pothole? What about road debris? Who would really drive their $200,000 ‘roadable’ aircraft on the road? Did you ever get it certified as a ‘motorcycle’ so you can forego many vehicle emissions requirements? Will it even be registerable in California with the DMV? A million questions – many of them still unanswered in the real world…
If the weather is too bad to fly – are you really going to land and then drive this thing on the road in the same weather – or are you going to wait it out or rent a real car like any other airplane pilot. This company is deluded – this will never be anything other than a novelty.
My $200,000 will be spent on a Porsche or Corvette and a nice LSA like Evektor, Icon, Lightning, Skycatcher, etc. Then I won’t look like a dork from MIT on the road or in the air, and I will enjoy both environments to the fullest.