The Terrafugia Transition flies, drives and folds into the garage

Is it a flying car … or is it a drivable airplane? Actually, it's the world's first "roadable aircraft" according to Terrafugia, the aviation-slash-automotive company making the contraption. The company announced Wednesday that the Transition cleared a big obstacle toward its appearance at airports and rush hours. The Terrafugia Transition was granted an exemption to be classified as a "light sport aircraft" by the Federal Aviation Administration. Because of the classification, Transition owners will find it easier to get certified by the FAA to live their dream of driving a flying car.
Post resource: The Terrafugia Transition – a flying car that fits in your garage by Personal Money Store
The flying car that fits in your garage
The Terrafugia Transition fits in a garage and blends into traffic—as a car. According to CNET's Johnathon E. Skillings, the Terrafugia Transition looks like a "Volkswagen in the belly of a carp". He reports that the vehicle burns unleaded fuel from the corner gas station on the road and in the air. It gets 30 miles to the gallon on the highway and has a top speed of 65 mph. In flight it cruises at 115 mph and has a range of about 450 miles. The vehicle can transform from airplane to car in just 30 seconds, according to Terrafugia.
Light sport aircraft opens doors
As a light sport aircraft, the Terrafugia Transition now belongs in the FAA's smallest private plane classification. Normally it wouldn't exceed 1,320 pounds. But Terrafugia couldn't work in the air bags, crumple zones and roll cage mandatory for cars at that weight. Terrafugia wanted the FCC to classify the plane as a light sport aircraft, Jalopnik reports, because owners will only need 20 hours flying the Transition to be licensed by the FAA. With the FAA exemption, now Terrafugia is free to sell the Transition as long as buyers are informed of the extra 110 pounds.
Will Terrafugia take flight with Transition?
Terrafugia says the Transition carries a major safety advantage over its light sport aircraft brethren. The Telegraph reports that if pilots are grounded when the weather gets too bad for flying, they can simply drive home. But don't expect to see the Terrafugia Transition in your rear view mirror for awhile. The machine that earned its favorable classification from the FAA is a concept prototype. Sometime in 2011 is Terrafugia's target for a customer-ready production model. But that hasn't stopped 70 potential customers from reserving their space in line when that happens. Each potential buyer throws down a fully-refundable $ 10,000 held by the company in escrow, just in case Terrafugia crashes before the Transition gets off the ground.
Citations:
cnet.com
jalopnik.com
telegraph.co.uk