NY auto show: World's first 'sky-worthy' car
21 Apr, BBC
US company Terrafugia has put on display a prototype car that is
licensed to fly as well as drive, at the New York International Auto
Show.
It is the first vehicle in the world to have met both the standards
of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the NHTSA (National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration), according to Cliff Allen, Vice
President of Sales at Terrafugia.This makes it the first "street legal
aeroplane", he said.Known as the Transition, the versatile vehicle has
two seats, four wheels and retractable wings.
It is expected to be available next year, with a price tag in the
region of $279,000 (£176,300).The vehicle currently has an experimental
certificate from the FAA, meaning the company has permission to fly it
in US airspace for test purposes. The company hopes in time it will gain
a light sport aircraft licence.The hybrid vehicle completed its first
successful test flight at Plattsburgh International Airport near
Montreal in Canada last month.A retired US Air Force test pilot took the
maiden voyage - after volunteering his services.
"We are very fortunate to have found him," said Dr Samuel Schwegart,
an engineer at Terrafugia working on the project.The vehicle flew at
1,400 feet for eight minutes.
However, important details still need to be worked out from test
data, including the stall speed of the aircraft.There are significant
design challenges marrying a roadworthy vehicle with a skyworthy one,
according to Dr Schwegart."We were curious to see how it would take
off," says Dr Schwegart. "Unlike a normal plane, it cannot rock back on
its rear wheels at the moment of take-off, because it is designed to be
stable as a car on the road."
The engineers also found that Transition needed more speed than
anticipated on take-off, to generate the necessary lift for ascent.A
hard landing was also reported, but nothing of concern, according to Dr
Schwegart."You can pull up at a regular gas station to fill it up", says
Dr Schwegart. A full tank holds 23 gallons (87 litres) of fuel.
It requires Premium 91-octane fuel, and does 35 miles to the gallon
(6.7l/100km) on the road, and 28 mile (8.4l/100km) in the air."The
discrepancy is because of drag," according to Dr Schwegart.Although
Transition can be stored in a normal garage, it needs a 1,700-foot
(520-metre) runway to take off.According to the company, this is no
problem, as there are 5,000 state airports in the United States. And
there are a further 5,000 private ones, which might just mean a simple
runway belonging to a farmer in a field.Terrafugia calculates that you
are rarely further than half an hour from a take-off point - and there
are apps like Foreflight which will tell you where the nearest one is,
whether you are on the ground, or up in the air hoping to come down."You
just do your pre-flight checks, unfold your wings and away you go," says
Dr Schwegart.
The initial target market was existing pilots, but the company is now
reaching out to people with no aviation background.The vehicle offers an
"advanced level of freedom in life, more efficiency in personal travel",
according to a company representative.
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