People have dreamed of roadable aircraft since 1918 when Felix Longobardi was issued the first patent for a vehicle capable of both driving on surface roads and flying through the air. The most well known, and arguably most successful roadable aircraft was developed in the 1950s and 60s by Molt Taylor. Although his design was never mass produced and does suffer from a number of practical drawbacks, there are a handful of prototypes that were built and are capable of both flying and driving. There are also many visionaries developing their own concepts for a roadable aircraft. A fairly comprehensive listing of vehicles of this type along with their espousers is available at the Roadable Times website.
This plurality of concepts shows that there is a perceived need for a vehicle of this type. Unfortunately, the cost/benefit of these vehicles (both in terms of development and design compromises that must be made to build a vehicle like this) never justified serious financial backing – the real need was not sufficiently acute to justify the performance sacrifices of a dual use vehicle. Consequently, the ‘flying car' was relegated to the realm of lone inventors or visionaries that had the desire but not the resources/capability to build a practical, commercially viable entity around its sale to the global general aviation community.
Terrafugia is the company that will change this paradigm and be the first to successfully bring a roadable personal air vehicle to the general aviation marketplace.
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Commitment to Safety:
Terrafugia is commited to designing and manufacturing the safest possible vehicle. With a founding team populated with pilots, we know first hand both the joys and dangers associated with flying. As engineers, we know that the Transition can not only be a safe airplane and a safe automobile, but also offer safety at a higher level of convenience than is currently available to the general aviation community.
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Why will Terrafugia succeed where so many others have failed?
• Team/Talent: Terrafugia has assembled an outstanding team of business and technical talent with the singular goal of making the Transition a commercially viable general aviation vehicle. Never before has a team as large and diverse comprising so much talent been assembled to bring a roadable aircraft to market.
• Timing: For the first time in the history of this country, the average door-to-door travel speed is decreasing. This diminished mobility is a result of increasing congestion on the ground and in the nation's commercial airline transportation system. In addition, the recently instituted Light Sport Rule will make it easier than ever to take to the air in a Transition. Finally, many public-use general aviation airports are closing down around the country. These wonderful public resources are being lost at an unprecedented rate. If a vehicle like this does not come along with the potential to bring many more US citizens into general aviation, the nation may lose these valuable resources and the fundamental ability to improve our mobility in the future. This confluence of factors make this the right time to start a venture such as Terrafugia.
• Resources: The Terrafugia team has assembled a superb board of technical and business advisors from the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the MIT Venture Mentoring Service, and the MIT Entrepreneurship Center. These institutions not only have the experience to directly advise a new venture such as Terrafugia's, they also have extensive contacts with venture capital and angel investor groups from whom Terrafugia will seek the necessary external funding at the appropriate time.
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How will Terrafugia accomplish what it promises?
• Invest in engineering: Terrafugia will use the most advanced engineering design and modeling technology along with a tried-and-true spiral development program with multiple hardware prototypes to reveal practical issues with functionality and robustness that cannot be computationally predicted early in the design cycle. By the time it is delivered to the first customer, the Transition will be the most highly engineered Light Sport Aircraft in existence.
• Clear value proposition: The Transition is about making flying more practical for more pilots. While a vehicle with the undeniable James Bond appeal of the Transition is definitely a recipe for fun, on a more fundamental level, it is about saving time and money for our customers and increasing their standard of living by improving their mobility.
• Straight forward marketing and sales: Terrafugia strongly believes that the shortcomings of a vehicle like this must be advertised along with the more obvious tremendous benefits so our customers will know what to expect of their Transition. We do not want our customers to be surprised by any potentially negative aspect of the Transition.
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What is the Transition?
The Transition is a Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) designed to make general aviation more practical for personal transportation. This increased practicality is accomplished by enabling the promise of a true integrated roadable aircraft at an economically compelling price. The Transition will be capable of driving at normal highway speeds, flying at speeds that approach the light sport aircraft limit, and parking in a standard garage. The freedom enabled by this aircraft will fundamentally increase the personal mobility of its owners while simultaneously improving the safety and practicality of GA travel.
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Specifications
(all numbers are preliminary until delivery of production vehicle)
GTOW: 1320 lbs.
Max Payload: 430 lbs.
Fuel Capacity: 20 gallons (120 pounds)
Engine: ~100 hp (final engine selection will be conducted as part of a competitive bid process, performance numbers below are for an assumed maximum 100 BHP engine fuel consumption is based on Rotax 912 ULS)
Vs = 50 mph
Vr = 70 mph
Vh = 135 mph
Fuel Consumption (75% power): 4 GPH
Cruise Speed (75% power): 120 mph
Gas Mileage: 30mpg (air), 40mpg (hwy), 30mpg (city)
Max Wingspan = 325 in (27 ft)
Max Length = 225 in (18.75 ft)
Max Height = 80 in (6.75 ft)
Width when folded up = 80 in (6.75 ft)
Minimum Takeoff Distance ~ 1500 feet
Fuel: Super-unleaded/100LL
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