TERRAFUGIA TRANSISTION STREET LEGAL AIRCRAFTBy Willie BodensteinThe Terrafugia Company was founded by graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduates of the MIT Sloan School of Management and incorporated on 1 May 2006.  The Terrafugia Transistion is the only light aircraft designed to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards The Terrafugia Transistion is a street-legal airplane that converts between flying and driving modes in under a minute. It gives the pilot the option to land and drive in bad weather, provides integrated ground transportation on both ends of the flight, and fits in a standard single car garage at home.     The Terrafugia is a street-legal airplane that converts between flying and driving modes in under a minute The Proof-of-Concept's maiden flight happened on 5 March 2009 and lasted 37 seconds and covered 3,000 feet (910 m) of the runway at the Plattsburgh International Airport The test pilot then conducted 6 additional take-offs and landings. The initial version was first displayed at Oshkosh in 2009 and the production version that did not feature the nose canards was made public at AirVenture Oshkosh on 26 July, 2010.  The Proof-of-Concept's maiden flight happened on 5 March 2009 The Transition can fly in and out of over 5,000 public airports in the U.S. and is legal to drive on public roads and highways. It is the only light aircraft designed to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and it is also equipped with a full-vehicle parachute for additional safety.  The Transition can fly in and out of over 5,000 public airports in the U.S Glass cockpit avionics, carbon fibre construction, and innovative mechanisms make the Transition easy and fun to fly, drive, and convert. A steering wheel and gas and brake pedals on the ground make it familiar to drive while a stick and rudder pedals provide responsive control in flight. Running on premium unleaded automotive gasoline, the same engine powers the propeller in flight or the rear wheels on the ground.  The Transistion gives the pilot the option to land and drive in bad weather As a light sport aircraft, the pilot will be required to hold a Sport Pilot or higher certificate, which requires a minimum of 20 hours of dual instruction to obtain, as well as passing an FAA oral and practical examination. Owners will be able to drive amidst normal street traffic from their garage to an airport where the wings can be deployed for take-off.  Owners will be able to drive amidst normal street traffic After undergoing drive tests and high-speed taxi tests, the production prototype completed its first flight on March 23, 2012 at Plattsburgh, New York. The production prototype then made its auto show debut at the 2012 New York International Auto Show in April, 2012. In June, 2012, Terrafugia announced that the Transition had completed the first of six phases of flight testing. The Terrafugia was again displayed at Oshkosh in 2013. Terrafugia expects initial deliveries of the Transition light sport aircraft in 2015 or 2016.  The Terrafugia fits in a standard single car garage at home Cruise Speed, Vc: 100 mph (160 km/h) Range: 410 mi (660 km) plus 30 min. reserve Takeoff Roll: 1700 ft (518 m) over 50 ft obstacle Useful Load: 500 lbs (227 kg) Fuel Burn at Cruise: 5 gph (18.9 L/h) Useable Fuel: 23 gal (87 L) Mileage on Road: 5 mpg (6.7 L / 100 km |
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