Street-Legal Plane To Hit Our Roads (And Skies) Next Year

Like any red-blooded American who watched the Jetsons growing up, we here at your Dayton OH Chevrolet Dealer spend every day wondering when we’re going to get a flying car of our very own (not to mention a robot maid.)   Well, we’ve recently had some exciting news.  The good people at Terrafugia are working on solving that very problem.  Their new vehicle, the Transition, will be as legal (and safe) on the ground as it is in the air.

The Terrafugia Transition is attempting to be a true hybrid air/land vehicle and thus needs the approval of both the FAA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) branch of USDOT.  With so many acronyms barring the way, it’s amazing that the less than sleek looking Transition was able to thread the needle of bureaucracy, but it recently received a thumbs-up from the DOT and also succeeded in its first flight.  In order to be deemed road-worthy the Transition was granted safety exemptions for its lack of an electronic stability system, airbags, and automotive safety glass.  The glass in the Transition is instead a polycarbonate more suited to the perils of air-travel, like the occasional ill-fated goose.

Terrafugia is hoping to have the Transitions rolling (flying?) off the line as soon as next year.  They claim it’ll fit in a single car garage, which is just incredibly exciting for anyone looking to keep up with the Joneses.  Imagine your smug neighbor coming over to rub your nose in his newest high-tech trinket when he catches sight of the giant propellered beauty sitting between your golf clubs and the old newspapers you keep meaning to recycle.

“What’s that?” he can’t help but ask.

“Oh…nothing,” you’ll say, with an air of nonchalance.  “Just my FLYING CAR”

Game. Set. Match.