The Terrafugia Transition flying car will be the star attraction at this week's New York International Auto Show, but it could soon be joined in the skies by the Dutch-built PAL-V (Personal Air and Land Vehicle).
We appear to be entering a Golden Age of sorts for automobiles that double as aircraft. Decades after the idea of a flying car spawned various prototypes that never quite made it to the assembly line for mass production (see slideshow below), it now appears that consumers may soon be able to purchase one of their very own.
Terrafugia, a U.S.-based aerospace firm, is furthest along in the process to start selling its fixed-wing Transition flying car. The Transition completed a test flight last month and was cleared for production last July by the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration.
The "street-legal airplane" is a two-seater vehicle with folding wings that can be driven on highways and flown in the air with unleaded gasoline. During its test flight out of the Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, N.Y., which lasted about eight minutes, the Transition reached an altitude of 1,400 feet above the ground.
PAL-V Europe NV's PAL-V, by contrast, flies like a gyrocopter, with lift generated by an auto-rotating rotor and forward speed produced by a foldable push propeller on the back, according to the Netherlands-based company. The flying car's rotor and propeller are tucked away and lashed down when it's time to hit the road.
The PAL-V has also successfully completed its maiden flight (see video below), though the vehicle has some major regulatory hurdles to clear before it's ready for sale in the U.S., Europe, and other markets.
Of course, that's not hampering the excitement of the team of engineers who have been working on the PAL-V since 2008 with the assistance of the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory and Delft University.
"We are very proud to announce this successful maiden flight of the PAL-V and we now invite investors to create the future with us," PAL-V co-founder and chief executive Robert Dingemanse said in a statement this week. "We know there is a lot of interest for the PAL-V. Prior to announcing these test flights, we were already approached on a daily basis by potential customers and dealers wanting to be part of this exciting project."
The PAL-V, which completed road testing as a driving prototype in 2009, will have a flying range of between 220 miles and 315 miles, according to the company. The flying car can achieve speeds of about 110 miles-per-hour in the air and on the ground.
The three-wheeled vehicle "drives like a sports car" with "the agility of a motorcycle," according to its designers. When used as a car, it's able to cover about 750 miles on a tank of ordinary gasoline and uses a "patented, cutting-edge, tilting system" to handle curves like a motorbike.
As for the Terrafugia Transition, the company is already soliciting $10,000 down payments on the $279,000 price tag of the flying car. Last summer, Terrafugia said the personal aircraft could be released by the end of 2012. The company is aiming for sales in "fly-in" communities like the 600 or so such locales in the U.S. where people either own small planes or ferry in and out of town on them.
"With this flight, the team demonstrated an ability to accomplish what had been called an impossible dream," Terrafugia co-founder, CEO, and chief technology officer Carl Dietric said following the successful test flight on March 23. "We look forward to continuing to show that the challenges of bringing a practical street legal airplane to market can be overcome."
Those in the New York area who are interested in seeing the flying car with their own eyes can check it out at the New York Auto Show, where it will be on display this Friday through April 15.
For more, see the Pal-V maiden flight video below, as well as our 12 Flying Cars That Paved the Way for the Terrafugia Transition slideshow.
With additional reporting by Angela Moscaritolo.
For more from Damon, follow him on Twitter @dpoeter.
