The flying car is becoming a reality - meet the Terrafugia Transition®. Photo courtesy of Terrafugia.

The world’s first flying car is one step closer with the award of a weight exemption from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to the “roadable aircraft” – the Terrafugia Transition®.

The plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet, can travel about 100 miles per hour (mph) in the air, 65/70 mph on the road, and does 30 mpg, doing trips of up to 450 miles. It uses regular unleaded petrol just like a normal car.

Terrafugia, derived from the Latin for “Escape the Earth”, was founded in 2006 by award-winning MIT-trained aeronautical engineers and MBA’s – also passionate private pilots – and the company’s mission is to provide innovative solutions to the challenges facing personal aviation.

The team’s first such solution is the Transition® Roadable Aircraft – which falls under the Light Sport Aircraft category, and offers pilots the convenience of a dual-purpose vehicle.

Its design allows the Transition® to fold its wings and drive on any surface road with a modern personal airplane platform. Once at the airport, the wings extend within 30 seconds, and the aircraft is ready for take-off. Both folding and extending the wings is done from inside the cockpit.

“It’s the next ‘wow’ vehicle,” said Terrafugia Vice President Richard Gersh. “Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”

It tackles many of the issues that private and sports pilots face: cost, weather sensitivity, high overall door-to-door travel time and a lack of mobility at destination.

The FAA has just granted a special weight limit exemption to the Transition®, which will be allowed a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 1,430 pounds, the same allowance made for aircraft designed to operate on water. Other planes in the class are limited to a maximum takeoff weight of 1,320 pounds.

“The main reason for that additional weight is the additional safety features that the Transition has – because its designed to be operated on the road – that aren’t found in other light aircraft,” said Anna Dietrich, Terrafugia’s Chief Operating Officer.

A protective safety cage, airbags and an energy absorbing crumple zone are among the extra features.

Light Sport Aircraft are also limited to carrying two people – the pilot and a passenger. The pilot must have a Sport Pilot certificate, which requires 20 hours of flight training.

Finally, the price tag – $194,000 (£130,000) – but there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS, and a full-plane parachute.

The company, based just outside of Boston in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA, is to date, funded privately by a group of accredited individual investors.

It has said that 70 orders have already been taken, and delivery to customers is due in late 2011.

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