Flying Car Moves Closer to Reality

From the creator

This is the VOA Special English Technology Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish You could fill the sky with all the ideas people have had for flying cars. "But at this point the Transition is the closest to actually getting to the marketplace." So says Carl Dietrich, head of Terrafugia. His company in Massachusetts is developing the Transition Roadable Aircraft.Mr. Dietrich says "the Transition is designed to really be a general aviation airplane, like a Cessna or a Piper, a propeller-powered airplane that can fold up its wings, drive down the road and park in a single-car garage." And he says the Transition easily changes to a car in about twenty seconds. The driver folds up the wings and transfers power from a propeller to the wheels for driving on the ground. Development began in two thousand six, and the first road and fight tests took place in two thousand nine. The Transition had to meet federal safety standards for cars and aircraft. Last year the Federal Aviation Administration agreed to let it weigh more than other light sport aircraft. But even fully loaded, says Mr. Dietrich, it still weighs about half as much as an average car. The windows, for example, weigh less than traditional automotive safety glass. Terrafugia got permission for that in June from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Carl Dietrich says the aircraft can climb to more than three thousand meters. It can carry two people at speeds o

Published 2011-08-16 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Availability and playback restrictions are controlled by the original channel.