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Post by Dave Homewood on May 17, 2011 19:04:20 GMT 12
Have a listen to this interview on Radio New Zealand National: The Terrafugia Transition is a 'roadable aircraft'; a car that flies or to put it another way a plane that can be driven on the road. Its inventor is Carl Dietrich. (duration: 6Œ53) www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup/20110507 |
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Post by FlyingKiwi on May 18, 2011 16:18:38 GMT 12
I can see it finding a few customers interested in it for the novelty, but when you consider the price could get you a very good car or a pretty decent aeroplane I can't help but think a lot of people are going to be put off by the fact that it's a hideously ugly car and I'd imagine a pretty average aeroplane. Perhaps it's just me, but I'd rather have something that does one thing very well than two things pretty marginally!
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Post by Radialicious on May 18, 2011 21:46:41 GMT 12
Yeah mate a bit of a Toaster-telephone there methinks - does both things OK but not so flash at being both at once...
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 18, 2011 22:25:20 GMT 12
Yet another reincarnation of an old idea.
Even Luigi Pellarini (the Airtruck/Airtruk designer) tried to make one and it failed.
Either you get a lousy aircraft or a lousy car. If you are really unlucky your machine is lousy at both.
Witness the attempts to get an amphibious car, surely a much less challenging engineering exercise that a flying car (or a roadable aeroplane). No-one has really been able to make the amphicar work properly either.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 18, 2011 23:12:53 GMT 12
I think with a little persuasion from the salesman we might see these as the next Ministerial limo fleet. No more borrowing the RNZAF helicopters, the MP's can fly themselves. No more high speed motorcades, go over the traffic. Perfect.
Except Gerry Brownlee won't fit in one.
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Post by hardyakka on May 19, 2011 22:30:37 GMT 12
I had a close up look at the Terrfugia Transition at Oshkosh last year. They are about to completely redesign it so it isn't so butt-ugly. However I still don't see it as being a viable roadable aircraft with too many compromises to make it any good from either side of the drive/fly equation. However I also saw the Maverick www.automotto.com/entry/maverick-a-parachute-powered-flying-car/. Now this thing had potential to be a bit of a fun vehicle (still not a practical roadable aircraft though... but still a good little fly/drive toy) I also think that the amphicar has been technically done well in the Gibbs Aquada. www.gibbstech.com/aquada.php It was just too expensive to make it in the real world. |
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Post by Officer Crabtree on May 20, 2011 17:50:23 GMT 12
Yes, it doesn't look very futuristic. Unlike this concept Boeing...  It is (according to FPS at school, so I maybe wrong) a seven engined hydrocarbon powered commercial airliner, with 1000 people capacity, restaurants and shops on board. |
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Post by adzze on Sept 30, 2012 11:01:37 GMT 12
A later take on the flying car; the Pal-V One.
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