The Terrafugia Transition’s appearance at the New York auto show made the news recently. Flying cars have been an interesting engineering exercise since the late 1940s, but they really aren’t practical. Just ask Popular Mechanics: 7 Reasons the Terrafugia Transition Isn’t Coming to Your Garage.
This is the point that hit home with me. The author compared the Terrafugia to the Cessna 152; would you spend $279,000 on a dual-purpose 152? And that assumes the manufacturer successfully certifies it as a light-sport aircraft, and that they can hold this price. For half the price of a flying car you can buy a Cessna 162 SkyCatcher, which leaves more than enough for a really nice car—and gas money for both.
Much more interesting is the PAL-V (Personal Air and Land Vehicle),which recently made its maiden flight in the Netherlands, captured in the video above. Engineers bred a two-seat, three-wheel motorcycle with a gyrocopter and designed a fascinating low-profile, fold-away rotor, prop, and tail. On the ground and in the air, this thing looks like fun.
[Read more…] about Flying Cars, the Fun Factor, and Their Future