Terrafugia unwrapped its Transition here at AirVenture on Monday.
“The Transition is a roadable aircraft,” says chief executive Carl Dietrich. “We’re close to starting driving tests and are on track for our first flight by the end of 2008.”
The Transition is powered by a Rotax 912S and will run on normal super unleaded. “On the highway it will give you somewhere between 30 and 40mpg. In the air, at 100kts, you are burning 4.5gph,” he adds.
Dietrich says that the Transition will be LSA-certified by the end of 2009 and the first delivery will be along the same timeframe.
 |
|---|
The company has opened its order books and Dietrich says: “If you order one today you are in the mid-50s position.” The targeted price is $194,000.
Dietrich believes the Transition will be successful because of several factors that affect general aviation.
“You can drive into your local gas station and fill up. We believe this will force down the cost of ownership,” explains Dietrich. “Also, many airfields have limited mobility – they don’t always have taxi stands or rental car facilities – and then you have the long door-to-door travel times. With the Transition you don’t have to be met at the airfield.”
Dietrich is also keen to highlight the added safety that a ‘roadable aircraft’ offers. A lot of accidents happen because of pilots flying into hazardous weather but, he points out, Transition gives you the option of landing at the nearest airfield and then carring on driving to your destination.
Although a large-scale manufacturing site hasn’t yet been decided, Dietrich says that initially production will be in the “tens” The aircraft will have a range of 400nm and the transition from automobile to airplane, or vice versa takes just 15-seconds.
Source: Flight International
