Incredibly dumb idea – flying cars

“Are Cars Ready To Fly?
By Joan Lowy, Associated Press Writer
Manufacturing.Net - July 02, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) -- If cars had wings, they could fly -- and that just might happen, beginning next year.

The company Terrafugia says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2011. It recently cleared a major hurdle when the Federal Aviation Administration granted a special weight limit exemption to the Transition.

"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."

The Transition is a long way from cartoon strip cartoons with flying cars zooming above traffic, or even the magical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

"There is no launch button on the (instrument) panel," Gersh noted.

Rather, the car-plane has wings that unfold for flying -- a process the company says takes one minute -- and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to takeoff and land.

The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.

The company is pitching the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient -- and cheaper -- way to fly. They say it eliminates the hassle trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you are good to go. When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive hangar fees because you don't have to store it at an airport -- you park it in the garage at home.”