Fox News - The first “flying car” of the 21st century is ready for the road. The U.S. Department of Transportation has granted a three-year hardship exemption that will allow the Terrafugia Transition to be driven on public roads, according to its designers. The Transition, which the company often describes as a “roadable aircraft” rather than a flying car, is a two-seat prop plane that can be transformed into a wheeled vehicle capable of being driven at highway speeds. The unique craft was designed with road use in mind, and incorporates a number of automotive safety features, such as crumple zones and airbags. However, the main hurdles to DOT approval were the use of motorcycle tires that aren’t approved for multi-purpose vehicles and a polycarbonate windshield, both of which the company says needed to keep the weight of the 970-pound Transition as low as possible for efficient flight. The Transition, which has completed several successful test flights, is expected to enter production in late 2012.
Don't get me wrong, I'm wicked excited that flying cars are finally here, seeing as how NASA and Ted Turner Networks have been promising these things since the Jetsons was a popular TV show, but this isn't exactly what I had in mind.
Look at that thing, looks like something straight out of Bob the Builder or some other cheap computer animated children's show, not to mention completely impractical. Wouldn't you have just made a civic with wings? Do I need a trailer hitch license plate for that thing? Will it fit in a parking spot? No thanks bro, I think I'll just wait until the cool flying cars come out, this one somehow managed to make the Prius look cool, which is something I would have never dreamed of saying up until today.
