Flying car

Flying cars aren't just science fiction anymore 

Woburn, Massachusetts-based Terrafugia Inc. said Monday that its prototype flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle  has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. Last month, it flew at 426 metres for eight minutes. Commercial jets fly at about 10,000 metres.
Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will likely rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don't expect it to show up in too many driveways. It's expected to cost $279,000.
And it won't help if you're stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway.
The flying car has always had a special place in the American imagination. Inventors have been trying to make them since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry analyst .

But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality.

20 hours flying time needed

Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a relatively low hurdle for pilots.
The Transition can reach around 112 km/h on the road and 185 km/h in the air,
"This is not going to be an inexpensive aircraft to produce or market," he said. "It has some uniqueness, and will get some sales, but the question is, could it ever be a profitable enterprise?"
Mann sees the western U.S. as the most likely market, where people could fly instead of driving long distances.With the appearance in New York, the company hopes to attract the eye of customers as well as investors.