Terrafugia Transition flying "car" gets special FAA exemption, sees clear skies ahead?

Zach Bowman — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:41:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Etc., Technology, Specialty

Terrafugia Transition - Click above for high-res image gallery

Another day, another flying car, right? According to The Daily Telegraph, the FAA has just awarded the Terrafugia Transition an exemption which will allow the 1,440-pound car/aircraft hybrid to fly under a "light sport" designation, even though it hits the scales at a hefty 120 lbs. more than the rules allow. A light sport pilot license only requires 20 hours of seat time - far less than what a full license would demand.

Designed to be a viable piece of transportation that's just as happy in the air as it is on the ground, the Transition comes loaded with all of the safety goodies of your standard economy car - airbags and crumple zones come standard. While Terrafugia hasn't exactly said what kind of top speed the Transition can carry on terra firma, it does say the craft gets around 30 mpg when scooting around town.

Should the weather turn sunny and the skies grow clear, however, the Transition can lower its wings, fire up a rear-mounted propeller and take to the air where it can carry a top speed of around 115 mph with a range of 460 miles. Not too shabby. The little carplane only requires an air strip of around 1/3 of a mile, and with its wings folded, can comfortably fit in any garage. Final MSRP is expected to be around $194,000.

Gallery: Terrafugia Transition Flying Car

[Source: The Daily Telegraph | Images: Terrafugia]

Terrafugia Transition flying "car" gets special FAA exemption, sees clear skies ahead? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TSA reminds airline passengers to leave automotive airbags at home

Michael Harley — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a governmental agency tasked with securing all modes of transportation in the U.S., has noticed an increase of airline passengers traveling with airbags - yes, the government-mandated inflatable safety devices that reside in our vehicles to keep us from impacting the steering wheel, dashboard and side pillars in a crash. While airbags are pricey commodities on the secondary market in the States, they are worth even more overseas says the TSA. Looking to save a few bucks, dim-witted passengers are packing the airbags in their checked baggage and carry-on luggage to avoid the legal (but complicated) shipping procedures.

As a refresher, the typical automotive airbag is quite the explosive little bundle - it does not make a great travel companion. Packed tightly within its protective covering is the folded nylon airbag - but that's the inert part. A tiny igniter sits poised behind the bag waiting for the signal to set off the solid propellant (think Space Shuttle SRB). When it goes, a large volume of nitrogen gas is released at about 200 mph - the bag is fully expanded in about 1/25 of a second (it will knock your peanuts clear to first class, if you were wondering).

Common knowledge says these things simply don't blow by themselves - it takes a 12-volt charge to set airbags off (don't try it at home, kids). In any case, the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Security and Hazardous Materials has added airbag actuators to the list of non-approved hazardous materials. The TSA wants to remind everyone to ship the "hazmat" airbags via the proper channels - do not bring them with you on a commercial airliner.

[Source: Transportation Safety Administration, Photo by TSA]

TSA reminds airline passengers to leave automotive airbags at home originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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