VIDEO: When will cars fly? Maybe this October.

We've brought you flying car prototypes before, including the famously never-quite-completed Moller Skycar, and so in keeping with that Jetson-motive reportage tradition, we now present for your perusal the Terrafugia Transition®. This roadable Light Sport Aircraft takes advantage of the strength and lightness of carbon fiber for its body work to keep its empty weight at 850 lbs. and get about 460 miles of flying/driving pleasure from 20 gallons of super-unleaded. That's about 23 mpg from the 100 hp Rotax 912 S, which isn't bad considering you can cruise in the air at 115 mph. The rear-propellered Transition® doesn't take off and land vertically so some sort of airfield is needed but, of course, a rental car counter is not. Although there is mention of an optional vehicle parachute on their website, it is unstated whether the air car comes with air bags.The company says it has over 50 customers lined up and waiting for a 2010 delivery. The first test drives are scheduled for October with the first flights to follow soon after. Hit the jump to check out the excellent interview recorded at AirVenture Oskhosh 2008 with company co-founder, Samuel Schweighart, as he demos the folding wings and too-cool cockpit of this future craft. Bonus video added of an animated Transition® doing its flying/landing/driving thing.

[Source: YouTube / Terrafugia Inc.]

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