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Detroit, 7:50 AM
Tue Dec 1
28 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #terrafugia more →

    Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight

    A Flying Transformer-Car-Jet! We're Waiting For The El Camino-ization

    Tech Start-up Planning Flying Car
  • Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.
    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of LuciferV8 LuciferV8
    03/19/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    Terrafugly.
     Reply
    LuciferV8 was starred LuciferV8 was unstarred
    Image of Elhigh Elhigh
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    I have four words:


    "Controlled flight into terrain."

     Reply
    Elhigh was starred Elhigh was unstarred
    Image of Chameleon7 Chameleon7
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    No offense guys, but Moller's been doing this stuff for years.

    [www.moller.com]

    His cars actually have vertical take off as well, and in my opinion, look cooler.
     Reply
    Chameleon7 was starred Chameleon7 was unstarred
    Image of Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face.
    03/20/09

    @Chameleon7: All very neat except the fact that Moller's cars don't actually, you know, fly.
     Reply
    Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was unstarred
    Image of Braff Braff
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    Roads? ... Where we're going we don't ne- actually, wait we still need them guys... we still need some roads...


    -------------------

    Alternative comment

    -------------------


    Hey great news guys, I just saved $34,000 per month by switching to Geico.

     Reply
    Braff was starred Braff was unstarred
    Image of weatherman weatherman
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    Flying cars sound like the ideal vehicle when you're stuck in traffic, but the reality is so far away from the fantasy that flying cars will never succeed. And not for technical reasons, but for economic and regulatory ones that will never be solved.


    First, for the price of one of these flying cars, for instance, you could buy both an Icon light sport airplane and a Fisker hybrid (my current favorite vehicles). Or you could buy an Icon and pretty much get driven in a limo wherever you land for the same price. So you'd get a much better plane and a much better car for the same price or less than this ugly monstrosity, and that will always be the case.


    Second, flight regulations will never allow anyone to take off or land on a highway; it will always be an airport or designated water landing area. And since you're going to have to drive to and from the airport anyway, there's really no advantage of having a plane that can drive rather than just having a plane you keep at the airport, or trailer there (for more portable LSA or ultralights).


    So while a company might well come up with a flying car design like this one, there is very little chance that it would be successful because the cost and disadvantages both on the road and in the air are always going to outweigh the minor convenience of using the same vehicle for both ground transportation and air.

     Reply
    weatherman was starred weatherman was unstarred
    Image of Crixxtachi Crixxtachi
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    umm iam sorry but is "blinker" the official name for the indicator in America?
     Reply
    Crixxtachi was starred Crixxtachi was unstarred
    Image of Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig)
    03/18/09

    @Crixxtachi: It varies. Blinkers, hazards, flashers, turn signals, indicator, etc.


    I usually say "turn signal," but I like blinker because it's a cognate in German and a few other languages. Nice universal term.

     Reply
    Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) was starred Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) was unstarred
    Image of danio3834 danio3834
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    I'd hoon it.
     Reply
    danio3834 was starred danio3834 was unstarred
    Image of Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    I can't wait to see my first dogfight above the BQE (Brooklyn Queens Expressway, that is).


    Hopefully they'll also start making retro ones, so that I can finally realize my life long dream of commuting in a Focke-Wulf Ta152.

     Reply
    Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was starred Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est was unstarred
    Image of Jrsy Devil's Advocate® Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    That's great to see if fly however I still think they should call it the Terrafuglia....
     Reply
    Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was starred Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was unstarred
    Image of Leeeeena the Jalopchick Leeeeena the Jalopchick
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    With that much wing space, could they put solar panels on it and have a small electric range extender?


    P.S. I don't trust airplane wings that fold in half :(

     Reply
    Leeeeena the Jalopchick was starred Leeeeena the Jalopchick was unstarred
    Image of Kaiser-Machead Kaiser-Machead
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    This whole flying car business is a sham. You can add as many wheels and as many airfoil-shaped bumpers as you like. It's a frakkin' airplane. It won't be a "flying car" until it folds its wheels out DeLorean style and hovers away.


    Anyway, the whole idea of cars that can lift off the ground is a terrible idea anyway. You'd still need a pilot's license, and a future where flying machines that only need a simple driver test will end with drunks careening through 10th story windows.

     Reply
    Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred
    Image of Triborough Triborough
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    This would probably make those Los Angeles car chases even more fun.
     Reply
    Triborough was starred Triborough was unstarred
    Image of Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable
    03/18/09

    @Triborough: "Somehow, the heavily intoxicated suspect avoids the spike-strips, the stolen flying car careening like a runaway pinball.." *sound of squeeling tires, even though the vehicle is 15 feet off the ground*
     Reply
    Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable was starred Serious Mopar Jones- Incurable was unstarred
    Image of Graverobber Graverobber
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    First plausible flying car?


    I think not.

     Reply
    Graverobber was starred Graverobber was unstarred
    Image of engineerd engineerd
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    Gustavo Rodriguez hearts Terrafugia. [jalopnik.com]


    Now we need to know the following:


    'Ring Time:

    Driveway Time:

    Drift Distance:

    Slalom Time:


    And, for this one in particular...


    Stall Speed:

    Glide Slope:

     Reply
    engineerd was starred engineerd was unstarred
    Image of PetroSapien PetroSapien
    03/18/09

    @engineerd is functionally ЯetardeD: While we're at it, no mention was made of top Airspeed.
     Reply
    PetroSapien was starred PetroSapien was unstarred
    Image of maximum-sienna maximum-sienna
    03/18/09

    @PetroSapien: The update has it.


    @engineerd is functionally ЯetardeD: I would add take off and landing distance.

     Reply
    maximum-sienna was starred maximum-sienna was unstarred
    Image of engineerd engineerd
    03/18/09

    @maximum-sienna haz a NA V-6: Good ones. Can I take off from my street or do I need to drive it out to the highway first?
     Reply
    engineerd was starred engineerd was unstarred
    Image of Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig)
    03/18/09

    In reply to Terrafugia "Flying Car" Makes First Flight
    "Sorry, honey, I don't know what happened to the front canard. I went to Whole Foods and heard a terrible noise when I pulled into the parking spot, but I didn't think it was serious."
     Reply
    Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) was starred Das ASHloch (achtundsiebzig) was unstarred
    Image of Dr. H. F. Danger Dr. H. F. Danger
    03/18/09

    @Ash78: "Hey honey, the carplane is making a *cachunk, cachunk* sound...should I land? or is it ok?
     Reply
    Dr. H. F. Danger was starred Dr. H. F. Danger was unstarred
    Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

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