Transition: An
airplane that you can drive
By Barbara A. Schmitz
 |
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Ann Mracek and her
grandfather Milo Mracek in front of the Terrafugia banner. Photo by
Phil Weston |
It’s not a flying car.
It’s an airplane that you can drive on the road.
It’s a distinction that
Terrafugia company officials stress, and they see it as the next trend
in general transportation.
Carl Dietrich designed
the Transition, a personal air vehicle for use on roads and in flight.
With folding wings, it can carry two people and their bags up to 500
miles on one tank of premium-unleaded gas.
"There are lots of
really great airplanes out there," Dietrich said. "But I
wanted to design something that will have a significant impact in
general aviation."
Dietrich, an EAA member,
said the Transition uses available technology and engineering in
different ways. With wind tunnel testing completed, they are now doing
the detailed design and building a mock-up of the wing-folding
mechanism. A prototype should be ready in 2008, with production
beginning in late 2009.
While they now know what
the Transition will look like, Dietrich said they are still looking for
input on the last part of the design from the Oshkosh audience. "We’re
looking for anything that might be useful. Oshkosh people are the most
knowledgeable, and we want to hear their thoughts and suggestions."
A 2002 study found there
were four barriers to general aviation—poor weather, cost of flying,
door-to-door travel time, and a lack of mobility at destination. But the
Transition overcomes all four barriers.
Weather, for instance. If
the weather gets bad while you’re flying, all you need to do is divert
to the nearest airport—there are more than 5,000 general use airports
in the United States—and then drive until you’re out of the bad
weather, he said.
The estimated cost of the
Transition is $148,000, and it’ll save owners hangar rental fees since
it can fit in most garages.
Door-to-door travel time
and lack of mobility is also reduced, Dietrich said, since you don’t
have to wait for your luggage or a taxi; just land, convert to a road
vehicle by turning off the engine and typing in a personal
identification number, and then drive home. However, you still need to
preflight.
Ann Mracek, chief
operating officer and Dietrich’s wife, said the Transition stands out
from other personal air vehicles for several reasons, including a
practical conversion from roadster to airplane and back. Since
everything is integrated, you can’t leave the wings at the airport.
The Transition has also
integrated taillights and license plates, a crumple zone and safety cage
in the fuselage, low-impact bumpers, and its propellers are protected
from road debris on the ground. It gets about 30 mpg in the air, and
better on the ground, Mracek said, and has a 120-mph cruise speed.
"It’s the most economical way to travel between 100 and 500
miles, and the coolest way, too."
They are now accepting
deposits for the Transition, and through Monday, had 20, she said.
Mracek’s grandfather,
Milo Mracek, came out of retirement to be senior design engineer for the
Transition. With 39 years’ experience at McDonnell-Douglas, Milo
Mracek says the Transition "is a beautiful piece of work. I can’t
keep away from it; it has breathed new life into me because it is so
fun."
And the timing for
success looks to be right. People have been trying to create flying cars
since 1918.
"There has always
been a lot of interest," Dietrich said, "But with the sport
pilot/light-sport aircraft rule it should substantially decrease
barriers and cost. That’s why we are here."
The Terrafugia exhibit is located in
front of Hangar C.
Carl Dietrich at a glance
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As a child, he knew he
wanted to be a pilot and aerospace engineer. In fact, he started
saving for flying lessons when he was 8.
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He soloed at 16 and got
his pilot certificate at 17.
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In high school, he built
and designed radio-control airplanes, and as a high school senior,
he designed a full-size airplane.
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After high school, he
went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where in February
he received the $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for his personal
air vehicle invention.
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He expects to earn his
doctorate from the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
later this year.
