Terrafugia Transition Flying Car Completes Test Flight [Video]

Terrafugia’s flying car took another major step toward production. The Terrafugia Transition, a vehicle that can be driven like a car or fly like a plane, completed an 8 minute flight at 1,400 feet.

CEO and co-founder, Carl Dietrich, said:

“With this flight, the team demonstrated an ability to accomplish what had been called an impossible dream. We look forward to continuing to show that the challenges of bringing a practical street legal airplane to market can be overcome.”

Terrafugia is hoping to put the car on the market sometime within the next year. The release date is still up for speculation but Terrafugia already has buyers lined up. Around 100 people have already put down $10,000 deposits to get the Terrafugia Transition when it goes on sale. The Huffington Post reports that the company will unveil the Transition at the New York Auto Show later this week. The flying car has an estimated price of $270,000.

Terrafugia is hoping to attract a few more investors once the car is unveiled in New York, but Robert Mann, an airline industry analyst who owns R.W. Mann & Co. in Port Washington, N.Y., is unsure about the flying car market.

Mann said:

“This is not going to be an inexpensive aircraft to produce or market. It has some uniqueness, and will get some sales, but the question is, could it ever be a profitable enterprise?”

Here’s a video of the Terrafugia Transition flying car.

What do you think about the Terrafugia Transition? It’s a long way from the sci-fi cars that can hop over traffic on a whim but it’s a start.