A flying car called TF-X might become soon the ultimate solution for our daily commute. With a new streamlined body and its futuristic design it looks like something coming out of the "Star Trek" Sci-Fi popular series.
Flying cars are not something really new. The first prototype was tested way back in the 1940's. The problem is that, until now, they have never really lived up to our dreams and expectations. This all might change with the TF-X, a car that hopefully will go in mass production and you will be able to purchase just in a few years from now.
Terrafugia's flying car is set apart from the competition by the way it flies. Its designers from Terrafugia opted for a hybrid rotor system rather for the wings of a conventional plane. The flying car's rotor can lift the car in the air in a similar way as a helicopter, then it transforms in a stubbed wing as the car is driven by a rear propeller.
TF-X doesn't need a runway due to the combination of the hybrid rotor system and rear propeller. Users will be able to take off from their own driveways.
Terrafugia's plan is very ambitious. TF-X will come with a long and complex set of features, including auto-take off and auto-landing, as well as fly-by-wire computer-controlled flight systems. However, before the flying care will be approved to take off it is expected a huge paperwork.
All the technology for Terrafugia's TF-X flyging car project already exists. The only thing left is to put it all in one place. TF-X is already the second variant of a flying car from Terrafugia and the whole project is set for a development time of around 8 to 12 years. This might seem too long to wait for some enthusiasts of flying cars, but it's worth waiting for the time when you'll finally see through your window your very own futuristic gadget sitting in your driveway.
Until TF-X will come to mass production stage and you'll be able to buy one, another flying car project may move a lot quicker. An AeroMobil flying car will be launched in 2017. The floating UFO-style hover car will look half futuristic spaceship, half Italian sports car. In less than two years AeroMobile could be hitting the roads or better said, the air.
The first consumer-ready flying car has been announced at the South by Southwest festival in the U.S., earlier this year. Juraj Vaculik, the CEO of AeroMobil explained at the time that the current prototype, the AeroMobil 3.0 is still too heavy, however the company is striving to solve the weight problem in less than two years.
