Oshkosh is always the best place to see innovative aircraft in the flesh and one of the quirkiest, the Terrafugia Transition "flying car" - a light sport aircraft approved by the US highway authorities as a road vehicle - proved a popular draw.

The proof-of-concept Transition has recorded 28 flights since it first flew in 2009 and the Massachusetts-based company is moving into a new facility to prepare a production prototype with a target of getting the Rotax 912-powered rotable machine off the ground by March 2012.

Although the rear-wheel-drive Transition has been dubbed a flying car, chief executive Carl Dietrich said the aircraft was a "street-legal" aircraft that could be driven safely on the highway.

Terrafugia does not recommend taking off and landing on public roads, although in certain US states, including Alaska, this is legal.

"It is not going to replace anyone's car, but this is the only LSA that gives you complete weather sensitivity. In other words, if the weather turns nasty on a three-day trip, you can safely drive this home on the road," he says.

The privately-funded company says it has 100 "commitments" from customers for the Transition, which is powered by super-unleaded automotive gasoline.

Source: Flight International

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