As the firm gears up to finally release its flying car next year, engineers from Massachusetts-based Terrafugia are set to reveal how the car’s transmission was created.
During a webinar on Thursday, Mark Corriere and Nicholas Tucker discussed the design and development process, as well as talk about the challenges involved in building an aircraft that can also be driven on land, Dali Mail Motoring said.
The Transition took part in two 20-minute flight demonstrations in July and is still going through tests needed to earn it federal certification. The online event was hosted by United States space agency, NASA.
The Transition vehicle is part-sedan, part-private jet and is due to go on sale as early as 2015, although it may be released in 2016.
It has been in development for seven years and during flight testing in 2012, it successfully flew for eight minutes.
The vehicle was then driven around the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh air show in July before transitioning into the jet and taking off on two 20-minute flight demonstrations.
The Terrafugia has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car.
It can carry two people, including the pilot, plus luggage and runs on unleaded petrol.
In a statement, the company said: ‘Developing a practical vehicle that simultaneously satisfies road and aircraft regulations to become a true ‘flying car’ presents significant engineering challenges.
“Yet this is what the team at Terrafugia has achieved with their proof-of-concept vehicle, which has been flying and driving for the past two years.
“In the webinar, Terrafugia will discuss the design process for the composite structure of the Transition airframe and the role and benefits of physics based simulation.”
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