Skip to main content

Terrafugia just got FAA approval to test their flying cars

Why drive a car, autonomous or otherwise, when you can fly one? That seems to be the question of the day at the Federal Aviation Administration, where test flights in U.S. airspace have just been approved. The celebrating party is none other than Terrafugia, a company that specializes in airborne vehicles. Its TF-X flying car will soon be whizzing around skies in northeast American for the purposes of further research and development. “It’s a significant milestone in the development of the program and we’re really excited to be moving forward,” Terrafugia spokesperson Dagny Dukach told R&D Magazine.

Sadly, you won’t be able to jump in and take one of these cars to the skies anytime soon — the prototypes that have been cleared for flight are just mini versions of the real thing. Coming in at just two feet long and with a weight limit of 55 pounds, it will still be some time before we’re in Jetsons territory. Still, this latest development marks a huge step forward in the development of the technology, as Dukach: “The FAA exemption will allow Terrafugia to test the hovering capabilities of a one-tenth scale TF-X vehicle and gather flight characteristics data that will drive future design choices.”

Terrafugia has been toying with the idea of flying cars for the last ten years or so, and their concept for the TF-X will feature semi-autonomous flight, meaning that you’d need less training to fly this car than you would to operate, say, an actual airplane. But there are still a number of issues that need to be worked out, including how the vehicle would be powered. Currently, the company plans for the TF-X to operate as a plug-in hybrid-electric, but exactly how this would come to fruition has yet to be determined.

If and when we do finally see the TF-X in real life, it will cruise at speeds of 200 miles per hour and will have a 500 mile flight range. And without any runway space needed for take off or landing, you could literally just lift off from your driveway.

So as excited as you are for self-driving cars to come to market, get even more pumped about the flying version.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Toyota just invested $394M in a secretive startup that makes flying taxis
toyota eyes the skies with 394m boost for flying taxi maker joby aircraft

Numerous electric-powered flying taxis whizzing about over busy cities may sound like the stuff of sci-fi, but a number of significant players are working hard to make it a reality.

Take Toyota. The Japanese car giant has just pumped a hefty $394 million into Joby Aviation, a California-based company developing an all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for fast, quiet, and affordable air transportation services.

Read more
Hyundai’s flying car program will take off at CES 2020 with concept vehicle
hyundai flying car concept ces 2020 taxi hub

Hyundai recently established its own flying taxi division, becoming the latest in a long line of companies to take a shot at this sci-fi technology. While it's unclear when the first Hyundai flying taxi will go into production, the company will unveil a concept version at CES 2020.

Hyundai hasn't revealed many details of the flying taxi, which it refers to as a "personal air vehicle." The vehicle will be shown alongside an autonomous concept car Hyundai calls a "purpose built vehicle." This concept vehicle will have a customizable design, giving it a variety of possible uses, Hyundai claims. Both vehicles are designed to operate out of a transportation "hub" that could be built in city centers, Hyundai claims.

Read more
Flyboard Air inventor plans to unveil 250-mph flying sports car by 2020
flyboard air inventor plans daring 20 mile flight over water this week franky zapata

After winning jet-ski competitions all over the world and boldly flying across the English Channel on a hoverboard he designed and built, inventor Franky Zapata wants to land in the automotive industry by pioneering the flying sports car segment. It sounds like a pipe dream or a cool movie prop at best, but the 40-year-old Frenchman is already testing prototypes, and he plans to unveil his wildest creation yet in the coming months.

"I need to finish building my flying car, I need to introduce it before the end of the year. I'm going to go home, take a little vacation, and then -- with the help of my team -- work on it nonstop to make sure it's ready in time," Zapata told French news station BFM TV after successfully crossing the English Channel on his Flyboard Air hoverboard.

Read more