Terrafugia Transition obtains flying permit

Terrafugia, a company owned by Geely since 2017, has cleared the permissions necessary for its flying car prototype called Transition to fly.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) greenlit the project after 80 days of rigorous flight tests and preparing 150 papers. The company is now authorized to produce and sell its aerial vehicle, although it remains non-legal for street use. Terrafugia hopes to obtain the relevant NHTSA permissions next year.

The company mentions that it was the “first version” of the flying car that gained the permit. As such, one might assume a second version is coming soon.

The Transition currently classifies as a light sports plane. Its land dimensions are 5,944 mm (19.5 feet) long, 2,103 mm (6.9 feet) wide and 2,286 mm (7.5 feet) tall. The width goes up to 8,291 mm (27.2 feet) with the wings fully extended. A hybrid electric powertrain is used for land driving, and a Rotax 912iS Sport engine takes it through the air with 100 hp (75 kW) and 132 Nm (97 lb-ft) of torque.