NEW YORK(TIP): Stuck in traffic jam? Use your car’s flying button. Seriously! US scientists have designed a gen-next flying car capable of taking off vertically and flying completely on its own — and it could be on the roads within a decade. An ambitious US engineering company has released images of the flying car, the four-passenger TF-X, and it won’t require a pilot’s licence to operate.
The Terrafugia TF-X flying car can take off vertically and has a flying range of 805km. Once airborne, the two propellers fold back and propulsion is handled by an engine mounted behind the cockpit, ‘New York Daily News’ reported. Everything from take-off, to flying, and eventual touch-down at the chosen destination will be handled automatically by the Terrafugia.
The manufacturers claim the TF-X is a plug-in hybrid. Electric motors handle road driving, and assist during takeoff and landing. Terrafugia claims its road-legal and highly automated flying car could be on the road (and in the air) within 8- 12 years.
The TF-X’s vast array of sensors and GPS monitors make flying to a destination as simple as punching in an address in current satellite-navigation devices. The TF-X calculates the total distance, and determines whether there is suitable fuel range.