억짜리 `하늘을 나는 자동차`, 꿈이 현실로

Flying car gets closer to reality with test flight

Woburn, Massachusetts-based Terrafugia Inc. said Monday that its prototype flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle _ dubbed the Transition _ has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. Last month, it flew at 1,400 feet (426 meters) for eight minutes. Commercial jets fly at 35,000 feet (10.668 meters). Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will likely rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don't expect it to show up in too many driveways. It's expected to cost $279,000. And it won't help if you're stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway. The flying car has always had a special place in the American imagination. Inventors have been trying to make them since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry analyst who owns R.W. Mann & Co. in Port Washington, New York. But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality. The government has already granted the company's request to use special tires and glass that are lighter than normal automotive ones, to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The government has also temporarily exempted the Transition from the requirement to equip vehicles with electronic stability control, which would add about six pounds (2.72 kilograms) to the vehicle. The Transition is currently going through a battery of automotive crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards. Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration's decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft. The standards govern the size and speed of the plane and licensing requirements for pilots, which are less restrictive than requirements for pilots of larger planes. Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a relatively low hurdle for pilots. The Transition can reach around 70 miles per hour (112 kph) on the road and 115 mph (185 kph) in the air, spokesman Steven Moscaritolo said. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon (15 kilometers per liter). Mann questions the size of the market for the Transition. The general aviation market has been in decline for two decades, he said, largely because of fuel costs and the high cost of liability for manufacturers. Also, fewer people are learning how to fly. ``This is not going to be an inexpensive aircraft to produce or market,'' he said. ``It has some uniqueness, and will get some sales, but the question is, could it ever be a profitable enterprise?'' Mann sees the western U.S. as the most likely market, where people could fly instead of driving long distances. Terrafugia has been working on flying cars since 2006, and has already pushed back the launch once. Last summer the company said it would have to delay expected 2011 deliveries due to design challenges and problems with parts suppliers. With the appearance in New York, the company hopes to attract the eye of customers as well as investors. ``We are introducing ourselves as a viable company to the automotive world,'' Moscaritolo said. (AP)

3억짜리 '하늘을 나는 자동차', 꿈이 현실로 하늘을 나는 자동차는 더이상 픽션이 아니다. 미국 매사추세츠주 워번의 자동차업체 테라퓨지아는 2일(현지시간) 비행자동차 시제품이 시험비행에 성공함으로써 내년 안에 비행자동차를 시판한다는 계획에 한 걸음 더 다가서게 됐다고 밝혔다. 트랜지션(Transition)'으로 명명된 이 비행자동차는 2인승이며 4개의 바퀴에 접을 수 있는 날개를 갖고 있다. '트랜지션'은 지난달 1천400피트(426ｍ) 높이의 상공을 8분간 비행했다. 상업용 제트기는 일반적으로 3만5천피트(1만668ｍ) 고도를 비행한다. 지금까지 약 100명이 '트랜지션'이 출시되면 즉각 구입하기 위해 1만달러를 예치했으며 테라퓨지아가 이번주 개최되는 뉴욕오토쇼에 이 제품을 출시한 이후에는 예약자 수가 더 늘어날 것으로 보인다. 그러나 대당 가격이 27만9천달러(약 3억1천300만원)에 이를 것으로 예상되는 이 제품이 대중화되기는 어렵다. '트랜지션'은 도로에서 시속 112㎞까지 속도를 낼 수 있고 공중에서는 시속 185㎞의 속도로 날 수 있다고 테라퓨지아의 스티븐 모스카리톨로 대변인은 설명했다. 연비는 휘발유 1ℓ당 15㎞에 이른다. 이 업체는 지난 2006년부터 비행자동차 개발작업을 진행해 왔으며 작년으로 예정했던 시판 계획을 디자인과 부품공급 문제로 인해 연기한 바 있다. 미국 정부는 특수한 타이어와 유리를 사용해 일반 자동차보다 비행을 쉽게 할 수 있도록 해달라는 테라퓨지아측의 요청을 이미 승인했다. 정부는 또 이 차량에 대해 능동형안전장치(ESC) 장착 의무를 한시적으로 면제해줌으로써 차체 무게를 2.7㎏ 줄일 수 있도록 했다. '트랜지션'은 현재 안전기준 충족여부를 가리기 위한 충돌 테스트를 받고 있다. 자동차산업 분석가 로버트 맨은 테라퓨지아가 어느 누구보다도 비행차량을 현실화하는 데 가까이 다가갔다고 인정하면서도 "차량 가격이 저렴하지 않기 때문에 수익을 낼 수 있느냐 없느냐가 문제"라고 지적했다. (연합뉴스)