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Terrafugia – and Popular Science – are quick to point out that the Transition isn’t a flying car. It’s a roadable aircraft. And while not nearly as cool looking as Moller’s SkyCar, the Transition will supposedly ACTUALLY be available next year for the low, low, LOW price of just $194,000. Read more after the clicky thingie…

The Transition is a single-engine, rear-propeller airplane with fold-up wings that’ll be street legal and will fit in a normal garage. All of that is amazingly cool.

But, ultimately, is this anything more than a “Yeah, we did it!” kind of project? I mean, you have to have a pilot’s license, and even if new FAA regs say that to pilot something like the Transition, you only need 20 hours of time vs. the previously-mandated 40, it’s still a license most people don’t have. Oh, and you’ll have to take off from an airport, so ixnay on the unfolding of the ingsway in traffic and zooming off to the traffic-free skies.

Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that you decide to get your pilot’s license so that you can fly the Transition. And you take off from your local airport to somewhere about 400 miles away. You get there, drive off the runway and onto the street and to your motel. Where you then, um, park your airplane in the parking lot overnight? Really? Would you do that?

Like many vehicles that cost $194k, the Transition isn’t going to be for everybody, but for people who can afford it. People who, say, might have another home somewhere that they can then garage the Transition in once they get there.

And again, I think this is super-cool and a fantastic achievement. But for my money, I’d still rather fly / drive something that looks like the SkyCar (or Moller’s Ferrari-based Autovolantor) and be able to just take off / land vertically. Cuz, you know, people are such GREAT drivers, that adding a 3rd dimension to personal travel seems like the best idea EVAR!

Kidding aside, the Transition is still pretty neat, and you can read much more about it in the Pop Sci article here.

Pop Sci via Gizmodo