The Terrafugia Transition, the first plausible “flying car” (or more precisely, a “roadable aircraft”), took its first official flight earlier this month.
The two-seat aircraft is able to fly 450 miles at over 115 miles per hour and is designed to transform from plane to car in less than 30 seconds.
The maiden voyage took place at the Plattsburgh International Airport in New York, with a retired U.S. Air Force Reserve colonel in the pilot’s seat. The flight followed six months of static, road, and taxi testing.
Another airline to offer individual private suites to its first-class passengers is JAL (Japan Air Lines) who has created along with London-based James Park Associates the new “JAL Suite”. The first class compartments are now 20% more roomy.
Upholstered in grey leather, the seat’s shape is basically a bolted down traditional armchair with facing ottoman, above which is a 19-inch TV screen.
Passengers can enjoy the latest movies, music and games using JAL’s state-of-the-art audio-visual-on-demand (AVOD) in-flight entertainment system,” according to JAL.
The ICON Aricraft, a consumer sport plane manufacturer founded by Kirk Hawkins, an engineer and former US Air Force F-16 fighter pilot, recently unveiled a sporty amphibious plane called the Icon A5.
The A5 features a high-strenght, lightweight carbon fiber airframe and is powered by a reliable, 100-hp Rotax 912 ULS engine that runs on both auto and aviation gasoline at an estimated top speed of 120 mph. There’s a 20-gallon tank, putting the range at 345 miles.
The two-seat sport plane features an amphibious design with retractable landing gear for flying off both land and water, plus several patent-pending technologies highlighted by folding wings that allow the plane to be easily stored and towed on the road with a trailer.
