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Flying car cleared for highway use

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The first flying car just got one step closer to gliding, and then driving, onto the market.

On June 30th the Transition Roadable Aircraft, as the car-plane hybrid is called, was granted a series of special exemptions by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that make the car operable both in the air and on the road.

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So what kinds of special exemptions does a ‘roadable aircraft’ (best name ever) need? Well, special windows, for one. Regular laminated automotive safety glass is too heavy for the Transition while in the air, and there’s always a danger that a bird could fracture it. (Dang birds!) Instead of glass windows, the Transition will use a polycarbonate material less prone to shattering. NHTSA also signed off on the use of special tires.

It all sounds very excitingly sci-fi, and in a way it is — the car really does fly. But it is really more of an airplane that can drive on the road, rather than a car that can fly in the air. We’re not in Jetson-land yet.

The Transition had its first test flight/drive in 2009 (see the video above), and Terrafugia Inc., the company that is developing the plane-car, says it is scheduled to be available by the end of 2012.

When the vehicle does go on sale, consumers can expect to pay $250,000 to live the future.

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