'Flying Car' Goes to Market

In 2004, the Federal Aviation Administration created a new category of aircraft and license for sport aviation, an attempt to re-awaken interest in flying after steady drops in the number of licensed pilots.

In the United States, about 600,000 people are licensed to fly aircraft, a drop of 25 percent since 1980, Knapinski said.

"The FAA and the aviation industry realized there has to be a way to get people interested in flying. Even the airline pilots of today had to start somewhere with basic flying. There had to be an entry point that was practical and affordable," he said.

Sport pilot licenses don't require as many hours of training as private and commercial pilot licenses, though sport fliers are not eligible to take off and land at runways with air traffic control towers. The medical requirements for sport pilots also are less stringent than for other types of pilot licenses, matching what is needed for a driver's license.

"What the FAA and the government say by having that rule is that these vehicles have the same level of complexity as motor vehicles," Knapinski told Discovery News. "You fly in non-complex airspace at relatively low speed."

Regulations covering the new category of sport aviation aircraft likewise are reduced.

"It gives us an opportunity," said Terrafugia's Gersh. "We could never compete with Cessna or Boeing."

One of the biggest obstacles facing a company like Terrafugia in launching a personal aircraft is not technical in nature or even cost, added Knapinski. It's perception.

"The comfort level for a significant percentage of the population is not there," Knapinski said. "They just don't believe they can operate this type of machine."

Perhaps having an airplane under the same roof as the family car will be just the ticket.

Related Links:

Air Transport Association

Terrafugia