An Assessment of the Terrafugia Flying car: its Problems, Possibilities and Prospects
An Extended Essay Presented to
Mr. Edward Jay M. Quinto
Mapua Institute of Technology
In partial fulfilment
Of the requirements in
English for Acadamic Purposes 2
(ENG11)
By
Deina Nicole C. Fernandez
Joseph Christian M. Flordeliza
Anne Rose O. Galera
December 2013
Acknowledgements
This extended essay would not have been made possible without the help of Mr. Edward Jay M. Quinto, who was our guide and inspiration in the making of this paper; the researchers family and friends, who have supported the researchers in their time of need; Mr. Sherwin Magon, who provided us with invaluable ...view middle of the document...
When the manufacturers overcomes these challenges, the only problem would be advertising the Transition. The researchers believes that the A class society would be more likely to buy the Transition, therefore the Transition should be advertised to these groups of people. A significant improvement on road traffic will occur when the Transition launches successfully. The researchers recommend further studies upon future traffic laws that would come to the arrival of the Transition, landing and take-off areas designed specifically for the Transition and the dangers that will come with the Transition’s arrival.
Keywords: Terrafugia, Transition, flying car, new technology
From our first kindle of flame to Japan’s Bullet Train, We Humans have constantly been finding ways to improve our quality of living. We have always been able to find solutions for our everyday survival. In this day and age, survival isn’t about eluding savage beasts and staying warm on freezing nights. We survive from the daily stress of our work. One of these stresses—“How to get to my destination on time?” can now be solved with the arrival of Terrafugia’s flying car: The Transition. This flying car is more than science fiction, it exists in our realm—ready for take-off
The Transition has been in development since 2006 and was able to have its first test flight in 2009. Being a light sport aircraft—it has met the standards made by the National Aviation Authority in the United States (Pew, Glenn 29 June 2012) but it has received exemptions from the Federal Aviation Administration to have a take-off weight 100lbs more than the standard take-off weight Safety features in cars like airbags, protective safety cages and crumple zones can be are added to the Transition because it also spends time on the road, that’s where the extra 100 lbs goes. With a push of a button, the transition can extend its wings electromechanically and redirect its power to its propeller, it takes 30 seconds for the entire process to finish. It has a seating capacity of two, one pilot and one passenger, and can go up to 70km/h on land in normal traffic and 185 km/h on air. It can be used in any public use airfield with at least 518 meters of runway. Originally, the release date for the Transition was on 2011 but it was pushed back to 2015 (Mone, Gregory 20010). Only a hundred Transitions worth $25 million have been reserved so far, but Terrafugia hopes to begin its delivery with a starting price of 279.000
This research will benefit the marketers of the Transition, the manufacturers of transition and the government officials who would make the traffic laws concerning the arrival of the Transition
This research paper’s objective is to know the problems, prospects and possibilities that the Transition will bring,
Specificlly, this research aspires to answer these questions:
1. What is the Technology behind the Terrafugia flying car?
2. What are the problems that the manufactures face?
3. How could...
