A device called the Terrafugia Transition is a hybrid vehicle capable of both taking to the sky like a light aircraft and driving on highways with its wings folded.

To allow this machine on public roads, American authorities made two concessions. First: instead of standard automotive glass, which must break safely, the Transition is allowed to be equipped with lightweight and transparent polycarbonate. Second: the vehicle is permitted to use tires that do not meet standard automotive requirements.

Terrafugia, founded in 2006 by graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, intends to begin deliveries of its flying car at the end of 2012. The expected price of the new product is approximately 200 thousand dollars.

It is already possible to reserve such a vehicle by making a down payment of 10 thousand dollars. It is clear that only those who have not only a driver's license but also a light aircraft pilot certificate will be able to operate it.

The Transition's range in the air reaches 790 kilometers, the cruising flight speed is 172 km/h, and fuel consumption in the sky is 20 liters per hour. On the highway, the flying car consumes only 6.7 liters per 100 kilometers — a figure that would be modest even for traditional cars. The cabin accommodates two people: a pilot and one passenger.