This Flying Car Concept Takes Off And Lands Like A Helicopter

500+ Business Insider by Alex Davies  /  16h  //  keep unread  //  preview This Flying Car Concept Takes Off And Lands Like A Helicopter Flying cars have long been a staple of futuristic fantasies, but the mainstream auto industry has made a lot more progress toward vehicles that drive themselves than those that can take to the skies. Fortunately for those who don't want to be confined to the road, one American company has made impressive progress toward that dream. Terrafugia, based in Boston, has already started taking orders for its FAA-approved Transition "flying car," which takes off and lands like a plane, with wings that fold up for trips on land. Now Terrafugia has introduced a new vehicle with significant improvements. The TF-X model takes off and lands vertically (like a helicopter) so it doesn't need a runway. The plug-in hybrid vehicle exists only in renderings for now, but given how far Terrafugia has taken its first model, it's not crazy to expect to see this on our roads someday. This is the Terrafugia Transition, the "street-legal airplane." It needs a runway to take off and land. For driving, its wings fold up. The TF-X uses two 600 horsepower electric propellers to take off and land vertically, so it does not need a long runway.