World's first 'Flying Car' gets ready for the road

The first “flying car” of the 21st century is ready for the road, according to Fox News.

The US Department of Transportation has granted a three-year hardship exemption that will allow the Terrafugia Transition to be driven on public roads, according to its designers.

The Transition, which the company often describes as a “roadable aircraft” rather than a flying car, is a two-seat prop plane that can be transformed into a wheeled vehicle capable of being driven at highway speeds.

The unique craft was designed with road use in mind, and incorporates a number of automotive safety features, such as crumple zones and airbags.

However, the main hurdles to approval were the use of motorcycle tires that aren’t approved for multi-purpose vehicles and a polycarbonate windshield, both of which the company says needed to keep the weight of the 970-pound Transition as low as possible for efficient flight.

The Transition, which has completed several successful test flights, is expected to enter production in late 2012.

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