NEW YORK AUTO SHOW: Terrafugia's "The Transition" Street-Legal Airplane Opens Up To The Auto Community

Well, it's official. The New York Auto Show now allows planes.

I wonder if MINI will bring a flying car next year as a joke as it always has a clever marketing trick up its sleeve. Your move, MINI.

Anyhow. Terrafugia, a company who's staff is composed of some serious brainpower from the highly esteemed Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were present showing off it's street-legal airplane known as The Transition.

At first I believed this to be simply a gimmicky kind of product but now the more I've given it thought and let it digest, it's actually pretty damn cool in a quirky way. Like in a suspender-wearing kind of way.

This isn't the first time we've seen an automobile with the capacity to add wings and fly it. The difference is the process has been made MUCH more simple thanks to the system Terrafugia has developed.

Remember Aerocar International's Aerocar? If that's not ringing any bells, watch the clip below from a James May -- of Top Gear fame -- who spoke about it on an interesting BBC television program.

It's remarkable that folks are still pursuing this endeavor and to be straightforward, I am still mystified by flight. Props to Terrafugia for going against the grain; however, I have to say I will be keeping my feet on the ground for the time being and letting the pros do the flying.


**The 2012 New York Auto Show Photo Galleries are exclusively sponsored by Lexus


2012 New York Auto Show Photo Gallery




























































And now to the James May clip of the Aerocar: