Airborne!
Transition makes maiden flight
THE PRODUCTION PROTOTYPE Terrafugia Transition roadable
aircraft made its maiden flight on March 23 at the
Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, New York.
The same vehicle, which earlier conducted initial drive and
conversion testing, qualifies as a light-sport aircraft. The
company calls the flight “a significant step” toward bringing
the Transition to market, which is expected to occur “within
the next year.”
The eight-minute first flight reached an altitude of 1,400
feet AGL during a complete circuit in the traffic pattern.
Terrafugia plans six phases of flight testing to continue
development and demonstrate compliance to LSA standards.
“It’s a remarkable vehicle both on
the road and, now, in the air,” remarked
Terrafugia Chief Test Pilot Phil Meeter
(a retired U.S. Air Force colonel). “I can’t
wait for the upcoming flight tests and the
chance to ‘wring it out,’ demonstrating
how safe and enjoyable the Transition is
to fly.”
The aviation world has followed the
Transition’s development since the first
prototype appeared at AirVenture
Oshkosh 2008.
ASPEN AND AVIDYNE TEAM UP FOR DIGITAL AUTOPILOT UPGRADE
ASPEN AND AVIDYNE HAVE teamed up to create an autopilot
upgrade that offers owners of existing airplanes the latest autopilot performance and capability, and potentially lifesaving new
features. Certification of the system is expected soon in Cessna
182s and Cirrus SR22s.
The Aspen Evolution Pro is a complete primary flight display (PFD) that includes non-moving electronic gyros (AHRS)
and an air data computer packaged into a single instrument that
fits in the panel space occupied by the conventional attitude
and directional gyros.
Avidyne has created the DFC90 digital electronic autopilot
that is a direct replacement for the popular S-Tec 55 series of
autopilots. When the DFC90 is installed with Aspen’s PFD, the
system is free of dependence on spinning rotor gyros and the
vacuum pumps that power them. The DFC90 flies the airplane
with the highest level of precision while protecting the pilot
from an inadver-
tent stall while
the autopilot is
coupled. And, if
the human pilot
becomes disori-
ented, a single
press of the
“straight and level
button” automati-
cally levels the
airplane, giving
the pilot crucial
time to become
oriented to his or
her situation.
