Big Plane, Small Plane
Travel Blog • Rob Verger • 03.20.09 | 11:28 AM ET
Photo by As of June 1, Emirates will cease using its A380s—the biggest commercial plane in the skies—between Dubai and New York City. The airline will be replacing it with Boeing 777s, citing the poor economy as the reason to use the comparatively smaller plane, which has fewer seats to fill.
At the other end of the size spectrum, a company in Massachusetts called Terrafugia has celebrated the first flight of a flying car they have engineered called the Transition. As the Middle Seat Terminal points out, “While most people would look at the gizmo and call it a flying car, Terrafugia—founded by five pilots, all MIT graduates—prefers to call the beast a ‘Roadable Aircraft.’” According to the company’s website, each plane is anticipated to cost $194,000.
How many of these tiny flying cars do you think would fit inside an A380?
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Rob Verger is a frequent contributor to World Hum and the site's former air travel blogger. His articles and photographs have appeared in the Boston Globe and other publications, and he's a former undergraduate writing instructor at Columbia University. If you like, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or follow him on Twitter.
John M. Edwards 03.20.09 | 2:29 PM ET
Hi Rob:
A flying car?! “Meet George Jetson!!!!”
What next? Maybe the “flying backpack”: It’s about time they gave us back our jetpacks.
John M. Edwards
Ling 03.21.09 | 11:28 AM ET
A flying car would come in extremely handy in heavy traffic if you’re running late. Of course, they’ll come up with a way to fine you for cutting across air-corridors. :)