D. Patrick Caldwell on The Joys of Flight

The flying car is finally here! But, is it worth it? Well, I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to fly (or drive) one, but I'm going to hazard to guess that no, it isn't worth it.

The fact of the matter is that a so called "Roadable Plane" couldn't possibly be better than a novelty item. The fact is that in order to turn a plane into a car and vice versa, you have to make a lot of compromises in both directions until the point where the vehicle isn't a very good plane and it isn't a very good car.

In fact, for the price tag of the Terrafugia, you can get two great planes and two great cars. If you just want a portable plane, I've flown a Piper Cub that had fold-able wings and could be trailered to and fro. If you want a plane that you can take off from the freeway to avoid traffic, well . . . you may have to wait until the freeways support it.

Have fun. Be safe. Happy Piloting.