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Christian Visionary's Flying Car Now Mission-Ready

by Warren Riddle on October 31, 2010 at 03:00 PM

maverick flying car
After decades of empty promises, flying cars were beginning to seem like a mere Jetsonian pipe dream. The FAA recently cleared the Terrafugia Transition craft for take off, though, and now another land-sky-cruiser has met the federal organization's approval. While the current relationship between religion and science may seem a little tenuous, this latest extraterrestrial automotive was born from a missionary seeking to spread goodwill and technology to isolated cultures in remote Central and South American jungles.

Steve Saint, the son of a missionary pilot, wanted to create a craft that could access seemingly inaccessible areas. After six years of development by his organization I-TEC (Indigenous People's Technology and Education Center), Saint's Maverick flying car is now mission-ready. The Maverick -- which uses a Subaru 170-horsepower, four-cylinder engine to reach 60 mph in under four seconds -- looks like a dune buggy married with a powered hang glider. Technically classified as a "powered parachute" by the FAA, the Maverick employs a "sail" that unfurls on a 22-foot mast. It reportedly requires fewer than 100 yards to become airborne. See it glide in a video after the break.

Aside from the vehicle's missionary benefits, the appropriately named Saint also recognizes the diverse and significant capabilities the Maverick presents for other endeavors, including search and rescue missions, border patrol surveillance and ranching operations. The best part, though, is that it comes incredibly cheap (compared to the Transition's $200,000 price tag) at only $80,000.

Tags: flight, FlyingCar, i-tec, I-tecMaverick, TerrafugiaTransition, top

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