Future is here now: World's first flying car cleared for take-off

"Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads," said Doc Emmett Brown in 1985's Back To The Future before flying off with Marty and Jennifer in his flying DeLorean.

That fictional epic might soon become a reality.

Over the years, many science fiction films and seasons have toyed with the idea of flying cars in cities and suburbs. But now, the dream of actually flying a car is now one step closer to reality.

The world's first-ever flying car, which travels at 160 kilometres per hour and at altitudes of 10,000 feet, has been cleared for 'take-off' by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in the United States.

The Terrafugia Transition has received a Special Light-Sport Aircraft airworthiness certificate from the FAA, reports said. This will allow Terrafugia to test its flying vehicle.

The Terrafugia Transition is actually a light sport and a roadable airplane that was under development by Terrafugia since 2006.

The flight-only version of the vehicle will now be available to pilots and flight schools. However, it may take another year for all the components of the car to become fully legal.

Once everything is in place, drivers will be able to convert their car into a plane, meaning they can switch from flying to driving and driving to flying in less than a minute.

Following the go-ahead by FAA, Terrafugia general manager Kevin Colburn praised the team behind Terrafugia Transition.

“Our team remained focused, improved our quality system, completed the critical aspects of the design, built the vehicle, completed 80 days of flight testing, delivered 150 technical documents, and successfully passed the FAA audit,” he said.

"This is a major accomplishment that builds momentum in executing our mission to deliver the world's first practical flying car," he added.

Terrafugia Transition has a 27-foot wingspan that folds down to a small size that can easily fit inside a small garage. According to reports, a full air and road model of the vehicle is set to release in 2022.

The one that is now available to pilots is air-model only. It runs on both car and aircraft fuel.