Speakers Anna Mracek Dietrich: Inventor
Anna Mracek Dietrich is one of the creators of the Transition, the "plane you can drive."
Why you should listen to her:
Anna Mracek Dietrich is a private pilot trying to making aviation accessible, safe -- and a reasonable way to get to work. With husband Carl and their team at Terrafugia, in Massachusetts, they are building a driveable aircraft (or, as they also term it, the Roadable Aircraft), which is designed to fold its wings, enabling it to be driven like a car. In 2009, Terrafugia successfully flew a proof-of-concept model, and they anticipate that Transition, the first production model, should be on the road by the end of 2011.
She says: "The most common question we got was 'You know that's impossible, right?' Now that we've done it, I don't get that question nearly so often."
"The first flight was remarkably unremarkable. I've flown several thousand hours in everything from Piper Cubs to F-16s, and the Transition flew like a really nice airplane."Phil Meteer, test pilot
Quotes by Anna Mracek Dietrich
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“Instead of trying to make a car that can fly, we decided to try to make a plane that could drive.”
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“The Transition [plane] simultaneously expands our horizons while making the world a smaller, more accessible place. It also continues to be a fabulous adventure.”
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Anna Mracek Dietrich: A plane you can drive
- 09:38 Posted: Nov 2011
Anna Mracek Dietrich on the Web
Related Speakers
Conferences
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- TEDGlobal 2011