With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently granting a weight exemption to the Massachusetts-based Terrafugia's the Transition Roadable Aircraft, the company is now ready to move into the vehicle's production stage, for which it is considering Dayton as a possible site.

The appropriately-named `Transition' is capable of retracting and deploying its wings for its transformation from a car into a plane and vice versa. The two-seater Transition has been designed to take off and land at local airports, as well as drive on the road.

The `flying car,' likely to be priced at $194,000, is expected to be ready for delivery by 2011.

Despite the fact that the Transition can function as a car, the manufacturer's actual emphasis is on its flying abilities of the vehicle - which is capable of calculated top speeds of 100mph in the air and 65-70mph on the ground.

The June-end weight exemption that the FAA has granted the Transition, though a certification to the effect is still pending, allows the vehicle to be designated "light aircraft" with a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds - 110 pounds more than the standard limit for such aircrafts. The designation makes Transition more accessible as licenses for such planes need only 20 hours of flying time.

Talking about the weight exemption, Anna Dietrich - Terrafugia's chief operating officer - said: "Resolving that weight issue was one of the key pieces for moving forward with the program."