Flying Cars Are In Our Future

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WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) - Vehicles that can fly are becoming a reality and in the coming years your commute to work may include air travel.

Yes, flying cars were once just science fiction fantasy but now several companies are developing vehicles that can glide through the skies.

On Capitol Hill lawmakers held a hearing on the technology and found out just how close it is.

Anna Mracek Dietrich is a co-founder of Terrafugia which has 150 employees across three locations. She said she expects her company's flying car called the Transition to be on the market next year.

"I think this is a very exciting opportunity for technology to really benefit society and I know there's been a lot of hype around flying cars for generations really but I think we are very close," she said.

The street legal car would take off from an airport but experts see a day when the vehicles hit the skies from anywhere.

Uber plans to create an airborne ride-hailing service with machines that can fly themselves at speeds up to 200 miles per hour.

"We are targeting 2020 as the date for the start of prototype testing in our two partner cities in the US, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Los Angeles," said Dr. Eric Allison, head of aviation programs for Uber.

Members of Congress say there are major challenges to address before flying cars can get off the ground in large numbers. NASA is studying what regulations need to be adopted so the average driver can start flying.

The Terrafugia Transition operates similarly to a plane and owners would need a sport pilot license to operate it. The company hopes to eventually have autonomous vehicles that can pull out of the garage and take off vertically.