A flying car retailing for $227,000 could be on roads in a matter of months -- and customers are already lining up to be the first to get their hands on one, its maker claims.



Just over a week ago, the Terrafugia Transition passed a significant milestone when it was cleared for takeoff by the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration. It's taken Terrafugia founder Carl Dietrich just five years to realize his dream, with some media outlets reporting that the Transition could now be on U.S. roads by the end of next year.



Terrafugia Transition flying car



As many as 100 people have put down a $10,000 deposit for their Terrafugia Transition.



Last year, the project was headed for trouble after authorities demanded design changes costing Terrafugia somewhere in the order of $18 million.



Fortunately, Dietrich's company then won a $60 million contract with the Defense Department to develop a flying Humvee.



Despite the fact the price of a single vehicle has been pushed to about $230,000 from the starting order price of $170,000, up to 100 customers have already paid a $10,000 deposit for a Transition.



The next stage for Terrafugia is global domination, with the first stop outside the U.S. being Europe.