“You see the world from a different perspective,” he says.

To enjoy that sensation, though, he must drive 40 miles from his home in Lynn, Mass., to the Nashua Municipal Airport, where he keeps his plane. The retired mechanical designer wishes he could turn his car into an aircraft with the push of a button and fly away from a highway.

And that may not be a far-fetched dream.

“This is the most exciting approach to roadable aircraft,” Guimond said of Transition, an under-development “flying car” that was presented at Daniel Webster College yesterday.

Terrafugia, a company made up of graduate and post-doctorate students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, drew a score of aviation enthusiasts like Guimond to Daniel Webster's auditorium as it gave a preview of Transition, with a 5-foot wing-span model and computer graphics. Terrafugia plans to officially unveil the concept of Transition in July at the EAA AirVenture 2006 festival in Oshkosh, Wis. Yesterday's presentation was hosted by the Greater Boston chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

According to Terrafugia CEO Carl Dietrich — who expects to receive his doctorate from the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in June — a flying car is a nearly century-old concept that no one has successfully turned into a product. ConvAirCar, a 1947 prototype with an aircraft mounted on the top of a two-door sedan, crashed in its third flight. Other, more successful models ran into different problems, leaving pilots and engineers to keep on dreaming about a flying car.

But Dietrich and his colleagues didn't want their dream to be just that. Thanks to new federal regulations that made it easier to launch an aircraft company and advancement in engine technologies, this is the time to commercialize their idea, Terrafugia workers say.

“The more work we've done, the more we saw there is a need for this,” said Anna Mracek, Terrafugia's chief operating officer, referring to the growing congestion on the road and other transportation problems.

Transition looks much like a conventional light aircraft and would fly like one. It would glide up during take-off, while many other existing prototypes lift up vertically. Upon landing, users would turn off the propeller in the back, shift the gear into driving mode and fold up the wings at the touch of a button. The “car” is no larger than a SUV, and easily fits in a regular-size garage.

This means people could fly it to an airport and drive away to their destinations.

Complete with brake lights and a computer-operated camera serving as a rear-view mirror, the machine — which Dietrich calls the “ultimate weekend getaway vehicle” — could be yours for an estimated retail price of $149,000. Or, you could reserve one for a down payment of $7,400 before the final product comes out in 2009. That's if Terrafugia's plan works out smoothly.

Terrafugia staff members say they realize the price may be out of reach for many pilots who fly for hobby.

“You can make the best toy in the world, but if no one buys it, it doesn't matter,” said Alex Min, vice president of sales.

But given that there are about 230,000 private pilots nationwide and the sales of light aircraft is growing, “We think the market is here,” Min said.

People in the audience asked Terrafugia staffers about the logistics of commercializing the vehicle and about the safety issues. Yet, many said they believe a flying car is not impossible.

“It was impressive. They've really done the homework,” said Joel Ventura, an Andover resident with two decades of flying experience. The Brandeis University research scientist believes the commercialization of the vehicle will take a long time, but hopes it will someday enhance the mobility of people.

And that could revolutionize the way Americans live, said Jamison Hoff, a Hollis, N.H. resident who is interested in buying a flying car. Jamison, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Rivier College, pointed out that the invention of the automobile introduced farmers to city culture and vice versa, and led to more people living far from each other being able to marry.

With flying cars, people could travel distances easily, engage in more activities and use the land differently because there would be fewer shopping malls needed, for example, she said.

For more information about Transition, visit www.terrafugia.com. For information about the Greater Boston Chapter of Experimental Aircraft Association, visit www.EAA106.org.