SEE PHOTOS: 'The Jetsons' flying car finally Arrived

Ever since the early 1960s when we were glued to the animated sitcom "The Jetsons", whimsical visions of a futuristic space utopia filled our imaginations leaving people asking themselves: "Where's my flying car?"

Point taken, but perhaps now, as our childhood dreams move slowly closer to reality, we should also start pondering this: if a flying car was here today, in the real world and not in the realm of science fiction, would we feel comfortable controlling it safely while cruising thousands of feet up in the air? Would we possess the technical skills required to even get it off the ground, let alone land it without a scratch?

Before you dash to the door and sprint to your nearest pilot school to sign up for flight lessons, take a moment to meet Carl Dietrich, the chief executive and co-founder of aerospace company Terrafugia.

Dietrich and his team are working to bring consumers closer to the prospect of a practical flying car, envisioning a vehicle that does not require its operator to be a

trained pilot. Thus, Boston -based Terrafugia announced last May it had started working on the concept of TF-X, a four-seat, plug-in hybrid electric car that can do vertical take-offs and landings.

"They don't need to know those things because the computer is plugged in to a data network that automatically helps them plan the flight path, avoid other air traffic and air space restrictions, things of that nature," says Dietrich. He explains that operators would still have to make high-level, critical decisions, like determining whether it's safe to take off and land or approve the landing zone in advance.

"Anything that happens on the ground, the person is going to make a call," says Dietrich. "Once you're flying, the actual operation of all the flight control surfaces is going to be computer controlled because, frankly, the computer can do it better than a pilot."