Vehicle Transition from driving to Flight

I am working on a prototype vehicle that drives normally on the ground with a semi-arcade movement component (Courtesy of FGear at least for now). What I would like to implement is a feature that, when jumping off a ramp or driving off a cliff, transitions into a glider state with fairly traditional flight controls while essentially executing a slow, controlled descent. As arcade-ey as possible, the impression of flight, not true flight. I would love to hear from people on how that transition between movement types be might be managed at a high level. How would you do it?

Thanks!