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The F-Bike Flies!
The "F-Bike" was recently demoed by Czech companies Technodat, Evektor and Duratec. The creators of the F-Bike are big fans of Jules Verne.
(Flying bike demoed in Prague)
At a recent press conference in Prague, the remarkably noisy custom-built mountain bike took a remote-controlled flight around a large warehouse with a dummy in the driver's seat. A grand total of six horizontal rotors, drawing 47 kilowatts of power from on-board batteries, can be seen propelling the bike through the air...According to the project website, the central concept was to create a flying vehicle that could easily be ridden to a more suitable takeoff site and then be capable of a 3 - 5 minute flight. In order to offset the extra weight added by all the rotors, they could be used to help propel the bike along the ground, besides allowing it to fly.
Weighing in at a meaty 85 kg (187 lb), the current design's maximum takeoff weight is only 170 kg (375 lb), meaning the full cargo of the bike must be no more than 85 kg to get off the ground.
Rather than Jules Verne, I was reminded of Larry Niven:
The flycycles were miracles of compact design. Aside from their individualistic saddles, they were built all alike: a pair of four foot spheres joined by the constriction that held the saddle. Half the rear section was luggage space, and there was harness for stringing additional gear.
(Read more about Niven's flycycle)
Update: I'm guessing that the builders of the F-Bike were inspired by a late Jules Verne story; see the reference to The Terror - a flying car, boat, submarine and plane from Jules Verne's 1904 novel Master of the World. End update.
Via Gizmag.
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