A British adventurer plans to set off today in a home-made vehicle which can transform itself from a car into an aircraft in minutes - destination Timbuktu.
On the ground the Skycar runs on a biofuel-powered engine, and can accelerate from zero to 100kph in 4.5 seconds.
But with a powerful fan on the rear its take-off speed is 60kph, and once in the air it can fly at speeds of up to around 110kph, cruising at 2000 feet to 3000 feet with a paraglider-style canopy holding it aloft.
Inventor Giles Cardozo, 29, will leave the British capital for the 6000km trip through France, Spain and north Africa, across the Sahara to the fabled desert city of Timbuktu in Mali.Skycar Video
NOTE:
This is not the flying car previously posted:
To: All
UPDATE:
Flying-car to Timbuktu expedition stalls
Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, January 15, 2009
A group of British adventurers set off from London to Timbuktu in a flying car Wednesday — but the project immediately hit turbulence, as they have not received permission to take to the skies here.
The Skycar team, who left London Wednesday morning, are planning to part-drive, part-fly the 6,000 kilometres to the Malian desert city in 42 days.
But their plan to take off across the English Channel between Britain and France was scuppered because they did not submit the relevant paperwork to authorities.
2 posted on
01/19/2009 1:00:21 PM PST by
JoeProBono
("Creative License. Take as much as you want.")
To: JoeProBono
The "Skycar" is a road-legal all-terrain buggy with a huge rear propeller and a fabric wing, the result of 18 months of design and research.
It actually sounds far more feasable than the previous flying car story.
3 posted on
01/19/2009 1:09:11 PM PST by
cripplecreek
(The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
To: JoeProBono
one really expensive paraplane
4 posted on
01/19/2009 1:18:40 PM PST by
xcamel
(The urge to save humanity is always a false front for the urge to rule it. - H. L. Mencken)
To: JoeProBono
To: JoeProBono
I don't think he's the inventor by a long shot, these have been around for years.
11 posted on
01/19/2009 3:24:45 PM PST by
org.whodat
(Conservatives don't vote for Bailouts for Super-Rich Bankers! Republicans do!)
To: JoeProBono; AdmSmith; Berosus; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Fred Nerks; ...
At least he’s wasting his money on this, instead of on electing Obama.
14 posted on
01/20/2009 6:08:45 PM PST by
SunkenCiv
(https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/____________________ Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
To: JoeProBono
I think
these folks might have a bit of a bone to pick with the current name of the vehicle in question.
Paul Moller has been pushing this thing for over 20 years, and still manages to get investors.
15 posted on
01/23/2009 10:00:23 AM PST by
Don W
(People who think are a threat to socialism)
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