krou writes "It may not be exactly what people have envisioned or tried over the years, such as the flying car in Bladerunner, or the previously reported Terrafugia Transition, but the BBC is reporting that a flying car (creatively dubbed the Skycar, but different from this Skycar) has flown from London across into Africa. They modified a parajet fan that can fly a man into a bigger fan with a canopy that is capable of flying a car."
The design of the fan and canopy, which is capable of flying a car, is based on a smaller fan and canopy which was capable of allowing a person to 'fly'.
by Anonymous Coward
on Wednesday February 25 2009, @04:31PM (#26987303)
Yo dawg, we heard you like flying with fans, so we put a fan inside a bigger fan so that you can fly a man into a bigger fan with a canopy that is capable of flying a car.
I'm also having difficult envisioning how one flies across into Africa. "Into Africa" suggests a less than perfect landing, "across Africa" implies a much longer trip. I'm not sure how you do both.
I can't watch the video: none of the BBC video content comes through in my Firefox browser, even with a full bypass for NoScript. I get sick and tired of having to disable all sorts of protections for the sake of such proprietary crap, so instead I'll do without... at least until somebody "rips" it to something open source enough that I can watch it. I'd even settle for YouTube (ugh).
It's not a Flash issue, since I can play other Flash content. It's specifically the BBC that causes a problem. I don't know what bit of privacy or security I'd have to relinquish to make it work, but I just won't do it.
Found it: if I disable Adblock Plus the BBC player works. Screw that!
I just narrowed it down to ABP a few minutes ago, but I have a strong aversion to having to swallow even that small amount of castor oil to get to the video.
The vehicle flying to Africa is more a proof-of-concept than anything else, a fully functioning engineering prototype. The actual flying car model is slated to be released next year and is supposed to be a real car.
Parajet might be the name of the company but they modified a paramotor, not a 'parajet'(it's propeller driven, not a jet engine) and rather than a parachute (as mentioned in the BBC article) I think they mean paraglider (it is designed to fly or glide, not to fall after all).
What's all the hubub about? It's simply a paraglider that has been made large enough to carry a payload larger than a man (a car in this case). That's like saying someone who connects a blimp to a camper has invented a flying home. *shrug*
I suspect attaching a paraglider to a car-driven fan and attaching a blimp to a camper are both patentable inventions. I suggest you rush to your nearest patent office and apply for a patent on your "flying home" idea before somebody else does. Be sure to cite "The Wizard of Oz" and Up [go.com] as prior art!
That sounds kind of cool. You could fold up a large non rigid blimp onto the roof of the camper and have several tanks of helium to inflate it to take off. Granted the Helium would neet to be at some rediculous pressure but I think it could work.
When we're talking about these sorts of orders of magnitude difference, it's effectively incompressible. Hydrodynamics don't bother taking compressibility into account, for example.
I wouldn't want a pressure vessel at millions of atmospheres in MY camper.
Lol, this is a swampboat like they did "Wild Kingdom", Everglades shows with. Someone seems to have ran it up the backside of a dune buggy.
With the cab to act as a soundboard the pilot should be deaf before he crashes.But, we don't intervene, because this is natural selection and interference could change the future of these fascinating creatures.Here on the African plane, a cleanup crew of jackals then vultures will soon return whatever didn't burn to nature.
Actually this is a Powered Paraglider [wikipedia.org] attached to a 4-wheeled cart that can be certified as a 'car'.
This isn't really a 'new' thing as the carts used by powered paragliders have been getting more and more complex each year I see them, now they are complex enough to qualify as a car.
Most of the "skycars" we've seen have looked like trade show demo vehicles - fancy, but fragile - suitable as rich toys, but not as workhorses.
This one looks practical - and it looks more than another ultralight, it looks like something that could be serviceable and mass marketable, while still being functional and durable.
But whether any of that is true, we'll have to see from independent testing. One thing I'd like to see is how it actually handles a landing without power, after an engine failure, with i
The concept looks cool.Just driving it in traffic would be a show stopper. The fact page on this aircraft/car doesn't show certain things, like "Take Off Distance", Red Line, Yellow Line, Stall, Octane stuff, and um, the ceiling at 15K? With an open Cock Pit? The car looks like a Tube Frame Sand Buggy, nice. I didn't know that Rotax had a automotive transmission for their power plants, interesting. I also have a couple questions like, "IFR Capable?" Or is this just only a "VFR" kind of car? I didn't se
... engineers have managed to build a diving car by strapping a weight to a sand buggy. The diving car is expected to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench later this evening.
This is brilliant because it's simple. People have dreamed and worked on flying cars for ages. And failed. They could not figure a way around the trade-offs. Make it too much like a plane and it's hard to get the wings away for driving.
With a cloth wing, this is mainly a car, but if you come to something you can't drive across, or want to fly over, and the weather is good, you can fly over it.
It is not the car that takes off from your house like Moller or the Jetsons, nor a plane that only goes to airports. I think it's a very clever compromise. No reason for it to cost 50,000 pounds though, and soon it probably won't.
Lots of negative commentary here about the concept... but whatever.
Honestly, I can see this being incredibly useful. There are areas in Africa specifically that are almost completely inaccessible, or very hard to access easily for medical or personnel reasons. Something like this I can see being extremely useful (and probably cheaper than an helicopter) because you can take off from any reasonably flat area, land within a mile or so of your destination and then drive to your destination.
This concept takes a lot of the problems out of the equation that are involved in light aircraft (no ground transportation at your destination, needs at least a partially finished runway) or an helicopter (expensive to buy and maintain, pilot training is extremely expensive, sand in the engine is a BAD THING!). This thing could be used in these environments to improve the lot of those people.
I don't see this as being really designed for the Western world, we have great roads and cars designed for that... but we are not "the world"... we are just a small part of it that sometimes thinks we are all there is.
I love this concept... I can see so many practical uses for it... but hell, I'd love to fly one myself.:)
Congestion charge (Score:5, Interesting)
Does it have to pay the London congestion charge?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
there, fixed that for you!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Not if your net worth is below something like $5,000,000. Those poor multi-millionaires!
Confusing Wording (Score:2, Insightful)
"They modified a parajet fan that can fly a man into a bigger fan with a canopy that is capable of flying a car."
WTF?
Re:Confusing Wording (Score:4, Informative)
The design of the fan and canopy, which is capable of flying a car, is based on a smaller fan and canopy which was capable of allowing a person to 'fly'.
Parent
Re:Confusing Wording (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Confusing Wording (Score:5, Funny)
Yo dawg, we heard you like flying with fans, so we put a fan inside a bigger fan so that you can fly a man into a bigger fan with a canopy that is capable of flying a car.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
do not want (Score:5, Funny)
"They modified a parajet fan that can fly a man into a bigger fan."
I'd rather have a flying car that doesn't fly me into ANY sized fan, thankyouverymuch.
Pure genius (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I can't watch the video: none of the BBC video content comes through in my Firefox browser, even with a full bypass for NoScript. I get sick and tired of having to disable all sorts of protections for the sake of such proprietary crap, so instead I'll do without... at least until somebody "rips" it to something open source enough that I can watch it. I'd even settle for YouTube (ugh).
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
It's not a Flash issue, since I can play other Flash content. It's specifically the BBC that causes a problem. I don't know what bit of privacy or security I'd have to relinquish to make it work, but I just won't do it.
Found it: if I disable Adblock Plus the BBC player works. Screw that!
Re: (Score:2)
I can see it perfectly fine with Adblock Plus.
Re: (Score:2)
Do you use Element Hiding Helper also?
Re:Pure genius (Score:4, Informative)
I just narrowed it down to ABP a few minutes ago, but I have a strong aversion to having to swallow even that small amount of castor oil to get to the video.
Parent
Very old news! (Score:2)
And it was a Ford Anglia, not a Terrafugia Whatever!
Actually... (Score:5, Informative)
The vehicle flying to Africa is more a proof-of-concept than anything else, a fully functioning engineering prototype. The actual flying car model is slated to be released next year and is supposed to be a real car.
Disclaimer: I work for one of their sponsors.
Oh my... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Oh my... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Oh my... (Score:4, Funny)
I don't know! waarrrgghhhh
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
And does it have storage room for coconuts?
Misuse of terminology... (Score:2, Interesting)
It's just a simple paraglider...so what? (Score:5, Insightful)
What's all the hubub about? It's simply a paraglider that has been made large enough to carry a payload larger than a man (a car in this case). That's like saying someone who connects a blimp to a camper has invented a flying home. *shrug*
Re:It's just a simple paraglider...so what? (Score:5, Funny)
Just consider the implications of this amazing NEW technology. Cars are just the beginning, we can finally give penguins the gift of flight as well!
Parent
Re:It's just a simple paraglider...so what? (Score:5, Funny)
we can finally give penguins the gift of flight
Or Pigs
Parent
Re:It's just a simple paraglider...so what? (Score:5, Funny)
Duke Nukem Forever, here we come!
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
That sounds kind of cool. You could fold up a large non rigid blimp onto the roof of the camper and have several tanks of helium to inflate it to take off. Granted the Helium would neet to be at some rediculous pressure but I think it could work.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Once you liquefy a gas, it stops being compressible.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
When we're talking about these sorts of orders of magnitude difference, it's effectively incompressible. Hydrodynamics don't bother taking compressibility into account, for example.
I wouldn't want a pressure vessel at millions of atmospheres in MY camper.
Re: (Score:2)
I imagine the "hubub" is because it works.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't see the problem. A paraglider/car is awesome. A camper/blimp would be beyond awesome.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, he has, hasn't he? At least if it flies, he has.
Re:It's just a simple paraglider...so what? (Score:5, Insightful)
Or like saying someone who builds a house on top of a floatation hull has made a "houseboat".
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
That's like saying someone who connects a blimp to a camper has invented a flying home.
That might be a good idea for getting mobile homes out of the way of tornadoes.
Re:It's just a simple paraglider...so what? (Score:4, Funny)
Or you could wait until the tornado's on top of you to have your flying home. Pretty sure that would work.
Parent
Wild Kingdom... (Score:2, Funny)
Lol, this is a swampboat like they did "Wild Kingdom", Everglades shows with. Someone seems to have ran it up the backside of a dune buggy.
With the cab to act as a soundboard the pilot should be deaf before he crashes.But, we don't intervene, because this is natural selection and interference could change the future of these fascinating creatures.Here on the African plane, a cleanup crew of jackals then vultures will soon return whatever didn't burn to nature.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Actually this is a Powered Paraglider [wikipedia.org] attached to a 4-wheeled cart that can be certified as a 'car'.
This isn't really a 'new' thing as the carts used by powered paragliders have been getting more and more complex each year I see them, now they are complex enough to qualify as a car.
That being said, this is awesome!
wouldnt that hurt? (Score:2)
They modified a parajet fan that can fly a man into a bigger fan
It looks *real* (Score:2)
Most of the "skycars" we've seen have looked like trade show demo vehicles - fancy, but fragile - suitable as rich toys, but not as workhorses.
This one looks practical - and it looks more than another ultralight, it looks like something that could be serviceable and mass marketable, while still being functional and durable.
But whether any of that is true, we'll have to see from independent testing. One thing I'd like to see is how it actually handles a landing without power, after an engine failure, with i
FAKE (Score:2, Funny)
The guy actually flew using his hair to Africa ;)
and Skybuggy might be more apt...
Re: (Score:2)
Yes.. the hair was singularly amazing.. and airfoil shaped!
Say what you want about Moller International... (Score:2)
...but at least *their* Skycar isn't slashdotted...
Request Vector for Oshkosh Approach? (Score:2)
The concept looks cool.Just driving it in traffic would be a show stopper. The fact page on this aircraft/car doesn't show certain things, like "Take Off Distance", Red Line, Yellow Line, Stall, Octane stuff, and um, the ceiling at 15K? With an open Cock Pit? The car looks like a Tube Frame Sand Buggy, nice. I didn't know that Rotax had a automotive transmission for their power plants, interesting. I also have a couple questions like, "IFR Capable?" Or is this just only a "VFR" kind of car? I didn't se
You may also like... (Score:2)
The SkyCar site's news page is still up for the moment:
http://www.skycarexpedition.com/news.php [skycarexpedition.com]
In other news ... (Score:4, Funny)
Bigger news than you think (Score:3, Insightful)
This is brilliant because it's simple. People have dreamed and worked on flying cars for ages. And failed. They could not figure a way around the trade-offs. Make it too much like a plane and it's hard to get the wings away for driving.
With a cloth wing, this is mainly a car, but if you come to something you can't drive across, or want to fly over, and the weather is good, you can fly over it.
It is not the car that takes off from your house like Moller or the Jetsons, nor a plane that only goes to airports. I think it's a very clever compromise. No reason for it to cost 50,000 pounds though, and soon it probably won't.
Wonderful, and Practical (Score:3, Insightful)
Lots of negative commentary here about the concept... but whatever.
Honestly, I can see this being incredibly useful. There are areas in Africa specifically that are almost completely inaccessible, or very hard to access easily for medical or personnel reasons. Something like this I can see being extremely useful (and probably cheaper than an helicopter) because you can take off from any reasonably flat area, land within a mile or so of your destination and then drive to your destination.
This concept takes a lot of the problems out of the equation that are involved in light aircraft (no ground transportation at your destination, needs at least a partially finished runway) or an helicopter (expensive to buy and maintain, pilot training is extremely expensive, sand in the engine is a BAD THING!). This thing could be used in these environments to improve the lot of those people.
I don't see this as being really designed for the Western world, we have great roads and cars designed for that... but we are not "the world"... we are just a small part of it that sometimes thinks we are all there is.
I love this concept... I can see so many practical uses for it... but hell, I'd love to fly one myself. :)