Friday, January 5, 2007

The Hell With Flying Cars

Ok, I am known to have a thing for sci-fi and have since I was old enough to say it. I seem to remember someone somewhere promising flying cars by the year 2000 when i was but a boy. Well, here we are at the start of 2007 still firmly treading along on Terra Firma.

Well a while back someone sent me a video of this nutjob base jumping in a hang gliding suit and i thought "Wow, that has to be alot of fun, but it's still gotta give to gravity eventually." I want to fly.

Then about a month ago I was sitting in a local greasy spoon and there on the TV was a really short story about this guy in Europe who had developed a personal flight device. I log into my Yahoo page today and there is the link.

So I say again, to hell with flying cars..I want one of these!!!



Enjoy.

Tole

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

makes my motorcycle look like a brick.

LawDog said...

I'll bet my last doughnut that when that thing passes you, under the scream of those turbines you can hear: "Yeeee-HAAAAAAAA!" -- or the local equivalent.

The day I get to pilot one of those things you're going to need a plastic surgeon to get the smile off my face.

Anonymous said...

Looks fun but you couldn't hover very well.

I just need a tiny helicopter, I guess.

Brandon said...

Oh my God, I have seen my dream. Daedalus lives! LD, I don't believe even a plastic surgeon could get the smile off my face--I'd just wind up looking like the Joker from the first Batman movie. I'd spend a fortune in fuel and jump fees, too. That's just...just...awesome!

Anonymous said...

Finally got a chance to watch the video (darn work firewall!).

If I recall correctly he used an earlier, unpowered version to cross the English Channel (released a bit in from one coast, landed on the other side).

Even at this stage it's probably got enough range to be 'interesting'. As he extends the range / run time it'll get even more so. The take off capability for the next version would definitely make it 'interesting' to some of our fine men and women that get sent to odd places in odd ways. Just need to make sure they can carry a 'refuel' pack along for the trip home.

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