A Polish company has developed a single-seat aircraft it says will take off and land vertically and reach a top speed of 124 mph.
At least it doesn’t have exposed rotor blades that have the potential to turn the operator into tiny little bits in the event of a mishap.
Dirtbikers and their ilk tend to stick to acknowledged trails, at least that’s what I’ve seen. If this machine sells in any numbers, I think that there is some bad news in store for the foliage and critters unfortunate enough to encounter its fan blast.
It has a ballistic parachute, but without a published service ceiling, it’s tough to say how effective that really is. Given its jet-powered design and lightweight carbon fiber frame, the Airbike might handle altitudes above the typical 1,500 to 3,000 feet range for eVTOLs. But with a 25-mile range and just 15–20 minutes of endurance, it’s clearly built for low-level, short-hop flights — not high-altitude cruising.
So, the chute is probably more of a comfort feature than a practical one.
This is great. I’ll never have to use my leaf blower again.
Looks like this will finally make for a nice and compact crash site. Can they make some sort of flying suit that prevents any splatter?
It’s promotional video reminds me of the original Segway “personal transportation system” videos. It’s success will probably also reflect what happens when expensive oddball contrivances try to operate in the real world.
The promotional video reminded me of the 1960’s jet pack promotional videos. Enjoy:
It’s interesting that their video has stirring background music and you never hear the deafening whine of the engine as it blows rocks, dirt and water all over the place as it roars by. Anyone want to take bets on how long it will be before the thing is banned from all state or national parks, forests and wilderness areas? If you think the sound of a delivery drone flying overhead would be irritating, just imagine how much fun it would be if your neighbor’s teenage son gets one of these.
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