AIRCRAFT
Flying bicycle gets off the ground in Prague
By Eric Mack June 14, 2013
That iconic flying bike scene from the film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial has been relegated to the annals of pop culture science fiction for far too long now. Fortunately, three Czech companies with the support of France's Dassault Systemes have just conducted the first test flight of their own two-wheeled, airborne vehicle, dubbed the "F-Bike."
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 in the video at the bottom of the page.
The demonstration does beg the question "Why a bike?". Once those big, knobby tires are lifted off the ground, aren't they rendered more or less moot?
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.
As one member of the project team told Gizmag last year, the design for the F-Bike has evolved quite a bit since it began in 2011. Originally the team had set out to build an electric bike, but ultimately decided they had more grand ambitions.
Inspired by the likes of Jules Verne and Czech author Jaroslav Foglar rather than profit motives (at least for now), the three Czech companies – Duratec, Technodat and Evektor – have yet to set a date for a test flight with a human passenger, but plan to do so this summer. There's no serious talk about bringing a flying bike to market anytime soon.
Source: Designyourdreams.cz
http://www.gizmag.com/flying-bicycle-f-bike-test-flight/27924/
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bici voladora, capaz de alcanzar los 1.200 metros de altura y 40 km/h.
Para volar, cuenta con un motor de arranque eléctrico alimentado por biocombustible y despliega una cometa de tracción.
Bicicleta voladora para acampar
por Re Vázquez Esteva - el Miércoles 19 de junio de 2013 -
La compañía inglesa XploreAir ha creado una bicicleta voladora llamada Paravelo. Esta máquina está diseñada para explorar, incluye una tienda de campaña integrada y no requiere de ningún tipo de licencia de vuelo. Lo que pretende XploreAir con esta creación es “revolucionar la manera en que viajamos, jugamos y buscamos aventuras” y por eso ha lanzado una campaña de Kickstarter para que su máquina voladora pueda salir al mercado.
El producto es una bicicleta convencional de dos ruedas, puede llegar a altitudes de hasta 1219 metros y es capaz de volar durante 3 horas a 40km/h. Para su uso terrestre es desarmable y si el conductor desea volar, simplemente hay que ensamblar la bici a un ala flexible y un ventilador que funciona con biocombustibles. El material que se utilizó para la bicicleta en sí fue sumamente ligero y en realidad lo que pesa más es el ventilador.
Yannik Read, uno de los diseñadores del proyecto, asegura que la Paravelo funciona bien y reveló que desde niño quería volar pero que no es sencillo lograrlo ya que se necesitan licencias, educación y dinero. Según dice, esta bicicleta abrirá las posibilidades para aquellos que no son pilotos y desean moverse por el aire. “Una de las barreras más grandes para volar es el costo; es muy caro entrenar y es muy caro mantener los aviones. Lo bello de la bicicleta voladora es que es accesible y costeable.”
Se supone que la Paravelo será muy fácil de usar y el concepto de usar un ala flexible se ve muy similar al del vuelo en parapente. Aunque los diseñadores mencionan que este transporte alternativo será costeable, ningún paquete de Kickstarter incluye una y cuando salga a la venta tendrá el precio aproximado de un pequeño auto (lo que significa que en realidad no es tan barata).
La fecha límite es el 15 de agosto y si se recaudan los fondos necesarios en Kickstarter, el prototipo de la Paravelo pronto se convertirá en una bicicleta mucho más ruda y hecha para acampar que salga al mercado sin problemas. Tal vez no sea una primera opción de transporte, pero para aquellos que buscan aventura y disfrutan de la naturaleza en definitiva es una opción más divertida que un coche.
http://www.unocero.com/2013/06/19/bicicleta-voladora-para-acampar/
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The paravelo promises to revolutionize the way we travel for work, play and adventure. Ride. Fly. Camp. You choose.
The XploreAir Paravelo is the world's first flying bicycle; a conventional two-wheeled bike that transforms into an easy-to-operate aircraft requiring no licence to fly and capable of altitudes of up to 4,000ft.
We've spent two years developing an advanced prototype and testing it on the ground and in the air. We need £50,000 to finalize the design so you can buy it off the shelf.
With your support we can change forever the way we travel.
Takes off from any open space and reaches 4,000ft
Travels at 15mph on land and 25mph in the air
Pioneering ‘door-to-door’ concept - a roadable aircraft that packs down to store inside your house or office
Features a built-in tent for flamping (fly/camping)
Heralds an era of safe, practical and affordable personal flight
This is a brand new type of ultra-light aircraft – the combination of a para wing and conventional bicycle we call paravelo.
The paravelo is aimed at those who have a thirst for adventure, but are without, perhaps, the storage space or bank balance to accommodate a helicopter.
As well suited to someone living in London as Mojave, we believe the paravelo can transform the way we travel for work, leisure and adventure.
How does it work?
At the heart of the design is a bicycle that tows a lightweight trailer carrying a powerful fan.
The lightweight design folds to a size small enough to carry into a house or apartment for storage.
In order to fly, the bike docks with its trailer, a flexible wing is unfurled and an electric starter motor fires up the biofuel-powered fan.
Once airborne, the paravelo flies at speeds of 25mph for up to three hours at a time. It can take-off from any open ground clear of obstructions – a football pitch-sized area is ideal.
One vehicle - 4 ways to use it
1. Ride
Use the bicycle on its own as you would any other bike. Fold it up to store or carry on the bus, train or metro.
2. Tow
Hitch the air frame trailer to the bike and you're ready for expedition, flight and adventure. Designed to carry the powerful motor, the air frame trailer also houses the wing, fuel and any additional supplies you'll need.
3. Fly
The bike docks with its air frame trailer to form a para-trike configuration for optimum expedition autonomy. In this set-up you can carry all the equipment you need to ride, fly and camp.
Alternatively, detach the bike and air frame trailer and wear the powerful fan on your back for a foot launch. This set-up gives improved performance in the air and allows for take off in higher and changeable wind conditions. In most territories, no licence required to fly in this configuration.
4. Flamp
Use the optional tent to fly / camp - we call it flamping. Ride your bike out of the city, fly, pitch your tent. Detach the bike to explore or fetch supplies.
Easy like riding a bike
Ride Fly Camp
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain
Inspired by our own love of life under canvas, we're developing a tent designed specifically for the paravelo. Every camping trip is special, but the freedom to cycle out of town, take to the skies, and sleep out before finally returning home opens a world of possibilities.
So, help us christen the pursuit of flamping (flying and camping)
Carried inside an integral pannier set, our lightweight XploreAir tent will use the motor cage as a structural element to keep you and your kit dry until you take to the sky again. The tent design includes a separation panel between the sleeping space and the trailer/bike compartment.
Owning a flying bicycle
"Because in the end, you won't remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain."
- Jack Kerouac
The purchase and running costs of the paravelo are comparable with a small family car and no other aircraft offers such flexibility for city dwellers; the bicycle is small enough to be taken on the metro and the entire vehicle can carried up stairs to be stored in the hallway of a flat.
As well as city commuters looking for weekend adventure, the flying bicycle has application as a highly autonomous and cost-effective aerial reconnaissance vehicle for forest rangers and border patrols etc.
Photos of the nickel silver A4 blueprint: As a flat sheet, and below as the pop-up 3D model
About us
We live in Kingston-upon-Thames, on the outskirts of London, two minutes’ walk from the birthplace of the Sopwith Aviation Company - a British aircraft company that built aircraft including the Sopwith Camel for the Royal Air Force in WW1.
We spent our childhoods riding bikes and dreaming of flight.
Enchanted by the connection between cycling and the birth of powered flight - the Wright brothers were former bicycle mechanics - we designed the paravelo to recapture that pioneering era.
We formed XploreAir to give birth to the paravelo and other equally-unusual projects planned for the future. As a project backer you'll get to know us better through regular updates and sneak previews.
John Foden & Yannick Read
Basic specifications
Parajet Volution paramotor
3 hours autonomy
25mph (air) 15mph (ground)
GPS tracker plots the bike's movements on the ground and in the air
NIteFire strobe handlebars
Designed and built in Britain
What's the funding for?
We've spent the last two years developing the flying bicycle concept to an advanced stage. The internet is awash with personal flying machines that are little more than vaporware. With your support we can make practical and affordable personal flight a reality.
We've demonstrated our design performs well, but we need to transform our flying prototype into an aircraft rugged enough for expedition duty. Only once we're satisfied it's tough enough and following further rigorous testing will it go on sale.
Another aspect of the project is the development of an integral pannier system. Working with lightweight, high-performance fabrics we aim to create luggage that contains an XploreAir tent, cooking equipment and pop-up fuel can; all basic requirements for your expedition.
If you want to celebrate the bicycle. If you want to explore, dream, discover. Back this project and join the adventure.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/114063537/paravelo-the-worlds-first-flying-bicycle?ref=live
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Una bicicleta voladora quiere despegar gracias al 'crowdfunding'
Una pareja de británicos intenta sacar adelante un proyecto que combina la bicicleta y el paramotor, así que se puede viajar con él a pedaladas, o volando con ayuda de un parapente y un ventilador motorizado. Lo han denominado ?Paravelo?, y han recurrido a la financiación colectiva para hacerlo realidad.
?Paravelo? se puede utilizar como una bicicleta normal, o se le puede incorporar un remolque que incorpora todo lo necesario para despegar. Un motor que funciona con biodiesel, un par de ruedas extra, un parapente, un ventilador que permite dirigir el vuelo, y el arnés que asegura al piloto. Según sus creadores la bicicleta permite circular hasta a 25 kilómetros por hora a base de pedaladas, y hasta a 40 kilómetros por hora durante el vuelo. Como otros parapentes similares, puede superar los 1.000 metros de altitud.
La idea detrás de ?Paravelo? es «revolucionar la manera en que viajamos por trabajo, diversión o aventura». Sus creadores afirman que solo es necesario un espacio abierto suficientemente grande ?tamaño campo de fútbol? para hacerlo despegar. Como recompensa por apoyar su proyecto también ofrecen unas clases que ayuden a controlar el aparato con seguridad para no poner en peligro ni al piloto ni a otras personas.
A pesar de presentar el proyecto en Kickstarter, ninguna de las recompensas permite comprarlo por anticipado. Sus inventores afirman que, si consiguen los 50.000 dólares, podrán terminar la fase de preproducción y estará listo para que una compañía más grande ?sin identificar? lo ponga en el mercado.
El precio de ?Paravelo?, afirman en la página web de crowdfunding, será equivalente al de un pequeño coche familiar. Según ellos, ningún otro medio de transporte volador ofrece tanta flexibilidad a los habitantes de una ciudad. Se puede guardar en casa, y llevarlo pedaleando hasta el lugar de despegue.
Además de para personas interesadas en paramotores y ciclismo, los creadores de Paravelo creen que puede ser una alternativa eficiente y barata para guardabosques y policías de frontera, ya que permite volar desde casi cualquier lugar, por poco dinero.
http://www.que.es/ultimas-noticias/201306202212-bicicleta-voladora-quiere-despegar-gracias-rc.html
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