An Australian chap named Chris Malloy has built a hoverbike from motorbike parts, which he claims can fly at 173mph at an altitude of 3,000 metres.
Those are theoretical figures for the time being, because it hasn't flown too far yet. Instead they're based on the device's thrust-to-weight ratio, which is extremely high thanks to how little weight it carries. It consists almost solely of a pair of massive propellers, powered by a central 1170cc four-stroke engine with a seat on top. The fuel tank contains enough juice to give it a range of 92 miles at a cruising speed of 92 mph.
The right handlebar controls the thrust of the rotors, while the left one adjusts the angle of the control vanes, pitching the nose down or up to move forward or backward respectively. Left and right involves turning the handlebars left or right respectively.
The current prototype doesn't have much in the way of safety features, but Malloy plans to add a pair of explosive parachutes to the frame, or just require the rider to wear a parachute, as well as covering the currently-exposed propellors with a mesh to stop limbs from being lopped off. Malloy also hopes to implement gyroscopic controls with onboard overrides to stop the craft from tipping over.
Happily you won't need a pilot's license to fly one, as the hoverbike is officially classified as an ultralight. But it'll be a while before you can get your bum onto its leather seat -- test flights haven't yet happened and while Malloy hopes to get into limited production within a year, he's still looking for investors to make that a reality.
To that end, he's soliciting donations from his website. If you want to see the hoverbike in the skies, head on over and give him some cash.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
