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Imitating E.T.: Two British cyclists design and fly a flying bike

Two British cyclists with life-long dreams of flight have created one of the world’s first flying bicycles – a conventional bike that converts to an easy-to-operate aircraft that they claim can soar to 4,000 feet and cover 75 miles+ after liftoff.

Yannick Read, 42, and John Foden, 37, who met while living on the same road in Kingston upon Thames, are both avid cyclists who decided to partner together to create a flying bike. As Read told ABCNews.com:

“Growing up we wanted to be pilots, but training and maintenance and cost are real barriers. We wanted to create an aircraft that was as accessible, relatively speaking, as could be.”

In March 2011, read sent a long-shot email to Jim Edmondson with British paramotor manufacturer Parajet to outline the pair’s design and concept for a flying bike. To their surprise, Edmondson was not only enthusiastic, but told the pair to widen their concept as they would have his assistance and support.

The results of their work is the Paravelo, a combination of a para-wing and a conventional bike which (like various recent flying car concepts) tows a trailer carrying a powerful fan. When the cyclist reaches a stretch of open road, the para-wing is unfolded, the fan with an electric-start motor is started and the bike is airborne in a matter of meters. At this point in time, Read says:

“We built a series of prototypes, and the current one is fairly polished. The next version, with funding, would be to develop, to ruggedize it, make it more robust, the way we envision it being used — as a bicycle Monday to Friday. You will be able to commute on the bike. Then, make use of the flying capability.”

Read and Foden have begun a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of reaching £50,000 ($78,000) to launch their flying bike.

At least for now, flying bikes in the UK don’t require a special license to operate; but of course, that might change soon if they gain in popularity. Read also added that:

“It’s safe because of low air speeds. You’re flying about 25 miles per hour, that low speed makes it so safe. In terms of controlling, it’s like controlling a little Vespa scooter.”

In other words, if you want to imitate the famous flying bike scene E.T., soon you will be able to!

Why women prefer airplanes over men…

Airplanes can be turned off when you don’t wish to fly.
An airplane doesn’t “let down” before it’s time.
With an airplane, size matters.
An airplane takes gas, a man passes it.
Airplanes can be overhauled when the engine sputters.
Airplanes do not perform over-gross.
Airplanes don’t come with drinking buddies.
Airplanes eventually stop whining.
Airplanes don’t use drag, thrust, wait and balance as a checklist.
Airplanes know what a final approach is.
Airplanes don’t mind if you position and hold.
In an airplane, a soft field landing isn’t a disappointment.
Airplanes don’t mind if you’d rather just cuddle.
Only toy airplanes run by remote control.

Ladies, have we forgotten anything?

What’s hot (or cool) at this year’s Paris Air Show

The 50th International Paris Air Show started on Monday and will run until Sunday, but both Bloomberg Television and the Wall Street Journal have already profiled what’s hot or cool at this year’s air show.

To begin with, Andrea Hildenbrand, the co-founder and head of marketing & sales at Sensefly, appeared on Bloomberg Television’s “The Pulse” to talk about her company’s drones or UAVs:

Meanwhile, a French aerospace firm is developing a drone that could fly people and cargo across the ocean, powered only by the sun:

In addition, Igor Pasternak, the founder of air-cargo transportation company Aeros Corp., also talked about his company’s plans to create a market for helium-filled cargo airships:

Finally, the Wall Street Journal profiled some of the array of future cockpit designs that were unveiled at the Paris Air Show which allow pilots to control aircraft by tapping or swiping one of the many touch-screen pads that fill the cockpit:

Ryanair’s latest stunt: Would you fly with a teenage airline pilot?

Nineteen year old Ryan Irwin, from Wirral, Merseyside, has been offered a job with budget carrier Ryanair after qualifying as a pilot from the Oxford Aviation Academy back in February. Apparently, he was also offered a job with Jet2, another budget airline. After completing his training in September, he will take to the skies and fulfill a life long dream of flying.

However, news of a nineteen year old airline pilot has naturally attracted some criticism. In a Decision Heights blog post entitled Acne in the Cockpit, Alan Cockrell complained that Ryan won’t be required to pay his dues via a “seasoning” period (e.g. night cargo runs and the like) as other airline pilots must do. He also asked:

What good is he other than as a captain’s “assistant”? Suppose, for example he gets paired with a weak captain. (They exist.) Will he have the means, knowledge and skills to mitigate the captain’s mistakes? Or suppose he gets paired with an egotistical captain—one who espouses the time-tested suicidal cockpit management technique called, “my way or the highway”? (There are many.) Will he have the fortitude to speak out against the boss’ ill-advised decisions? Not likely. More likely he will silently let the captain fly him all the way into the crater, assuming he even sees it coming.

Certainly, Alan has a point and he also added at the end of his post:

But young Ryan will soon realize that on Ryan pay he will be able to pay off his Oxford Aviation Academy debt in a about three decades and the glitter of his not-so-long awaited-for dream-come-true will fade.

And while its easy to dismiss Ryan’s hiring as just another Michael O’Leary publicity stunt (like threatening to install coin operated toilets or making passenger stand), he may not be the only nineteen year pilot at the airline as someone posted the following comment on the Daily Mail article about his hiring:

I’m sorry Mail, get your facts straight. I know at least 3 more pilots, who been with Ryanair for years, and joined at 19, becoming captains at 23-24. But there are definitely many many more. This boy is not an exception in any way.
– Ruta , Liverpool, United Kingdom, 17/5/2013 15:08

Granted, we should point at that there are probably many nineteen year old pilots in the various air forces of the world entrusted with flying some very expensive and very dangerous aircraft.

With that said, we want to ask you our readers: Do you think a nineteen year old should be in the cockpit of an airline flying passengers? Moreover and even if you won’t fly Ryanair, would you want to fly in an airliner with someone his age potentially at the controls?

Traffic is a Pitts…

Tower: Airliner X, please expedite decent through 4,000 feet. Traffic is a Pitts at 11 o’clock climbing to 4,500.
Pilot: Is the Pitts doing aerobatics?
Tower: Not intentionally, but it may start if you don’t expedite your descent.

A Pitts S1s Aerobatic biplane

Want to buy your own P-51 Mustang replica?

The AOPA Pilot Blog has brought our attention to FK Lightplanes, a small-aircraft manufacturer based in Poland, and its FK51 Mustang – a 70%-scale replica of the famous P-51 Mustang, an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War.

The aircraft only weighs 1,000 pounds (a limit for ultralights in Europe), has retractable landing gear (which can’t be done in the American light sport aircraft world, but the company is developing a version with fixed gear to comply with the American light sport rules) and a couple of extra special details, namely:

Around 100,000 simulated rivets and screw heads in its molds, meaning the carbon-fiber airplane aircraft appears to be made of metal.
When the aircraft is started, a sound system is automatically triggered which plays a recording of the Merlin engine used by the real Mustang. The speaker is disguised as a cooling vent on the lower cowl.
Puffs of smoke will emerge from fake exhaust stacks to add to illusion you are flying a real P-51 Mustang.

One other thing: The aircraft is aerobatic as heck (because its supposed to be a P-51 Mustang) and is capable of plus 8 Gs and minus 4 Gs.

The AOPA Pilot Blog noted the following video on bydanjohnson.com where Dan talks to company representatives about the aircraft:

FK Lightplanes intends to complete final testing in July and then get final approvals in Europe with deliveries starting in late summer. And the price? €99,800 (net excluding taxes).

That may sound pricey for what amounts to a light sport aircraft, but if you have ever dreamed of owning or flying your own P-51 Mustang, the FK51 is going to be your only chance!