From the department of isn't-there-anything-else-to-do-in-England comes this news: One Mr. Neil Laughton, 45, of West Sussex, England will pilot a flying quasi-dune buggy from London to Timbuktu, a journey of about 3,800 miles beginning today.
Laughton's steed will be the Parajet Skycar designed by Giles Cardozo in a scant 18 months. The Skycar looks like a dune buggy onto which a swamp boat-style propeller has been grafted. It will be held aloft (one hopes) by a quite large hang gliding-style parachute. The Skycar needs a runway of about 650 feet to take off and can then cruise at about 2,000 to 3,000 feet at an airspeed up to 100 mph and has a range of a little more than 200 miles. The ParaWing (parachute) is small enough to be folded up and stored in the vehicle for overland travel. This is the first attempt at a flying car from Parajet, which typically sells motor/fan units that a person can strap to his back, should he want to go "parajetting."
The trip will get off to something of a inauspicious beginning because the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has prevented the team from flying over the English Channel. Assuming all goes well -- a rather large assumption -- the team plans to arrive in Timbuktu, Mali on February 20th.
"There is a significant kidnap threat in that area [north-west of Timbuktu] so we have to be very careful and will be choosing our route very carefully," Laughton told the Telegraph newspaper. Indeed.
rick8365 says:
03:34 AM, 01/15/09
I'll take the buggy....sans the fan and chute/wing.
estreka says:
07:37 PM, 01/17/09
That looks like a LOT of fun. Sign me up!