Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Parajet SkyCar Adventure
The Parajet SkyCar is a very cool flying car developed in the UK. It combines a modified dune buggy car with a parafoil to achieve sustained flights at altitudes of up to 3,000 feet.
(Parajet SkyCar)
In January 2009 the Parajet Skycar expedition team, led by former British army officer Neil Laughton and Skycar inventor Gilo Cardozo, successfully completed its inaugural flight, an incredible journey from the picturesque surroundings of London to Tombouctou.Supported by an experienced team of overland adventurers using an assortment of all-terrain vehicles including, 4x4’s, off-road motorbikes and a specialist 8x8 truck to carry supplies, bio-fuel and water, the 42-day expedition travelled through France, Spain and Morocco, and then across the Sahara by way of Mauritania and Mali, before returning home via Senegal - an intrepid maiden voyage of some 9000 km.
Alongside the inhospitable terrain and challenging weather conditions, the team were warned about the threat of kidnap in volatile parts of Africa and the possibility of negotiating minefields in Mauritania.
Take a look at this video showing a daring flight across the Straits of Gibraltar.
(Daring flight across the straits)
I'm reminded of the imaginative kite-copter car from Jack Vance's remarkable 1952 short story The Kokod Warriors:
The observation vehicle was of that peculiar variety used in conveying a large number of people across rough terrain. The car proper was suspended by a pair of cables from the kite-copter which flew five hundred feet overhead. The operator, seated in the nose of the car, worked pitch and attack by remote control, and so could skim quietly five feet over the ground, hover over waterfalls, ridges, ponds, other areas of scenic beauty with neither noise nor the thrash of driven air to disturb the passengers.
Parajet Automotive is taking orders for SkyCars - the estimated standard price is about $100,00. Go ahead - place an order for a Parajet SkyCar.
Adventurous readers may also enjoy this story about a bike attached to a motorized paraglider.
Find out more at the Parajet Automotive website.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 12/23/2009)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 3 )
Related News Stories - (" Vehicle ")
Inmotion Electric Unicycle In Combat
'It is about the size and shape of a kitchen stool, gyro-stabilized...' - Robert Heinlein, 1940.
Congress Considers Automatic Emergency Braking, One Hundred Years Too Late
'The greatest problem of all was the elimination of the human element of braking together with its inevitable time lag.' - Bernhard Brown, 1934.
The 'Last Mile' In China Crowded With Delivery Robots
Yes, it's a delivery robot. On wheels.
Musk Idea Of Cars Talking To Each Other Predicted 70 Years Ago
'My cars talk to one another.' - Isaac Asimov, 1953.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Golf Ball Test Robot Wears Them Out
"The robot solemnly hit a ball against the wall, picked it up and teed it, hit it again, over and again...'
Boring Company Vegas Loop Like Asimov Said
'There was a wall ahead... It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'
Rigid Metallic Clothing From Science Fiction To You
'...support the interior human structure against Jupiter’s pull.'
Is The Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 A Heinlein Vibroblade?
'It ain't a vibroblade. It's steel. Messy.'
Roborock Saros Z70 Is A Robot Vacuum With An Arm
'Anything larger than a BB shot it picked up and placed in a tray...'
A Beautiful Visualization Of Compact Food
'The German chemists have discovered how to supply the needed elements in compact, undiluted form...'
Bone-Building Drug Evenity Approved
'Compounds devised by the biochemists for the rapid building of bone...'
Secret Kill Switch Found In Yutong Buses
'The car faltered as the external command came to brake...'
Inmotion Electric Unicycle In Combat
'It is about the size and shape of a kitchen stool, gyro-stabilized...'
Grok Scores Best In Psychological Tests
'Try to find out how he ticks...'
PaXini Supersensitive Robot Fingers
'My fingers are not that sensitive...'
Congress Considers Automatic Emergency Braking, One Hundred Years Too Late
'The greatest problem of all was the elimination of the human element of braking together with its inevitable time lag.'
The Desert Ship Sailed In Imagination
'Across the ancient sea floor a dozen tall, blue-sailed Martian sand ships floated, like blue smoke.'
The Zapata Air Scooter Would Be Great In A Science Fiction Story
'Betty's slapdash style.'
Thermostabilized Wet Meat Product (NASA Prototype)
There are no orbiting Michelin stars. Yet.
Could Crystal Batteries Generate Power For Centuries?
'Power could be compressed thus into an inch-square cube of what looked like blue-white ice'
