I can see how 'flamping' might be mistaken for a phenomeme-non of dubious SFWness; I gotta admit, I wouldn't have guessed what the portmanteau neologism is short for without a hint either. Turns out it's short for "fly camping"—as in loading up your trusty flying bicycle and skipping town for quick weekend getaways in rather more sylvan environs.

Wait, what?

Last week, we caught up with the nearly-two-years-in-the-making saga of Aerovelo's Atlas quadcopter, a human-powered helicopter that garnered international recognition for achieving a controlled flight to Sikorsky prize-winning specifications, hovering at 3.3 meters for just over a minute. If Aerovelo co-founders Cameron Robertson and Todd Reichert are the heirs to the aerospace pioneer's legacy—which, by the way, came with a $250K purse—John Foden and Yannick Read have more in common with Terrafugia's Carl Dietrich, who is looking to bring a flying vehicle to the general public. Where Dietrich has been working on bringing the flying car to market for several years now, Foden and Read have developed a marginally less ambitious conveyance. The XploreAir Paravelo is essentially a hybrid folding bike + paramotor, a single-passenger vehicle that achieves liftoff through a detachable, motor-driven or human-powered fan.

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.

Of course, the Atlas (a VTOL (Vertical TakeOff & Landing) aircraft) is fundamentally a different beast from the Paravelo, which addresses a different set of constraints: the entire vehicle folds to fit into the trunk of a car; like other folding bikes, the pedal-powered portion is small enough to be carried on public transit. Deployed in full, it's capable of upwards of three hours of flight time at 25mph and up to 4,000 ft. elevation.

Which is a very long definition of flamping, which was the inspiration for the Paravelo in the first place. As Foden told the Guardian, "The Wright brothers were former bicycle mechanics so there's a real connection between cycling and the birth of powered flight that's recaptured in the spirit of the Paravelo." The article continues:Read said the way to get the most out of the Paravelo is to use the folding bike throughout the working week, then when Friday evening arrives, hitch the trailer to the back and cycle out of town, ready to take to the skies when enough open space presents itself. "Really what it is is an extension of how you can use a bike, in quite an adventurous way," he said.

The Guardian article also emphasizes potentially nebulous safety and security regulations, though a quick perusal of the Wikipedia page for powered paragliding—the closest relative to the Paravelo—suggests that regulations for such vehicles are quite lax at present. In fact, no license is required (in the U.S. or U.K.) to operate the Paravelo as a standalone paramotoring apparatus, i.e. sans bicycle, though proper training is highly recommended. (The Terrafugia, on the other hand, has been granted exemptions by both the FAA and NHTSA for certain design features, but will be required to takeoff/land at airports.)

In any case, the Paravelo is currently halfway through a two-month Kickstarter campaign, but they're well short of the £50,000 goal. The flying bicycle itself is not actually available at any backing level—a £5,000 pledge buys you a production folding bicycle and a place on the waitlist—but the Paravelo will reportedly retail for a not-insubstantial $16,000.

Once more, with feeling

Bonus: I was also interested to learn that co-designer Read is no stranger to experimental bicycles: the Hornster, which dates back to last year, echoes a certain cycling-themed April Fools' Day joke and a Kickstarted bicycle accessory alike:

Via Inhabitat