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This Hoverbike Flying Motorcycle Looks Pretty Darn Real

By Rain Noe - June 20, 2011

in Cars

What would you get if you took a two-wheel-drive motorcycle, rotated the wheels so they were horizontal, and replaced those wheels with fan blades? Why, you'd get a flying motorcycle, of course.

At least that's the hope. Australian mechanical engineer Chris Malloy has been working on his Hoverbike for two and a half years with the hopes of eventually selling them. Malloy estimates the Hoverbike will have a 10,000-foot ceiling, a top speed of 150 knots (around 170 mph) and a flying time of 45 minutes. The key safety feature is a parachute on your back and another two explosive parachutes attached to the frame, if you don't feel like ditching.

Sure it's a little suspicious that the tethered flying tests have only been documented with still photographs and no video, despite one (unsatisfying) video showing an engine airflow test, but like all boys and men I desperately want to believe the Hoverbike is real. Malloy is currently soliciting donations on his website to fund the project. (Glen, next time you see Malloy, tell him about Kickstarter for chrissakes. He puts this thing up there and his funding will shoot up faster than the bike.)

I'm sure you've got lots of questions about how the bike actually flies, what the controls are like, and what the other safety features are. Malloy's prepared with an FAQ you can check out here.

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Chris

13 years ago

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Just wanted to let you know that you've got a customer waiting as soon as this goes into production.
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Macus

13 years ago

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I think its great ! How wide is tail propt and what is the turn radius. I hear the take off is still shakey that could be fixed by moding the chasy covering for directioal venting. Great start through. MaD MAx anf the Thunder Dome is Back!
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David Nagy

13 years ago

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Where did you come up with this idea? And what year? appears that a project has been compromised!
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harris

13 years ago

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Like Alex, I agree on it's unstability on the roll.
The center of gravity seems to be pretty high and there is no countering force vector or momentum to keep this thing from rolling.

As long as there is no proof of actual flying this thing it remains no more than an adventure fantasy.
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Alex

13 years ago

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Seems like it'd be a little unstable in roll axis.
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Ralph Couey

13 years ago

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At ten thousand feet, he's gonna need oxygen, a suit heater,and avoidance radar.

But like you, I'm hangin on to a shred of skepticism. We haven't "seen" it fly yet. Too bad he couldn't make a cameo appearance at the Paris Air Show this week.
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Tom Lawton

13 years ago

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This is awesome & would get quick funding. But sadly no-one outside of the US can post a project on Kickstarter without US ID, US address & US bank accounts etc. Try and releigh KS into opening the doors - and then, yes... this will get funding & you'll see a whole host of international projects up there.
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socreative

13 years ago

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wow! wicked! I want one :)
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