Hoverbike set to take off in 2017
You can whack down a $5000 deposit now on this futuristic flying 'bike', which weighs in at 350 kilos and can run for about 75 minutes on a full tank of fuelThe concept of the Aero-X Hoverbike has been around for some time, but now the company behind the project, Aerofex in California, has said the ‘bike’ will be launching in 2017.
The company is now taking refundable deposits of $5000 on the futuristic Hoverbike.
The Aero-X is designed to carry two people up to a height of three metres above the ground and reach speeds of up to 72 km/h.
With a dry weight of about 356kg, the Hoverbike can carry loads of up to 140kg over any type of surface, say company officials. It's also expected to run for about 75 minutes on a full tank of fuel. While it's primarily being designed to be a low-altitude sport and utility vehicle, its developers say it can be adapted for any number of uses.
With carbon fibre rotors taking the place of wheels, the Aero-X will be able to take-off and land vertically without the need for a runway or forward speed, according to the company. And because it’s actually flying it doesn’t need roads and can cross very rough country with ease.
The Aero-X design combines the ducted rotors of a hovercraft with the ease of driving a motorcycle or quad bike. But the vision has only become possible because Aerofex says it has worked to conquer tough engineering challenges involving stability and control issues that plagued similar hover vehicles in past decades.
"We’ve done a lot of work to learn how to remove the coupling effect," says Mark De Roche, chief technology officer and founder of Aerofex. "That’s the key for someone who only has motorcycle experience to be able to get on it and feel comfortable right away."
It's reported to be as easy to ride as a motorcycle, as pilots will be able to use the handlebar grips to control the Hoverbike in a similar fashion. They'll only need about a weekend of training to be able to fly it easily, the company claims.
The design features an intuitive pilot interface, two-position control bars and a four-wheel gear. The Aero-X Hoverbike is around 4.5m in length and 2.1m in width. Some of the additional features being considered for the Aero-X include whole vehicle airbags, flotation pontoons for water operations and transport trailers.
For more information go to: www.aerofex.com
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