"Former test pilot Larry Neal of Boyd, Texas created this awesome flying machine called the Super Sky Cycle (basically a flying bike - technically a cross between a motorcycle and an autogyro).The flying bike goes as fast as 70 mph in the air and 60 mph on the road, and sells for around $25 grand!"Even on a motorcycle you can get stuck in traffic, and dream of lifting yourself and your motorcycle above the traffic, gliding home, avoiding traffic jams. Mixing motorcycle and airplane is not easy. Some are trying {
link}, and some are close to success.
The Butterfly is one of the latter. Larry Neal, president of
The Butterfly LLC has been awarded a patent for his Super Sky Cycle. The Super Sky Cycle is a motorcycle, or more a trike, with foldable rotor blades above the rider.
The rotor blades are extended in an out position, and when they turn, they provide the lift, the same way a fixed wing would. With a propeller in the back, you can fly away. The rotor blades not only give you lift when flying, but when landing, you can set the thing down on a dime (
well, a dime measuring 20 feet).
The concept of the Super Sky Cycle is that of the
Autogyro, an invention as old as flying itself (
it was invented in 1919 in Spain). By adding foldable rotor blades, you can not only ride the motorcycle like you would any trike, but also store it in almost any garage.
The Rotax 582 engine powers either the wheels or the propeller. The vehicle can fly at a cruise speed of
50 mph, with a maximum speed of 65 mph. Remember, there are no speed cameras in the sky, and no hidden Police officers .
Depending on your speed and comfort wishes, the Super Sky Cycle will range in price starting around the
US$20,000 up to US$40,000. Assembly is required, and you do not need a rubber band for the propeller.
PublishAuthor: Mike Werner
Sky Motorcycle Video
Soldiers from Taiwan's elite special forces ride motorcycles from a helicopter during a drill in southern Tainan county March 8, 2007. Taiwan's elite special forces would likely find themselves at the front lines if war were to break out between Taiwan and China, which considers the democratically ruled island a wayward province since its split from the mainland at the end of a civil war in 1949. Training and motivation are essential as Taiwan's army of 130,000 ground troops is outnumbered more than 10-to-one by China's People's Liberation Army. Picture taken on March 8, 2007. To match feature TAIWAN-ARMY/ REUTERS/C.C.Yao (TAIWAN)
