The Segway of the sky will fly in early 2008 thanks to Pete Bitar of Air Buoyant. The Vertipod is designed to be a $10,000 kit for the do-it-yourself fly boys. Flying on the one-person device is as easy as standing on the platform, firing up the helicopter-like blades, and lifting off, then leaning to steer.
“Classified as an ultralight aircraft, the propeller-powered VertiPod’s simple controls could spark a transportation revolution,” Wired said.
“‘It’s kind of the first step toward the flying car,’ said Air Buoyant President and CEO Pete Bitar. ‘We call it the Segway of the sky. It has a rudder that steers it laterally, but you just lean in the direction you want to go.”
So what if the promise made to every young boy in 1950 only took a few decades to happen?
The Vertipod looks a bit like a one-passenger helicopter turned upside-down. Its propeller is on the bottom and the pilot stands on a platform built around it with back support and controls at waist-level.
It is powered by a 440-cubic-centimeter engine that runs on gasoline or ethanol and can be activated with a pull-start, like a lawnmower. The VertiPod is intended to travel five to 15 feet above ground at a top speed of 40 mph. Bitar said it will be sold for $10,000 in a kit that can be assembled in a weekend.
“It actually flies, unlike a hovercraft, which is just a ground effect,” Bitar said. “It could have applications for law enforcement, especially border patrol, but it will also be available to the consumer market.”
(blog.wired)
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