Jorge Ayala
Dude , what happens should you hit some geese????
John in Brisbane
Cool! Reports about this machine turned up on avweb.com late last year. There is a cool animation of it either there or on youtube. I like it because it is a better version of the kind of minimalist, low impact personal transports that I often try to sketch. I particularly like the fact that it appears to be a useful device despite relying on our current tech which is limited by battery and motor weight/capacity/output.
I suspect that the same tech is just about right to produce a roughly 500 pound/250kg two seat aircraft that sacrifices the (admittedly) neat vertical take off and landing capability in return for 2 to 5 times the range. I think that something with a 100 metre/300ft runway requirement, that is whisper quiet and able to get you 150 miles in an hour for next to nothing would be a real winner. Now that some serious effort is being put into battery and motor tech, we might see some real developments in this direction.
I absolutely applaud NASA for allowing people to do this kind of work - I look to them to stimulate development and to maybe develop some wild and crazy concepts in order to further the art. Very cool.
Ariel Dahan
I thought it was an \"april fool\" when I first read it in \"Science & Vie\" magazine. Yet, I definitely want that craft!!!
Muraculous
I like the electric motor concept but think that 50 miles is way too short a range for a vehicle of this sort. What is the hovering time and how long does the pilot have to set-down in relation to remaining battery power? Sounds like about 50 minutes of battery time but probably way less when hovering....unless these safeguards are built in to the specs.
Rolf Hawkins
C\'mon, people. That design has so many flaws it\'s not even funny. I\'ll give you two: survivability in a crash-landing in the face-forward/face down position, and the strain of flying for any length of time with your head tilted backwards so you can look straight ahead. Who\'d even want to get into something shaped like a torpedo? Wait! I\'ll give you a third for free! Your situational awareness is non-existent, as you can\'t see around you in a horizontal plane to look for obstacles such as other aircraft.
Facebook User
Marry the fuselage with the Acabion motorcycle and fold the top wing like the MV-22 osprey for road travel. Since gas turbines are getting better at acceleration, FUEL VARIETY will allow high-speed transit and low cost.
William H Lanteigne
I believe a gyrocopter would serve the same mission requirements at a fraction of the cost and complexity, with greater economy and safety. If the weight of the craft is under 253 lbs, it would fall in the ultralight category and wouldn\'t require a pilot\'s license in the US.
Even simpler would be a backpack powered parachute.
William H Lanteigne
After a few moment\'s thought, I remembered the DA-11, designed by Leeon (yes, with 2 \"e\'s\") Davis; I believe the plans are still available?
118 mph on a B&S Vanguard 18hp V-twin.
Probably could build the entire thing cheaper than buying the Puffin battery pack.
No, it doesn\'t hover.
Edgar Walkowsky
I like the concept but the pilots position looks very uncomfortable and possibly dangerous. I agree with William about the creating an electric gyrocopter.
gafisher
\"... it essentially has no emissions?\" I\'m willing to guess 60hp worth of electric motors don\'t run for 20 minutes (the approximate maximum flight time) without a charge in the batteries. It might be fair to say \"no _local_ emissions\" but some sort of power plant would almost certainly be emitting pollutants somewhere before this toy takes off. That\'s not to say it\'s not a very cool concept!