At Unfinished Man, we love things that fly and have featured a number of different aircraft including the very cool, flying hovercraft. And now, we would like to introduce you guys to the Hoverbike. I almost busted a nut when I saw pictures of this …this thing. The hoverbike is the creation of Chris Mallony and is still in development stages with one prototype being used for testing.
Mallony envisions using this helicopter/motorcycle hybrid for Search & Rescue, Aerial Surveys, Films, Military & Emergency services, and my favorite, Aerial Cattle Mustering. The hoverbike’s theoretical hovering altitude is 10,000ft while the airspeed is 173mph (150 KIAS).
The 240 pound hoverbike is powered by a 1,170cc 4-stroke engine and a carbon fiber driveshaft which turn two Tasmanian Oak propellers. With the present setup, the hoverbike has a range of 92 miles. As badass as this may look, there definitely are safety concerns here. For starters, if you happen to slip off and end up becoming a street pizza. Not a pretty sight! Although you should be strapped in, Malloy plans on implementing a pair of explosive parachutes for emergencies as well as requiring riders to wear one. And with spinning propellers in front and behind you, having terrible and gruesome thoughts running through your mind won’t make the flying experience any fun, now would it? The production version would have mesh covers for the propellers so that you can save your arm and a leg for purchase of this vehicle. And lastly, gyroscopic controls with on-board overrides will prevent the hoverbike from tipping over.
The entire project is funded by donations and the goal is to reach $1.1 million. With enough orders, the goal is to sell the hoverbike at $40,000. According to the website, a prototype can be built for you at a cost of $80,000 AUD (Australian dollars) plus cost of delivery. You can also help the project by ordering hoverbike merchandise such as T-Shirts or even a scale model of the craft.
For more details about the project, check out Hover-Bike.
