Alizul: ...AND NOW A FLYING BOAT!

Wednesday 27 June 2012

...AND NOW A FLYING BOAT!

First there’s the flying car (with its history thrown in), then a helicopter bike, which are roadable vehicles. What about a boat that can fly over water? Well, there’s one now: the FlyNano, a miniature electric flying boat. And it has already made its first test flight. Read on…

Is it a jetski? Is it a light aircraft? It's both! Revolutionary miniature electric flying boat could revolutionise personal air transport
By Damien Gayle, Daily Mail, 22 June 2012.

Do you like jetskiing? And do you like piloting light aircraft? If the answer to both those questions is yes - and you have a spare £26,000 - then you'll be rubbing your hands with glee.

This incredible new aircraft is the FlyNano miniature electric flying boat, which has just made its first test flight over Finland's chilly lakes. [See photos of its maiden flight.]

Over a decade in development, the FlyNano is a radical new design for a personal aircraft weighing in at less than 70kg - meaning potential owners may not even need a licence to legally fly it.

Ready for take off: The FlyNano tears across Lake Hepari, in Kirkkonummi, Finland, ready for its maiden flight earlier this month.

We have lift off! The miniature electric flying boat takes to the skies, the culmination of a decade's work.

Its makers say: 'Everyone has sometime imagined what it would be like to fly free as a bird. FlyNano is for the fun of flying - no passengers, no cargo - just you, FlyNano and the endless blue.

'If you’ve ever had a pilot’s licence, or had experience with ultras or micros, you’ll fly Nano right out of the box.

'The rest of you will need to learn the simple rules of the air. Minimum red tape - maximum fun.'

The FlyNano prototype had its first short test flight earlier this month on Lake Hepari, Kirkkonummi, Finland, where it managed to make it airborne for only a couple of seconds.

Its wing area is small in comparison with other electric aeroplanes, which tend to have the efficient, higher-aspect-ratio wings typical of sailplanes, wired.com reported.

Nevertheless, FlyNano's head designer, Aki Suokas, claims a top speed of 87mph, maximum range of 40 miles and a service ceiling of up to 10,000ft.

An aviation consultant, flight designer and enthusiastic pilot, Mr Suokas first dreamed of the radical new flight design that would weigh less than 70 kilos in 2001. That magic weight limit determines how a new plane is legally classified.

Ambitious: FlyNano's head designer, Aki Suokas, claims a top speed of 87mph, maximum range of 40 miles and a service ceiling of up to 10,000ft.

Sleek: The FlyNano concept was presented last year at the Aero 2011 trade fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

The aircraft has no cockpit in a traditional sense, or even a windshield, so pilots would have to use a crash helmet with a visor - or even a classic pair of flying goggles.

It all fits in with the FlyNano philosophy to 'feel the wind'.

It is built from an advanced carbon fibre composite construction. Wingspan is nearly 5m, nose to tail 3.5m, and height 1.3m. The maximum take off weight is 200kg.

Vision: Aki Suokas first dreamed of the radical new flight design that would weigh less than 70 kilos in 2001. That magic weight limit determines how a new plane is legally classified.

The FlyNano concept was presented last year at the Aero 2011 trade fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany, where it was envisioned to be primarily powered with a combustion engine.

However, thanks to advances in the development of electric motors over the past year, the range has been upgraded to almost silent battery power.

The first 35 FlyNanos will be shipped to dealers from 2013, with a basic price of 32,000 euros (£25,696), with the optional transport and storage trailer costing 5,300 euros (£4,256).

Now watch FlyNano in action: