Real hover car driver#

Like traction control technology in a modern car, the computer could help a driver going too fast, or who, in a flying vehicle, encounters strong winds for example.Īnother significant design consideration is the engine. Production hoverbikes will probably have more computers to help guide the pilot, particularly in extreme circumstances. “If we had said, ‘Oh by the way there’s a computer in there’ it would be like photoshopping our videos.” It’s important to prove that stable flight is possible without constant, complicated computer intervention, says DeRoche. DeRoche says this is to prove that the controls are as intuitive as possible. The video (above) shows early test flights of the Aero-X, with no computer interface between the pilot and the controls. Cutbacks in military spending meant the vehicles were never developed further, but they serve as a proof-of-concept for tandem-duct aircraft like the hoverbike, says DeRoche. Piasecki Helicopter Co (now Piasecki Aircraft) built three variants of 'flying Jeep' for the US army. The concept behind the Aero-X isn’t new, with similar designs dating back to the 1950s. Aerofex says it has found that, for this type of vehicle, it makes sense to fly up to around 20ft (6m) above the ground. The company says that should be possible, and that the rider sits in a position where the vehicle responds to his movements similar to the way a motorcycle would. None of these people fly aircraft for a living, so the vehicle will have to be easy enough for a non-pilot to fly. It could also be used by emergency services, for disaster relief or search and rescue, as well as for border patrols. Aerofex thinks its vehicle could be useful for farmers, both for agriculture (crops) and herding animals. “There’s really nothing between a ground vehicle and an aircraft,” he says, apart from much more expensive helicopters and small planes. Aerofex says it will be capable of 72km/h (45mph).īut at a cost of $85,000, who is a crossover hoverbike aimed at, beyond the odd rich eccentric with a head for heights? Although it’s a niche product, the company’s CTO and founder Mark DeRoche told me it could be a lucrative niche.

It is designed for low-altitude flying, and can zoom over ground that even an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) would struggle with. It is technically a hovercraft, but it apparently feels like riding a motorbike. The company calls it a crossover vehicle. Eventually there will be space for just two passengers though, and early prototypes show only one brave test-rider, who perches on top of two horizontal spinning blades encased in circular housings. The device is named the Aero-X and it takes up about as much room as a small car. It is uncannily reminiscent of a Speeder Bike from the original Star Wars trilogy. We do not have many floating, hovering, flying vehicles, despite a great deal of engineering effort from entrepreneurs to develop jetpacks, flying cars, and radical hovercraft.īut if the hoverbike currently being developed by Los Angeles-based Aerofex, gets off the ground, this could change.

Getting from A to B is very rarely boring in the world of science fiction – sadly real life is often a let-down in comparison.

Real hover car