The XploreAir Paravelo is
the world's first flying bicycle; a conventional two-wheeled bike that
transforms into an easy-to-operate aircraft requiring no licence to fly
and capable of altitudes of up to 4,000ft.
We've spent two years
developing an advanced prototype and testing it on the ground and in the
air. We need £50,000 to finalize the design so you can buy it off the
shelf.
Even by making a pledge of £1 you'll be playing your part in bringing this exciting project to life.
Takes off from any open space and reaches 4,000ft Travels at 15mph on land and 25mph in the air Pioneering ‘door-to-door’ concept - a roadable aircraft that packs down to store inside your house or office Features a built-in tent for flamping (fly/camping) Heralds an era of safe, practical and affordable personal flight
This is a brand new type of ultra-light aircraft – the combination of a para wing and conventional bicycle we call paravelo.
The paravelo is aimed
at those who have a thirst for adventure, but are without, perhaps, the
storage space or bank balance to accommodate a helicopter.
As well suited to someone living in London as Mojave, we believe the paravelo can transform the way we travel for work, leisure and adventure.
How does it work?
At the heart of the design is a bicycle that tows a lightweight trailer carrying a powerful fan.
The lightweight design folds to a size small enough to carry into a house or apartment for storage.
In
order to fly, the bike docks with its trailer, a flexible wing is
unfurled and an electric starter motor fires up the biofuel-powered
fan.
Once airborne, the paravelo flies at speeds of 25mph
for up to three hours at a time. It can take-off from any open ground
clear of obstructions – a football pitch-sized area is ideal.
One vehicle - 4 ways to use it
1. Ride
Use the bicycle on its own as you would any other bike. Fold it up to store or carry on the bus, train or metro.
2. Tow
Hitch
the air frame trailer to the bike and you're ready for expedition,
flight and adventure. Designed to carry the powerful motor, the air
frame trailer also houses the wing, fuel and any additional supplies
you'll need.
3. Fly
The bike docks with its air frame trailer
to form a para-trike configuration for optimum expedition autonomy. In
this set-up you can carry all the equipment you need to ride, fly and
camp.
Alternatively, detach the bike and air frame trailer and
wear the powerful fan on your back for a foot launch. This set-up gives
improved performance in the air and allows for take off in higher and
changeable wind conditions. In most territories, no licence required to
fly in this configuration.
4. Flamp
Use the optional tent to
fly / camp - we call it flamping. Ride your bike out of the city, fly,
pitch your tent. Detach the bike to explore or fetch supplies.
Easy like riding a bike
Ride Fly Camp
"Twenty years from now you will be more
disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So
throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade
winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain
Inspired by our own love of life under canvas, we're developing a tent designed specifically for the paravelo.
Every camping trip is special, but the freedom to cycle out of town,
take to the skies, and sleep out before finally returning home opens a
world of possibilities.
So, help us christen the pursuit of flamping (flying and camping)
Carried
inside an integral pannier set, our lightweight XploreAir tent will use
the motor cage as a structural element to keep you and your kit dry
until you take to the sky again. The tent design includes a separation
panel between the sleeping space and the trailer/bike compartment.
An aircraft that fits in the back of a car, and some...
Owning a flying bicycle
"Because in the end, you won't remember the time you spent working
in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain."
- Jack Kerouac
The purchase and running costs of the paravelo are comparable
with a small family car and no other aircraft offers such flexibility
for city dwellers; the bicycle is small enough to be taken on the metro
and the entire vehicle can carried up stairs to be stored in the hallway
of a flat.
As well as city commuters looking for weekend adventure, the flying
bicycle has application as a highly autonomous and cost-effective aerial
reconnaissance vehicle for forest rangers and border patrols etc.
Photos of the nickel silver A4 blueprint (8.3" x 11.7"): As a flat sheet, and below as the pop-up 3D model
About us
We live in Kingston-upon-Thames, on the outskirts of London, two
minutes’ walk from the birthplace of the Sopwith Aviation Company - a
British aircraft company that built aircraft including the Sopwith Camel
for the Royal Air Force in WW1.
We spent our childhoods riding bikes and dreaming of flight.
Enchanted by the connection between cycling and the birth of powered
flight - the Wright brothers were former bicycle mechanics - we designed
the paravelo to recapture that pioneering era.
We formed XploreAir to give birth to the paravelo and other
equally-unusual projects planned for the future. As a project backer
you'll get to know us better through regular updates and sneak previews.
John Foden & Yannick Read
Basic specifications
Parajet Volution paramotor
3 hours autonomy
25mph (air) 15mph (ground)
GPS tracker plots the bike's movements on the ground and in the air
NIteFire strobe handlebars
Designed and built in Britain
What's the funding for?
We've spent the last two years developing the flying bicycle concept
to an advanced stage. The internet is awash with personal flying
machines that are little more than vaporware. With your support we can
make practical and affordable personal flight a reality.
We've demonstrated our design performs well, but we need to transform
our flying prototype into an aircraft rugged enough
for expedition duty. Only once we're satisfied it's tough enough and
following further rigorous testing will it go on sale.
Another aspect of the project is the development of an integral
pannier system. Working with lightweight, high-performance fabrics we
aim to create luggage that contains an XploreAir tent, cooking equipment
and pop-up fuel can; all basic requirements for your expedition.
If you want to celebrate the bicycle. If you want to explore, dream, discover. Back this project and join the adventure.
Rewards
NightFire strobe handlebars
We developed the NightFire strobe handlebars specifically for the paravelo,
but they look awesome on a regular bike, too. The powerful xenon gas
strobes are visible at 2 miles and a magnetic switch means they
withstand extreme weather. Not available outside Kickstarter, this is a
unique opportunity to buy these bars for your bike. Supplied for either a
1¼" (31.8mm) or 1" (25.4mm) handlebar clamp, they look sweet with a
single-speed, coaster brake set-up, but please note that they’re not
compatible with all brake levers and gear shifters.
Milestones in our story...
This project has been made possible with the help and friendship of
many people along the way, but we are particularly grateful for the
guidance and engineering mastery of Parajet, the expertise in cycling from the Environmental Transport Association and the advice of branding supremos Fourmation. I would like to dedicate my part in this project to my father, who
died on 22 June 2013. He was never able to see the paravelo fly, but I
know it would have enchanted him and made him very proud. Yannick. Nicholas Robert Read 11 March 1943 - 22 June 2013
We've spent the last two years developing the paravelo concept
to an advanced stage. It flies and works well in every respect, but
every element of the design now needs refinement so that it's rugged
enough for your next expedition.
We are lucky to have been helped throughout the project by Parajet, a
company with unrivalled expertise and ideally placed to be our
manufacturing partner once the final development and testing phase is
complete.
We are confident that with your support we can complete this project and turn it into product you can buy off the shelf.
Tata Motors has teamed up with Indian
Space Research Organization, a.k.a ISRO, to develop India’s first fuel
cell bus. ISRO has designed a critical part of the fuel cell bus by
developing the storage and delivery procedure of liquid hydrogen. The
liquid hydrogen is required by the fuel cell to generate electricity.
The generated electricity will then power the bus’s electric motor.
Storage of hydrogen is a big challenge as the fuel is highly flammable.
Tata
Motors has teamed up with Indian Space Research Organization, a.k.a
ISRO, to develop India’s first fuel cell bus. ISRO has designed a
critical part of the fuel cell bus by developing the storage and
delivery procedure of liquid hydrogen. The liquid hydrogen is required
by the fuel cell to generate electricity. The generated electricity will
then power the bus’s electric motor. Storage of hydrogen is a big
challenge as the fuel is highly flammable.
To get over this issue, ISRO has used its
technology to store hydrogen, and has successfully implemented the same
on the Tata fuel cell StarBus. Fuel cell vehicles do not pollute the
environment like petrol or diesel powered vehicles. The by product of
hydrogen combining with oxygen in the fuel cell is water. So, a fuel
cell vehicle actually emits water from its tail pipe, instead of harmful
greenhouse gases like oxides of nitrogen and carbon.
This is a major reason as to why
automakers across the world are looking at fuel cell technology, as a
means of future mobility. At present, fuel cell technology is expensive
and costs need to come down by quite a bit for the mass production and
acceptance of fuel cell vehicles. The fuel cell powered Tata StarBus is
the same concept that was showcased at last edition of the Auto Expo.
The bus uses hydrogen stored in bottles,
placed in its roof. Tata Motors hasn’t revealed the exact launch time
frame for the fuel cell powered bus. Hydrogen filling stations are
absent in India. So, it will take some time for infrastructure to
develop in India, after which we may see fuel cell vehicles like the
Tata StarBus finally hit production. Until then, we’ll have to be
content with technological showcases like the one that ISRO and Tata
Motors pulled off recently.
