World's first flying motorbike: Helicopter pilot invents the 'hoverbike' in his garage

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER


Futuristic: Helicopter pilot Chris Malloy tests his incredible contraption - the world's first flying motorcycle



Traffic jams could soon become a thing of the past thanks to an amateur inventor who has built the world's first flying motorcycle in his garage.

Australian Christopher Malloy ploughed his entire life-savings into the project which took him two and a half years to complete. His futuristic creation - dubbed the Hoverbike - can reach an altitude of 10,000ft and speeds of over 100mph.

Fans of the design have already compared Mr Malloy's work to the 'speeder bikes' from the Stars Wars sequel Return Of The Jedi or the hovering car from Back To The Future.


Big screen: Luke Skywalker(Mark Hamill) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) battle a baddie on their speeder bike in Star Wars Return of the Jedi


The 32-year-old former helicopter pilot built the incredible machine in his Sydney garage using a custom-built carbon-fiber airframe and a BMW engine.


Nice wheels: The Hoverbike is built from carbon fibre and can reach an altitude of 10,000ft and speeds of over 100mph


Flew beauty: The Australian inventor has ploughed his life-savings into the project


Mr Malloy is unwilling to reveal exactly how much he has spent on the project, but claims it is costing him roughly £140 a week.

He said the basic principle was similar to that of a Chinook helicopter and a normal motorbike.

He added: 'To lift off into a hover you just need to increase the thrust via a throttle grip with the right hand - exactly the same as the throttle on a motorbike.

'Flying forward involves a combination of an increase in thrust and the deflection of air from the front control vanes by twisting the left handle grip. You twist forward to accelerate and backwards to reverse.


Inspiration: the Hoverbike works along the same principle as Boeing's twin-propeller Chinook helicopter


'To to make the bike turn left and right, all one needs to do is push the handle bars down on the side you wish to turn just like a bicycle.

'You could lean in the appropriate direction as you would on a motorbike but this isn't proving to be very sensitive.

'Having previous experience in a helicopter or plane would be a great help. That said, this is a new way to fly and one would need to learn to ride the hoverbike in much the same manner as a helicopter or riding a motorcycle.


Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads: The hovering car from the Back to the Future films


'If you live in the USA or your country has similar civil aviation regulations, then the hoverbike will be classed as a 'ultralite' which means you do not need a pilot's license to fly it.'




source : dailymail