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Flying Car Flies From London To Africa

Posted by timothy on from the laden-or-unladen dept.

krou writes "It may not be exactly what people have envisioned or tried over the years, such as the flying car in Bladerunner, or the previously reported Terrafugia Transition, but the BBC is reporting that a flying car (creatively dubbed the Skycar, but different from this Skycar) has flown from London across into Africa. They modified a parajet fan that can fly a man into a bigger fan with a canopy that is capable of flying a car."

18 of 148 comments (clear)

  1. Congestion charge by xaxa · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Does it have to pay the London congestion charge?

    1. Re:Congestion charge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      First Post!

      there, fixed that for you!

  2. do not want by SoupGuru · · Score: 5, Funny

    "They modified a parajet fan that can fly a man into a bigger fan."

    I'd rather have a flying car that doesn't fly me into ANY sized fan, thankyouverymuch.

    --
    What doesn't kill you only delays the inevitable
  3. Re:Confusing Wording by TheCycoONE · · Score: 3, Informative

    The design of the fan and canopy, which is capable of flying a car, is based on a smaller fan and canopy which was capable of allowing a person to 'fly'.

  4. Actually... by CompMD · · Score: 5, Informative

    The vehicle flying to Africa is more a proof-of-concept than anything else, a fully functioning engineering prototype. The actual flying car model is slated to be released next year and is supposed to be a real car.

    Disclaimer: I work for one of their sponsors.

  5. Oh my... by gzipped_tar · · Score: 5, Funny

    But is it an European or an African flying car?

    --
    Colorless green Cthulhu waits dreaming furiously.
    1. Re:Oh my... by Keith_Beef · · Score: 5, Funny

      And what is its unladen weight?

    2. Re:Oh my... by Daimanta · · Score: 3, Funny

      I don't know! waarrrgghhhh

      --
      Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
  6. It's just a simple paraglider...so what? by Ritz_Just_Ritz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What's all the hubub about? It's simply a paraglider that has been made large enough to carry a payload larger than a man (a car in this case). That's like saying someone who connects a blimp to a camper has invented a flying home. *shrug*

    1. Re:It's just a simple paraglider...so what? by InsertWittyNameHere · · Score: 5, Funny

      Just consider the implications of this amazing NEW technology. Cars are just the beginning, we can finally give penguins the gift of flight as well!

    2. Re:It's just a simple paraglider...so what? by DragonWriter · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That's like saying someone who connects a blimp to a camper has invented a flying home.

      Or like saying someone who builds a house on top of a floatation hull has made a "houseboat".

    3. Re:It's just a simple paraglider...so what? by ArhcAngel · · Score: 5, Funny

      we can finally give penguins the gift of flight

      Or Pigs

      --
      "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    4. Re:It's just a simple paraglider...so what? by blueZ3 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Duke Nukem Forever, here we come!

      --
      Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
    5. Re:It's just a simple paraglider...so what? by corbettw · · Score: 3, Funny

      Or you could wait until the tornado's on top of you to have your flying home. Pretty sure that would work.

      --
      God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
  7. Re:Confusing Wording by Intron · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thanks. I looked at "flying a man into a bigger fan" and thought that sounded really messy.

    --
    Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
  8. Re:Pure genius by macraig · · Score: 3, Informative

    I just narrowed it down to ABP a few minutes ago, but I have a strong aversion to having to swallow even that small amount of castor oil to get to the video.

  9. Re:Confusing Wording by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yo dawg, we heard you like flying with fans, so we put a fan inside a bigger fan so that you can fly a man into a bigger fan with a canopy that is capable of flying a car.

  10. In other news ... by janwedekind · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... engineers have managed to build a diving car by strapping a weight to a sand buggy. The diving car is expected to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench later this evening.