Energy News  
AEROSPACE
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's skycar

by Staff Writers
 London (AFP) Jan 13, 2009
 A British adventurer plans to set off Wednesday in a home-made vehicle which can transform itself from a car into an aircraft in minutes -- destination Timbuktu.

On the ground the Skycar runs on a biofuel-powered engine, and can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometres (60 miles) per hour in 4.5 seconds.

But with a powerful fan on the rear its take-off speed is 60 kph (37 mph), and once in the air it can fly at speeds of up to around 110 kph (70 mph), cruising at 2-3,000 feet with a paraglider-style canopy holding it aloft.

At 9:00 am (0900 GMT) Wednesday, inventor Giles Cardozo will leave the British capital for the 6,000-km (3,750-mile) trip through France, Spain and north Africa, across the Sahara to the fabled desert city of Timbuktu in Mali.

The journey is expected to take some 40 days, during which they plan to soar over the Pyrenees, and the Straits of Gibraltar between southern Spain and Africa.

With four-wheel drive it can allegedly deal with the most rugged terrain, starting on the city streets of London and ending in the sands of the Sahara.

"It's not like a car -- it's more like a dune buggy," said Cardozo. "But no other dune buggy or car has flown like this thing before. It flies brilliantly.

"It flies at about 70 mph (110 kph) and drives at 120 mph (193 kph), so it's a really cool bit of kit," added the 29-year-old, whose trip is backed by famous British explorer Ranulph Fiennes as patron.

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
 Skycar Expedition
 Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com


Memory Foam Mattress Review
SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
 Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


AEROSPACE
Britons sign up to own land earmarked for Heathrow expansion
 London (AFP) Jan 13, 2009
 Thousands of Britons have become "beneficial owners" of land earmarked for the construction of a third runway at London's Heathrow Airport in a bid to derail proposals for its expansion, campaigners said Tuesday.






ENERGY TECH
  • Smart Fridges Stay Cool By Talking To Each Other
  • Environmental group pressures Nigeria to stop gas flaring
  • Analysis: The Gazprom-Ukraine dispute
  • Analysis: Central Asian energy in 2009

    • CIVIL NUCLEAR
  • Poland plans first nuclear plant, LNG terminal as gas crisis bites
  • Slovakia postpones nuclear reactor restart: PM
  • Slovakia tests EU's patience with nuclear plant relaunch plan
  • Bratislava restarts nuclear reactor to avoid blackout

    • BLUE SKY
  • Does Global Warming Lead To A Change In Upper Atmospheric Transport
  • Greenhouse gas emissions study released
  • Research Into Fair-Weather Clouds Important In Climate Predictions
  • ESA Tests Laser To Measure Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

    • WOOD PILE
  • Experts plead to save tropical forests in peril
  • Canada's forests not helping environment
  • Scam artists sell 'forest' lands in barren northern China
  • Real Christmas trees 'greener' than fakes

    • FARM NEWS
  • Chinese Food Economy Benefits Small, Poor Farmers
  • China steps up food inspections ahead of Spring Festival
  • Myanmar rat infestation causing food crisis: NGO
  • China says 296,000 children fell ill from tainted milk

    • CAR TECH
  • No flying cars at this year's Detroit auto show
  • China's BYD to bring plug-in hybrid, electric cars to US in 2011
  • Recession got you down? Buy a hybrid
  • China 2008 auto sales growth slows to eight percent: state media

    • AEROSPACE
  • Britons sign up to own land earmarked for Heathrow expansion
  • Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's skycar
  • Protesters buy land earmarked for Heathrow expansion
  • NASA Balloon Mission Tunes In To A Cosmic Radio Mystery

    • NUCLEAR SPACE
  • Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2
  • Nuclear Power In Space
  • Outside View: Nuclear future in space

    • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement