Take to the skies in a brand new FlyNano

Flying cars have been a cultural desire for decades, but it just has yet to seem practical. Well put practical aside and take a look at the FlyNano, a single passenger aircraft which was just unveiled at the Aero 2011 show at Friedrichshafen, Germany. Designed by Finnish aeronautical engineer Aki Suokas, these single seat flyers are built using carbon fiber and composite materials helping it to weigh in at around 70 kilograms(154 pounds). It’s elegant design reminds be of the helicopters seen in the movie Avatar, which I have since hoped someone would create. It can take off and land from the water making it appealing to those who might live near a lake and want a cheap flying machine. It is also up for debate whether the weight class this craft falls into would require the pilot to have a pilot’s license.

There are 3 different versions of the FlyNano, a 20 kW electric model, a 24 bhp, and 35 bhp engine, both the latter are petrol powered engines. Top speed is around 87 mph whereas the minimum flight speed is a mere 44 mph. This may not be designed to get your there in a hurry, but it sure does bring a personal element to the realm of flight. A small drawback is the short distance it can span in a single flight, around 70 km (43.5 miles). In essence this is a hobby pleasure craft, but starting at $39,000 it may be a bargain for the wealthier aeronautics enthusiast. Want to buy? Pre-orders will begin in three months, so make sure you run out and get a part-time job to help foot this worthy bill.

Tagged as: Aero 2011, aircraft, flying car, flynano, microlight, ultralight

This post was written by...

Christopher Weaver – who has written 310 posts on allGeek.

Managing Editor for allGeek -- Things I enjoy: Bigger screens, video games, and cool gadgets -- an occasional canoeing trip is also nice.

Contact the author