The last time we talked about a flying motorcycle was... last year, if I'm not mistaken. The format seems doomed due to the high demands of budget, performance, energy, and stability, but a certain fantastic madman named Colin Furze (the same one from the thermite cannon) joined forces with Ford to develop his own flying motorcycle, or as many prefer, hoverbike. Before we begin, two details: the motorcycle works, and thanks to some mystery of the universe, that man is still alive.
The Dream of a Flying Bike
I imagine that just as we want to see a stable and safe flying car, we also want some kind of flying motorcycle. Both fronts seem very cold in terms of activity. To be honest, the same can be said of hoverboards, with price and performance limitations everywhere. Anyone could conclude that the technology simply "isn't there", and that we still need years, or why not decades, for something much more viable to appear. Fortunately, prototypes have the ability to ignore all these limitations. They are impractical, and on more than one occasion directly dangerous, but that doesn't change the fact that we like seeing them up close too much. What brings us together here today? Colin Furze, that hybrid between inventor and mad scientist with creations like pneumatic claws, flamethrowers, rockets, and his recent thermite cannon.
The #unlearn Campaign and the Build
In these last weeks, Furze joined Ford's #unlearn campaign, whose goal is to invite us to "forget" everything we've learned about the world, and especially about personal transport. Furze's idea was to create his own flying motorcycle... without brakes, without steering, without landing gear, and logically without any interest in protecting his head, neck, or torso. Two engines, two propellers, an improvised fuel tank, a homemade chassis as light and resistant as possible, a symbolic pilot (because in truth Furze has very little control over that thing), and a total absence of fear is what is needed to shape such a project.
What's Next?
What's next on his list? Honestly we have no idea, but at this rate he'll end up building a fighter jet in his garage. Needless to say, Furze is anything but a trained professional; nevertheless, his creations continue to amaze us in every way. At the same time, the question remains: If a guy like Colin Furze can create a flying motorcycle in his own home, how big would the effort be for a multinational corporation?
