You may have heard riders saying that bike riding feels like flying a small plane at low altitude. What if I tell you such thing is possible if you have some 100,000 dollars laying around? The Flike is a crossover between a motorcycle and a helicopter, allowing you the pleasures of both sports in one transportation device.
The idea of Flike, as the world’s first manned tricopter concept was conceived in the summer of 2014 when an article claimed that “there are size limitations for drone technology. Small is OK but don’t you ever expect to have one that is heavy enough to carry a person.” And that’s exactly what triggered the engineers to create such a machine.
If you want, you can consider the Flike a tricopter, which is basically a huge drone with three rotors instead of four. It has two at the front and one at the rear, each consisting of one propeller and two electric motors.
Although exact specifications are not available, power is provided by a battery and a range extender, which will most likely be a small and very efficient combustion engine.
This setup along with the advanced lightweight construction is said to enable the Flike to reach air speeds of up to an electronically limited 100 km/h (62 mph). Maximum altitude is also limited to 30 meters (98.4 feet), which should be enough regarding the fact that there is no cabin to protect the rider/pilot.
The Flike was designed for a maximum payload of 100 kg and will be able to fly for about an hour. You won’t be able to carry a passenger, but who cares? The machine is rated for 3Gs.
So, what does the Flike require for you to fly it? Except for a wad of cash, you are expected to have an ultra-light/microlight/private pilot’s license and probably a lot of courage. The company is allegedly taking orders already, so make sure you submit yours. I’m guessing they are hand built and will take a while until delivery.
The latest video from the company here shows you the concept being flown around remotely.
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