AlbLajm

In the Czech Republic three companies have teamed up to make a prototype of an electric bicycle capable of flying. For now, the flying bike is still in development and is controlled remotely, but its designers hope that it will eventually be piloted by the rider. They also hope battery technology will advance to make the invention marketable. At present the bicycle is only capable of five minutes of flight before the batteries need to be recharged. "Because the capacity of batteries doubles about every ten years, we can expect that in the future the capacity would be enough for the bike to used for sports, tourism or similar things," said Milan Duchek, the technical director of Duratec Bicycles. Designed using French 3D software with a frame resembling a small motorcycle, the flying machine has six propellers, two the front, another two at the back and one on each side, that allow it to fly. These are powered by six engines, all, in turn, powered by electric batteries. The "pilot", Jan Spatny, said the weight of the craft makes it tricky to control. "It's not as easy (to control) as a toy or RC (Remote Control) model. It's quite a complicated thing, you have to take into account that it weighs 95 kilos. You have to take into account motionlessness and other things," he said. In its current configuration, the flying bike will be capable of flying with a rider whose maximum weight is 11 and a half stone.