The Parajet personal flying machine
What is it with the English and their magnificent flying machines!? It must be the M25 and congestion charging (or is it the beef?) that makes the likes of Sir Richard Branson, Eric Scott, and now Giles Cardoso just a wee bit mad. Built in his barn (apparently rendered useless since all the mad cow hubbub), the Parajet (which is, sadly, not a jet at all) consists of a large fan-like-backpack and paraglider wing. As described, you start running (with an engine strapped to your back!?) until the paraglider lifts you off the ground, switch on the motor, and voila, you're screaming for mama! The Parajet can fly up to 2,500 meters (8,000 feet) and travel at a distance of 160 km (100 miles) at a max speed of 75kph (46mph). There is a also a remote controlled version under development that will allow skydivers to bail from the craft and remote control it back to the ground. Now that we'd like to see… from a very safe distance!
[Via CNN]
