kach22i
08-08-2011, 11:46 AM
Burt Rutan
Aerospace innovator retired in April, but not before designing a new roadable aircraft
Unveiled: Burt Rutan's Final Creation Is A Flying Car | Popular Science (http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-07/unveiled-burt-rutans-final-creation-flying-car)
http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/bipod1.jpg
The Model 367 BiPod is a dual-fuselage, hybrid electric car-plane, which engineers at Scaled took from a preliminary design to first flight in just four months. It made its maiden trip March 30, just before Rutan’s official retirement. The company says it has made several short jaunts off the runway at Mojave, Calif., building up enough speed with the drive train to take off without propellers, which have not been installed yet.
More photos in link:
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/aviation_week/on_space_and_technology/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=a68cb417-3364-4fbf-a9dd-4feda680ec9c&plckPostId=Blog:a68cb417-3364-4fbf-a9dd-4feda680ec9cPost:ce084daa-4385-40ee-9664-b29f4a0cfecb&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest
http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/5/12/05e83f05-9be2-49d0-9cf1-4fa2b5b2e23c.Full.jpg
Span is 31ft 10in with wings attached, and 7ft 11in with the wings removed and stowed between the fuselages. As an aircraft, it is designed to cruise at 200mph and fly for around 530 miles in higher-power mode and up to 760 miles at 100mph. As a car, the BiPod is designed for freeway speeds, urban driving and garage storage, with a range of 820 miles on a tank of gas and 35 miles on batteries alone.
Aerospace innovator retired in April, but not before designing a new roadable aircraft
Unveiled: Burt Rutan's Final Creation Is A Flying Car | Popular Science (http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-07/unveiled-burt-rutans-final-creation-flying-car)
http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/bipod1.jpg
The Model 367 BiPod is a dual-fuselage, hybrid electric car-plane, which engineers at Scaled took from a preliminary design to first flight in just four months. It made its maiden trip March 30, just before Rutan’s official retirement. The company says it has made several short jaunts off the runway at Mojave, Calif., building up enough speed with the drive train to take off without propellers, which have not been installed yet.
More photos in link:
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/aviation_week/on_space_and_technology/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=a68cb417-3364-4fbf-a9dd-4feda680ec9c&plckPostId=Blog:a68cb417-3364-4fbf-a9dd-4feda680ec9cPost:ce084daa-4385-40ee-9664-b29f4a0cfecb&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest
http://sitelife.aviationweek.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/5/12/05e83f05-9be2-49d0-9cf1-4fa2b5b2e23c.Full.jpg
Span is 31ft 10in with wings attached, and 7ft 11in with the wings removed and stowed between the fuselages. As an aircraft, it is designed to cruise at 200mph and fly for around 530 miles in higher-power mode and up to 760 miles at 100mph. As a car, the BiPod is designed for freeway speeds, urban driving and garage storage, with a range of 820 miles on a tank of gas and 35 miles on batteries alone.