New Flying Bicycle Can Soar 4,000 Feet Up in the Sky

Back in June, we brought you news about a Czech prototype for a flying electric bicycle. But now a British company claims to have designed a foldable flying bike that can travel 25 miles per hour — in the air.

London-based XploreAir designed the "Paravelo," a bicycle that transforms into a flying machine. As pictured above, it looks like bike with an attached trailer that holds a flexible wing and a biofuel-powered fan. On land, the Paravelo can travel 15 mph. But once the wing is unfurled and an electric starter motor spurs the powerful fan into action, the bike "can take-off from any open ground clear of obstructions" and fly at speeds up to 25 mph for three hours — the amount of time that its creators estimate for fatigue.

Before you fantasize about coasting above all the traffic, be aware that the Paravelo still hasn't reached mass production. There's no clear verdict on the safety of this invention, either, despite its built-in GPS tracker and strobe handlebars. However, XploreAir claims the Paravelo is easy to operate, doesn't require a license and "heralds an era of safe, practical and affordable personal flight."

XploreAir designers Yannick Read and John Foden are trying to raise 50,000 British Pounds on Kickstarter — the equivalent of roughly $74,200 — to take the design into full-scale production.

"We wanted to make something that was accessible and brought together both our passions for cycling and flying. And basically wanted something that we could ride and fly out of our backyard," Foden said in the Kickstarter campaign's video.

As of Tuesday afternoon, with 37 days left to go in the campaign, backers had pledged about 16% of the funding goal. Even the top-tier 5,000 British Pound pledge only buys backers a non-flying replica of the prototype, but it reserves them a spot on the waiting list for the flying version. The Paravelo will reportedly cost $16,000, according to CNN.

See the flying bicycle in action in the video below:

Would you buy a flying bike or do you think it's unnecessary? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Images courtesy of XploreAir.