OK, new entry-
Among the many designs of airplanes, some of the most interesting are also the most basic, especially those that come close to the most ancient human dream, to fly like the birds in the backyard. Simple hang gliders, ultralights, rocket belts, and parasails promise the closest thing today. Here is my thought on it, the AeroBike, a motorcycle for the wild blue. The machine is basically a prone position vehicle, much like the modern Kawasaki Ninja "Crotch Rocket" or "Rice Rocket" high speed motorcycles. Only the back wheel is a gimbal mounted Turbofan engine sited on a pair of small idler wheels. The forward body has a fairing covered Main wheel, plus a basic set of controls and the wings, which can be varied in sweep to give both the lowest possible takeoff and landing speed, and swept back for high speed in the air. This is a technique very well established in military plane design concepts. The wingtips have small outrigger wheels for stability. The controls are easy to use, similar to the 1250CC bikes in many ways.
The rider will mount the bike and place their feet into the rear pedal guides and strap themselves to the machine with a 4 point harness. The two handgrips when pushed in can become ratchet levers to change the wing sweep and the sweep is set fully open to begin. The engine is started and on any 500 feet of clear level pavement will suffice. The throttle is on the left column by rotating, and the rotation of the right grip will open or close an airbrake / divebrake below the machine, near the tail. The upward or downward push on the levers will cause a roll or bank clockwise or counter...
The foot pedals tilt the engine upward or downward using the thrust to steer into climb or dive. The motions for the feet are like doing a toe raise or balancing back onto the balls of the heels. Also the craft is articulated in the middle so the rider can use their weight to steer, and pushing a single pedal will gimbal the engine right or left to enter turns.
The craft is equipped with two parachutes, a small release-able one for spin recovery and a large which can lower the whole machine with rider to the ground. This is safer than a backpack chute for the rider and the chute will open from a ballistic canister below the bike.
The picture shows a rider out for a mountain view, and race. I created this simple lineart of the bike in Google Sketchup 8 which is a very fast basic tool for creating 3D lineart of planes and buildings and the like. The output export jpg is then completed in PS5 with addition of the rider, coloring, a second sketchup model of a passing airliner and a backdrop from Wikimedia.
The design of the 3D AeroBike is mine as is the character and the airliner from the sketchup library. The plane design is the A380 and the property of Airbus International.
Big 2400x1200 wallpapers are on my gallery at DeviantArt.
AirBike with the wings in takeoff - landing position.
Close up of the pilot's office.
Stopped for a Nav check/potty/smoke....yeah, he's lost too. Buy a GPS-
