Aircraft

Ever since I saw the Icon A5 I have been advocating the need for a flying motorcycle. Apparently Samson Motorworks has something like that in the works. Their SkyBike is a three-wheel enclosed vehicle. Samson claims “you can drive in air conditioned comfort to a local airport where the wings are extended, fly to another airport to land, retract the wings and then continue to drive wherever you want to go.” The use of a motorcycle engine enables the plane to use regular gas. They expect the SkyBike to; get 55mpg economy on land, 25mpg in the air, have a 95mph maximum road velocity / 140mph+ while flying, do 0-60mph in six seconds and it should only need a 500′ runway to take off. Right not it is only a concept but Samson Motorworks says they are close to production. See more pictures.

The ICON A5 Sport Aircraft should be available in 2010 for $139,000. It seats two, has a max weight of 1430 lbs, a max speed of 120 mph, is powered by a Rotax 912 ULS (100 hp) engine, and has an optional safety parachute (for the whole plane). More details and full specs are on their website. See more pictures.

This custom fit air suit allows you to fall fly through the sky like a flying squirrel. It is sold to experienced sky divers only. The suit costs $1,250 and takes approximately 8 to 10 weeks for them to make it for you. [via]

Ever since I saw the Hindenburg going down in flames in history class I never actually had the desire to take a ride in a blimp like aircraft but all that has changed now that I have seen the new ML866. The soon to be launched Aeroscraft ML866 is a expansive aircraft that has said to have over 5,000 square feet of interior space that can be utilized as anything form a high-tech business center to a private yacht in the sky. The ML866 uses a combination of buoyancy and lift (mix of technology from a plane and a blimp) which allows for a a completely vertical take-off and landing and allows for unparalleled levels of efficiency and operational capability. However the only downside is that the top speed of the ML866 is only 120 knots so any long distance traveling will certainly be slow. The Aeroscraft ML866 is said to be launched at the upcoming NBAA 60th Annual Meeting and Convention in September, 2007 in Atlanta so hopefully at that time we will have more details about this unique aircraft

More pictures after the jump -

Cessna, the world’s largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes, has recently introduced the latest addition to their light sport aircraft lineup. The Cessna Skycatcher ($109,500) features a Garmin glass cockpit and is powered by a Teledyne Continential O-200D engine. Reaching speeds at up to 139 mph (118 knots) this small plane can travel 470 nautical miles. Cessna has already received 400 orders the first 2 days after announcing the plane. The first customer delivery of the plane is scheduled for 2009.

Versace and TAG Aircraft Interiors have teamed up to create a private Airbus319 jet. The plane has 16 seats, a salon, a galley, an office, and a stateroom with ensuite bathroom. Versace is responsible for all aspects of content, deign and style. While TAG handles the marketing, logistical, and technical aspects of this project. It may not be as large as the BMW designed 787, but it should have more than enough style.

[Source: FlightGlobal.com]

Lawn mowers cars and motorcycles are only a few things Honda makes, and now they can add airplane to that list. This is Honda’s first aircraft cleverly named HondaJet. The jet can carry up to 7 people, and has a fully enclosed AFT lavatory. It uses a Garmin G1000 glass cockpit system, and is powered by two GE Honda HF120 engines which are placed above the wing to reduce drag. Honda is taking pre-orders for this little jet, the price is $3.65 million.