Not long after a flying bike getting airborne in Prague, the Paravelo has made its way onto Kickstarter. Already tested with human pilots, the hybrid folding bike, powered para-glider, camping tent is looking for funding. Paravelo’s creators see it as the ultimate recreation vehicle – ride your bike to a field, take off, fly to an unknown destination, land, set up camp, and then use the bike to get around. Then pack back up and fly back home.
Ready for some flying bike camping? Check it out after the break.
Is it a folding bike? A Para-glider? It’s both.
In bicycle mode, the powered para-glider unit attaches to the seat post like a trailer, allowing the rider to ride to a suitable air field (they recommend a football field size) to take off. The motor is then attached to the main frame of the bike allowing the rider to move from the seat of the bike, to the seat with the harness. From there it functions as a traditional powered para-glider using a wing and a large fan powered to fly. The Paravelo can fly up to 3 hours at 25 miles per hour on its 249cc two stroke motor. You can also detach the fan motor from the bike and wear it back mounted for improved performance in the air. According to Paravelo a license is generally not required to fly, though you may want to double check in your location, especially if you are outside of the UK.
From there once you land there will be an included lightweight XploreAir tent that makes use of the fan frame as support. You can set up camp with the bike disconnected to use it like any other bicycle to explore. So it is essentially 3 in 1, a folding bicycle, powered para-glider, and tent camper.
Unfortunately the Kickstarter does not include the full flying bike as a reward, only the folding bike with a chance to purchase one of the first 5 flying bikes once they’re completed. However this is a cool opportunity to learn how to fly with the Paravelo team in Spain, along with their NiteFire strobe handlebars – just note that the bars aren’t compatible with brake levers or shifters.
