A group of Hungarian flight enthusiasts recently conducted a controlled test flight of their prototype personal flying machine. Flike is exactly what the awkward name suggests, a flying tricycle that's somewhat sorta kinda reminiscent of the speeder bikes from Star Wars.
Flike is a Y6-layout tricopter that gets lift from its six rotors, grouped in counter-rotating pairs of three axes. Its lithium polymer batteries are able to keep it in the air for up to 20 minutes in hover mode and up to twice as long while cruising.
As you can see in the test flight video, this is a long way from being a finished (practical?) mode of transportation (did the duct tape give it away?). Safety would also be a concern as a buyer but I'm sure that'll all get worked out before it comes to market... or should I say, if it comes to market.
Its creators are aiming to spin it off into a for-profit startup soon and are actively seeking investors.
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