First video of the SSC: the flying motorcycle in action!

[rfonseca]

First video of the Super Sky Cycle, the flying motorcycle, in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpxyv...&feature=email

[GyroDoug]

Ramon,

I just got an e-mail from Larry with the link to this latest video of the Super Sky Cycle, and thought before I posted it I'd better check to see if someone else had already posted it. Good thing I checked. I'm glad to see others are keeping the latest information posted on the forum.

This appears to be more of a commercial for the SSC than a video of testing the pre-rotator but it does show that he has it all together now and ready to fly. And it's nice to see it getting up to more than take off speed. It's always good to see examples of it really doing what has been claimed it will do. Really soon we should have some video of it flying. That will be exciting!!!!

Gyro Doug

[rfonseca]

Hi, Doug.

The Sky Cycle has already flown. You could watch it flying in youtube typing SSC SuperSkyCycle or at the Butterfly website.

[GyroDoug]

Originally Posted by rfonseca

Hi, Doug.

The Sky Cycle has already flown. You could watch it flying in youtube typing SSC SuperSkyCycle or at the Butterfly website.

Ramon,

I know Larry flew the prototype SSC years ago. However, this version is a new and improved model that has a bigger more powerful Rotax 912 propelling it through the air. It has a separate engine (Aixro 50) to drive it down the road rather than being pushed down the road by the propeller. It also has a nose pod, wheel pants with stabilizer fins, a shaft driven Metro Launch System, a new Super Slider Head and an automated, air powered suspension system that weren't on the earlier version. While the basic airframe and configuration is the same, there are enough changes and modifications since the original version that this really isn't the same machine. It's heavier and more powerful and much more capable and I can't wait to see how it flies.

Gyro Doug

[rfonseca]

I agree with you, Doug. I saw this new machine in Larry's hangar a few months ago. He has changed many things. Lets see how it flies.

[Mike Stone]

It will be interesting to see just how it can be insured. i.e. what will the underwriters say about its ability to fly (with all the qualifiers of hours in type, etc.). Let's hope for the best!

[helipaddy]

I cant get my head around this machine, I know its a motorcycle (trike) and it flies, but can it do either thing well? For $46K?? Its goin to be heavy, so flight performance will suffer and its stuck to 55 mph on the road. Surely for $46K you could get a real good single seat gyro AND a real good Motorcycle (and a round the world holiday of a lifetime). Or am I missing something?

[Harry_S.]

I lost the promo video of Larry and his machine.

Can someone post the the URL I'm after?! Thanks.


Cheers

[Gyro_Kai]

Paddy,

I beg to differ. Not sure how the green Island is handling it, but here you have to take off and land on airfields. So you need a hangar at the airport and a means of transport to even get into the air. Then, arriving somewhere else you are stranded, usually out of town.

A fly drive vehicle would be much better on both ends of the trip. And regarding the price, a 912 driven gyro is usually not cheap, but who am I telling that? How it the Ela doing?

Kai.

[fiveboy]

Ok so you get into a fender bender while driving this thing.... who do you report to? The police will take the info but do you now need the FAA involved to deem it airworthy again? Is it an experimental or what? When you need your annual motor vehicle inspection do they know what to even pass? Im not saying its a bad idea (because I am quite sure the engineering is breakthrough in some respects) but it seems to me there are quite a few unknowns in the protocols and procedures end.

One other thing. How do you avoid turning pedestrians into gazpacho if you cut a corner too sharply at an intersection!? Its a rolling vego-matic.

[Timchick]

Originally Posted by fiveboy

One other thing. How do you avoid turning pedestrians into gazpacho if you cut a corner too sharply at an intersection!? Its a rolling vego-matic.

What's gazpacho?

[coaster]

Originally Posted by helipaddy

I cant get my head around this machine, I know its a motorcycle (trike) and it flies, but can it do either thing well? For $46K?? Its goin to be heavy, so flight performance will suffer and its stuck to 55 mph on the road. Surely for $46K you could get a real good single seat gyro AND a real good Motorcycle (and a round the world holiday of a lifetime). Or am I missing something?

Keep in mind that 30k of the 46k is a freakin Rotax. So load it up to say 20k and put one of Racers Yamaha engines on it, probably in the air for around 25kand get an extra 20 horses for free, Racer correct me if I'm too far off.

[GyroDoug]

Mike,

This machine has been issued insurance as a motorcycle and is covered for when it is on the road being driven as a motorcycle. I do not believe it currently has any insurance that covers it when flying. I believe there is liability insurance available that will cover it while flying but I am not aware of any insurance company that is willing to provide hull insurance for this machine yet. It is way too new and not enough of them flying to attract an insurer yet but I suspect someday there will be full coverage available for them. The real question will be can we afford to pay the premiums. I know for some that may not be a problem, but for many people (and I put myself in this group) insurance is great but the costs can be so high that you simply can't afford it. Don't get me wrong, I believe in and have insurance, but I don't have as much as I would like to have because I simply can't afford it. Time will tell.

Gyro Doug

[fiveboy]

Originally Posted by Timchick

What's gazpacho?

gaz⋅pa⋅cho
[guh-spah-choh; Sp. gahth-pah-chaw, gahs-] Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun Spanish Cookery.
a soup made of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, oil, and vinegar, and served cold.

Ya need to get out more Tim.

[garybuster]

By the way guys... the prop is disengaged when driving the vehicle on the road.

enough of the vegematic accusations!

Gary Buster
tyler, texas
N263GB