FlyNano's high hopes for soaring success
By Matthew Knight for CNN
April 22, 2011 12:27 p.m. EDT | Filed under: Innovation
London (CNN) -- Catering to the tastes of the more adventurous water sports enthusiasts, the FlyNano looks a bit like a Jet Ski that's sprouted wings.
Invented by Finnish aviation consultant Aki Suokas, the ultra-lightweight (under 70 kilograms, say the company) single-seat aircraft is made from carbon fiber composite and will reach speeds in excess of 140 kph (over 85 mph).
Measuring 3.5 meters nose to tail and with a wingspan of five meters, the FlyNano can also fly to a height of a rather scary sounding three kilometers (1.9 miles).
Anyone who owns a pilot's license or has experience of flying a microlight, Suokas says, will be able to control the FlyNano "right out of the box."
The aircraft was recently unveiled at the Aero 2011 expo at Friedrichshafen in Germany drawing a crowd of admirers.
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And should you feel the urge to buy one, you won't need to remortgage your house. Prices start at €25,000 ($36,000) rising to only €27,000 ($39,000) with three different models to choose from -- electric, petrol or a racing version.
Flynano's sales manager, Alexander Schmieden says the order book is already filling up and the company are busy preparing for the first full-size test flight at the end of April.
"Up to now we've had the scale model (1 to 3) in the air which showed very good flying abilities," Schmieden said.
Videos of the the first full size FlyNano in action will be available soon, he added.
Credit: CNN (www.cnn.com)
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