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View Full Version : Did I see a flying car...thing?


geeksunny
07-28-2008, 03:10 AM
So today I had to take a 4 hour drive south to help my sister move back home from college. Basically a straight line down central IL, and about 90% of the view being the endless farm-land, so there was the usual crop-dusting airplanes and all that.

But on the drive up, I could see some kind of Parachute in the distance. I was driving towards it and started to see much more of what it was. Hanging from this rainbow-colored parachute was what looked almost like a dune buggy, except it had 3 wheels. It was in the shape of a triangle, and wheel layout was similar to a tricycle. On the back of of this was a huge fan, like what you would see on an airboat or hovercraft.

I couldn't see if there was anything above it other than the parchute. I also couldn't snap a quick photo because it passed over us rather quickly.

Has anyone else ever seen something like this? Or knows what it is?

apswesthome
07-28-2008, 04:14 AM
http://www.ultralightnews.ca/airv2002/images/billetbairv2002.jpg

or maybe this is more like what you saw...

http://www.alaska.net/~vernoy/images/Parasail.jpg

geeksunny
07-28-2008, 04:35 AM
Ho hum. Yes, it looked like the second one, but more solid and thick. Cool. What is that called?

damnedeyez
07-28-2008, 04:47 AM
Looks like some sorta cross between an ultralight and parasailing.

apswesthome
07-28-2008, 08:49 AM
Yeah an Ultralight... i was tryin to remember what they were called.
Do you remember in on of the recent 007 films they were on a snow
covered mountain and Bond was on skis running racing down away from
bad dudes on those things (above)????

tokenuser
07-28-2008, 12:38 PM
Looks like some sorta cross between an ultralight and parasailing.Yes ... its an ultralight. Because it uses a parafoil wing, they sometimes refer to this configuration as a powerfoil.

Many years ago I had an opportunity to get trained to fly a fixed wing ultralight. My uncle wanted to get a business going doing cattle mustering in Australia's topend using ultralights in conjunction with ground based horse/motor bike teams. Great idea - but ultimately it fell through and I didn't get my lessons :( ... much to my mothers relief.

scoobydiesel
07-28-2008, 06:58 PM
I would poo myself if i used one of them things 0_0