February 5, 2009 — A combination car and powered parachute traveling by ground and by air from London to Timbuktu made history on January 29 when it became the first car to fly across the Strait of Gibraltar.
But it also made an emergency landing once on the other side.
Matthew Mays wrote on the February 4 Expedition Skycar blog: “The car seemed to stop and then go backwards toward a vast amount of houses whilst gaining altitude. The Skycar then advanced forward to make an approach to the runway, the engine revs dropped and the Skycar was descending to the runway…
“The Skycar was now too low for the approach and was heading for the side wall (when) the revs increased and the car gained altitude to be back on course for a landing. The Skycar made contact with the tarmac; there was a loud crack heard by everyone around.”
Pilot and adventurer Neil Laughton, who steers using cables that alter the shape of the parachute, was OK, but the SkyCar needed some minor repairs — a rear tire was deflated, the windscreen was cracked, the tracking was out, the bolt on the steering column had sheered and the tip of the propeller was broken, Mays wrote.
Their 4,000-mile trip across Europe and Africa has also been an adventure in dealing with foreign bureaucracy. For example, border officials wouldn’t let the SkyCar enter Morocco since they said it was a plane and not a car. And they have encountered multiple problems with paperwork that has delayed their trip.
The Parajet Skycar Expedition is meant to show the world the advantages and benefits of traveling by a bio-fueled flying car. They hope to arrive in Timbuktu later this month.
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The SkyCar made its first official flight of up to 1,000 feet in the Pyranees on January 22. Photo credit: SkyCar Expedition
The SkyCar tests its new wing design over the Pyranees. Photo credit: SkyCar Expedition
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