[tychobrahe]

currently there's like a 1m$ prize for anyone creating a human powered vehicle that generates enough lift for i believe its 15 mins of "flight."

-that said no ones done it yet from my knowledge and you'd have to find a way to STORE HUMAN ENERGY

so maybe charging batteries through pedaling and then discharging a motor powerful enough to get off ground? (batteries are heavy though)

[photosbymark]

Well if its 1,000,000 for a vehicle that sustains human powered flight, then someone could collect right now. Some time ago they created a super light airplane using a bicycle mechanical s to turn a prop. I think they called it Dadelious after the story in Greek mythology. It created a number of problems. First they needed someone that could fly because it wasn't going to be that easy of an airplane to fly in the first place. They got a good pilot, but realized that they wouldn't have the training to be able to have the necessary endurance. So they taught a cyclist to fly. At the speed and altitudes they were flying, that was good enough, and in fact they started referring to him as the "engine", which was probably more accurate. They flew the thing across the English channel IIRC.

[photosbymark]

Actually it was the Gossamer Albratross that flew the channel. There was another flight that flew from Irkalion on Crete to Santorini a 74 mile distance in an MIT Daedalus 88.

Anyone up for a century in the air???

[schwinnman]

It looks like BMW is working on just such a bike. check it out here:BMW Powered Twin-Rotor Hoverbike | Gear Patrol