英国发明家造出会飞的自行车：最高能飞1200米

When ET took to the sky on a BMX, he made it look like child’s play. This world-first human-powered flying bike, however, has taken a bit of blue-sky thinking to get it off the ground.

当外星人ET骑着辆BMX小轮车飞到天上时，看上去是那样的轻而易举。但是全世界的第一辆人力自行飞车却需要有点创新思维才能真正起飞。

Comprising an ungainly mix of a bike with wings, a fan, a motor and a parachute, the invention, known as a Paravelo, can reach 4,000ft and speeds of up to 25mph.

这辆名为Paravelo的自行飞车上安装了滑翔翼、螺旋桨、马达和降落伞，虽然外观不怎么优雅，但却能飞至4000英尺的高空，最高速度可达每小时25英里。

On the ground, the Paravelo is an ordinary two-wheeled bike – albeit one that is towing a trailer with a large biofuel-powered fan. But with a bit of space to act as a runway, the trailer can be docked with the bike to transform it into a flying machine capable of running for three hours on a full tank of fuel.

Paravelo在地面行驶时，与普通两轮自行车没有太大区别，只是它多了一个拖车，上面装有使用生物燃料的大螺旋桨。但要是有足够空间做跑道的话，拖车就能与自行车部分结合，变型成飞行器，在满油状态下可飞行三小时。

Its British creators, John Fordon, 37, and Yannick Read, 42, said they were inspired by cycling in their childhood when creating the Paravelo, which costs £10,000. They believe their creation will revolutionise the way people travel to work.

自行飞车的制造者是两名英国人：37岁的约翰-福顿和42岁的亚尼克-里德，他们说设计Paravelo的灵感来自于儿时骑单车的经历。自行飞车售价1万英镑，但他们相信这项发明能给人们的上班方式带来革命性转变。

Mr Fordon said: ‘We were enchanted by the connection between cycling and the birth of powered flight – the Wright brothers were former bicycle mechanics – so we designed the Paravelo to recapture that pioneering era.’

福顿先生说：“我们对自行车和动力飞行器之间的联系非常着迷——发明飞机的怀特兄弟以前就是修自行车的——所以我们设计了Paravelo，重现他们那段开拓创新的时代。”

The Paravelo comes with a GPS tracker to plot its movements, and flying it does not require a pilot’s licence. The inventors hope the Paravelo will become a mainstream form of transport, and claim it costs the same as a small family car to run.

自行飞车上装有全球定位装置，据此可以调整飞行方式，而且无需飞行员驾照就能直接上手。Paravelo的设计者希望它能成为主流交通工具之一，还说它的价格和小型家庭轿车相差无几。

They say it is ideal for commuting as it can be folded away in a compact space, such as an office. The Paravelo’s development was supported by the Environmental Transport Association.

两位设计者称，这辆自行飞车十分适合远程上下班，因为它可以折叠，能放在诸如办公室一类的狭小空间中。这项发明还获得了环境运输协会的大力支持。

The charity’s director, Andrew Davis, said: ‘For generations the car has been king, but it could now play second fiddle to the flying bicycle.’

协会董事安德鲁-大卫说：“对好几代人来说，汽车在交通中一直占主导地位，但现在可以让位于这种会飞的自行车了。”

Mr Read, from London, said: ‘If you have a thirst for adventure, but are without a storage space or bank balance large enough for a helicopter, then the paravelo is for you.’

来自伦敦的里德先生说：“如果你一直渴望去探险，却苦于没有金钱或空间购置一架直升机，那对你来说，Paravelo就再适合不过了。”

The inventors promise that the paravelo will make traffic jams, parking fines and road rage things of the past. They also claim that no licence is needed to fly it and that it costs about the same as a small family car to run.

发明者保证：有了Paravelo自行飞车，交通拥挤、停车罚单和怒路症就都将成为历史。他们还说，无需考取执照就能驾驶飞车，而且价钱只有一辆小型家用轿车那么多。

Powered by bio-fuel, this eco-friendly contraption can reach heights of 4,000 feet. To take off, this bio-fuel is used to start up an electronic motor. This motor then powers the fans that lift the paravelo off the ground.

自行飞车采用生物燃料，环保无污染，最高可飞到4000英尺的高空。在起飞时，生物燃料运转电马达，电马达带动螺旋桨，使这个飞行器升离地面。

An optional extra for paravelo are the NightFire strobe handlebars. They have been specifically designed for the flying bike and contain xenon gas strobes that can be seen from two miles away. The handlebars can be add to a 1 inch or 1.25 inch handlebar clamp but it does not connect to brake levers or gear shifters.

Paravelo的另一个附加设计是NightFire闪光车把，里面含有氙气闪光灯，最远可见范围两英里。这是特意为自行飞车设计的。车把手上还附有1-1.25英寸的夹钳，但不与车闸杠杆或变速器相连。

Paravelo contains quirky feature including a built-in tent, perfect for festival-goers. The inventors say this is a perfect addition because it enables the owner to detach the tent, set up camp, and then cycle off to explore the area.

Paravelo造型奇特，还有个内置帐篷， 对于假日出行者来说无疑是上好选择。发明者认为增加帐篷是个绝妙的设计，因为这样车主就可以在野外安营扎寨，然后骑车探索周边环境。