BlackBird: The Flying Car That Spins
Image Credit: CycloTech.
Well, who would have thought? Someone is a big fan of the sci-fi movies from the 60s and finally took the flying car fantasies seriously. And that someone is called CycloTech.
CycloTech, based in Austria out of all places, is developing this thing called the BlackBird. They call it a "flying car," but honestly, to me, it looks more like a giant drone with a serious identity crisis.
The BlackBird is an eVTOL, which stands for "electric vertical takeoff and landing" – basically, a fancy way of saying it can take off and land like a helicopter. But instead of those noisy, whirlybird blades, it uses cylindrical thingamajigs called CycloRotors. Apparently, these spinny barrels can vector thrust 360 degrees, which means the BlackBird can move in all sorts of crazy directions – sideways, backward, and it can even hover in mid-air. Basically, it's a hummingbird on steroids!
This not-so-little bugger is only 16 feet long, 7.5 feet wide, and 6.5 feet tall – about the size of a compact car. But don't let its stature fool you; it can apparently whiz through the air at a top speed of 75 mph. Not bad for something that weighs just 750 pounds!
CycloTech claims that the BlackBird's unique design will give passengers a smooth ride, even in turbulent conditions. They also say that having six rotors provides redundancy in case one fails. Because, you know, nothing ruins your morning commute like plummeting from the sky because a rotor decided to take a coffee break.
Image Credit: CycloTech.
Of course, I have to take all this with a grain of salt. After all, the BlackBird is still in the development stage. They showed us a lot of pictures of the darn thing, for sure. And they have a smaller working demonstrator that racked up over 800 test flights, so maybe, just maybe, there's something to this whole flying car idea.
One thing that has me scratching my head is the BlackBird's range. CycloTech hasn't released any official figures, but if it's anything like their previous concept, the CruiseUp, we're looking at a measly 62 miles on a single charge.
Is the BlackBird the future of transportation? I'm not quite ready to trade in my trusty old convertible just yet. But if CycloTech can iron out the kinks and give this thing a decent range, who knows? Maybe we'll all be zipping around in flying cars sooner than we think.
Image Credit: CycloTech.
I know you techies are itching for some numbers, but there isn't that much info available. The BlackBird is powered by six CycloRotors, each driven by an electric motor. The battery capacity is still a mystery, and as for the price, well, your guess is as good as mine. But considering the technology involved, I wouldn't be surprised if it costs more than a small island nation.
Speaking of costs, CycloTech recently raised $21.8 million in funding. That's a lot of money, even for a company that's trying to revolutionize transportation. But if anyone can pull it off, it's these crazy Austrians.
For now, I'll just be patiently waiting for my chance to take the BlackBird for a spin. Maybe I'll even convince them to let me do a loop-the-loop. Just kidding... maybe. But seriously, the moment this thing can take off and actually fly, it'll be huge! You'll see, one day we'll all be laughing at those old sci-fi movies, wondering why it took us so long to get our act together and build some decent flying cars.
