This man quit his business job to work full time on a DIY hoverbike
Published on May 14, 2023 at 6:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Kate Bain
Last updated on May 12, 2023 at 11:31 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This hoverbike was built in a backyard garage.
It’s called the FlytCycle and it’s the brainchild of a guy called Ansel Misfeldt who quit his job in business to “work alone in his garage all day”.
It might have been built in a backyard, but don’t let that fool you, because this creation is seriously fast.
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The hoverbike can reach 60 miles per hour in just five seconds.
That’s as fast as a 2010 Lotus Evora.
It can also carry up to 250 pounds (115kg).
Misfeldt constructed his DIY hoverbike in just three weeks.
But this build time was just the tip of the iceberg.
He started out extremely enthusiastic about the project, in fact, he thought he’d have it up and running within months.
“When I started, I told myself that it would take me about one month to build the first prototype, two months to build the second prototype,” he said.
“And within three months of starting, I’d have succeeded in building a personal flying machine by myself where teams of talented engineers had tried and failed before me.
“This is called either ignorance, ego, or optimism, I’m not sure which.”
Of course, it took a lot longer than three months.
Misfeldt started in June 2013 and finished in August 2016.
The hoverbike’s come a long way from Misfeldt’s first prototype.
“The prototype was essentially a steel frame I welded together with an aircraft engine mounted to it, which went to a timing belt that turned a set of gears which then went to another timing belt that transferred power to the propellers,” he said.
“It turns out, there’s a good reason that belts are not used in this manner.
“Rather than a fully-functioning flying machine by the end of three months, I had a very loud aircraft engine that would shred belts when turning on.”
After years of hard work, and experimenting time and time again in his garage, Misfeldt finally started to see some success.
“Eventually we got it working to the point that with me sitting in it we could get each side to lift off the ground at full power, meaning it was producing enough thrust to actually lift a person,” he said.
Now, Misfeldt has created a hoverbike that not only works but one he’s truly proud of.
He’s also created a business out of it called Flyt Aerospace and he’s doing some exciting things!
We’ll certainly be keeping our eye on him for the next big invention in the aero space.
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Kate Bain is the Page Editor at supercarblondie.com. She is based in Dubai and coordinates coverage of the latest news across automotive, technology, and lifestyle. Kate has a bachelor's degree in business and post graduate in journalism. She is an experienced editor and journalist who has worked for News Corp, Daily Mail Australia, and Sky News. When she's not at work, you'll find her attached at the hip to her dog, Thor.
