奇速英语

会飞的自行车即将进入现实

Many people have long dreamed of being able to fly around as simply as riding a bicycle. Yet the safety and strength of a flying bike was always a big problem.

Over the past 10 years, developments in technology have moved the dream of personal flying vehicles closer to reality. The British company Malloy Aeronautics has developed a model of its flying bicycle. The company says that its Hoverbike will be a truly personal flying vehicle.

The company’s marketing sales director Grant Stapleton says that the Hoverbike is able to get in and out of small spaces very quickly. Safety was the company’s main problem when developing the Hoverbike. To solve this problem, the company is testing two models of the Hoverbike.

In New Zealand, the Martin Aircraft Company is also testing a full-size model of its personal flying device, called Jetpack. It can fly for more than 30 minutes, up to 1,000 meters high and reach a speed of 74 kilometers per hour. Peter Coker, one officer from the company said that Jetpack is built around safety from the start. He said, “Safety is the most important part of it. We have safety built into the actual structure itself.”

Jetpack has a parachute(降落伞) that can be used if something dangerous happens. At this time, it can open at very low altitude(高度) and saves both the flying vehicle and the pilot. Mr. Coker says that Jetpack will be ready for sale to the public soon. He adds that it will have a price of about $200,000.