www.engineeringnews.co.nz 3 I was captivated the moment the shed doors opened. And I wasn’t the only one, as I write Colin Furze’s British-version of a No.8 wire engineering d-i-y project, a homemade hover bike, has had more than 10 million YouTube views. Now this isn’t your typically engineered hover bike from the likes of a Malloy Aeronautics, Aerofex or the US Military for that matter. This is a back yarder, and comprises everyday parts. I can’t speak for the other 10,836,157 viewers but what grabbed me was the enthusiasm for the project. His endeavour... it’s a given that I’m writing to an engineering industry that could absolutely blow him away with concept, design and make... but this is different. It’s all a bit Kiwi really. It has the scent of a futuristic Burt Munro, but with just enough corporate backing required to make sure it’s seen among the plethora in a digital world. It’s a sign of the times when even backyard becomes boom corporate exposure. I wonder what Burt could have achievied with a bit of backing? Though it definitely isn’t any Fastest Indian, it is however part of a gravitation toward a worldwide addiction in experimentation of personal hovering crafts. Furze used weed eater engines, some propellers, some metal tubing, and a basic frame. He then added a place to stand and a place to grab on to. Simple, eh? VISIT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE lep.net.nz It has its ups and downs, as you can see on the video, and it also has you cheering along when it becomes the hover bike ‘that can’, rolling on floor laughing (that’s ROFL) seconds later at the prospects of a nose dive and disaster or two. It’s not Furze’s first project and won’t be his last given the viral success of the hover bike video. He doesn’t have a doctorate in mechanical engineering or the backing of a military superpower to build his bike. All he’s got are a bunch of spare parts and the uncanny will of a foolhardy daredevil who doesn’t mind turning himself into a human crash test dummy. Furze uses his plumbing and engineering experience to build many contraptions, including a wall of death, the world’s longest motorbike, the world’s fastest stroller, and a jet-powered motorcycle made with pulsejet engines. They are calling him YouTube’s most insane inventor. Anyone out there in New Zealand prepared to take him on? Send us your project videos or give me a call and tell me about the latest crazy project you’ve been working on, it just may end up in the papers of Engineering News or on the website. Greg Robertson Publisher greg@hayleymedia.com P U B L I S H E R ’ S D E S K WEED EATER HELPS HOVER BIKE TAKE FLIGHT, MOSTLY COLIN FURZE’S CRAZY CREATIONS INCLUDE... World’s longest motorbike. http://tinyurl.com/jrs3kcm World’s fastest pram. http://tinyurl.com/9sqjndv Farting machine. http://tinyurl.com/nukg2kr Jet bicycle. http://tinyurl.com/m6tocqd http://tinyurl.com/jr25qsz
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