英國發明家造出會飛的自行車：最高能飛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.
當外星人ET騎着輛BMX小輪車飛到天上時，看上去是那樣的輕而易舉。但是全世界的第一輛人力自行飛車卻需要有點創新思維才能真正起飛。
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.
這輛名爲Paravelo的自行飛車上安裝了滑翔翼、螺旋槳、馬達和降落傘，雖然外觀不怎麼優雅，但卻能飛至4000英尺的高空，最高速度可達每小時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在地面行駛時，與普通兩輪自行車沒有太大區別，只是它多了一個拖車，上面裝有使用生物燃料的大螺旋槳。但要是有足夠空間做跑道的話，拖車就能與自行車部分結合，變型成飛行器，在滿油狀態下可飛行三小時。
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.
自行飛車的製造者是兩名英國人：37歲的約翰-福頓和42歲的亞尼克-裏德，他們說設計Paravelo的靈感來自於兒時騎單車的經歷。自行飛車售價1萬英鎊，但他們相信這項發明能給人們的上班方式帶來革命性轉變。
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.’
福頓先生說：“我們對自行車和動力飛行器之間的聯繫非常着迷——發明飛機的懷特兄弟以前就是修自行車的——所以我們設計了Paravelo，重現他們那段開拓創新的時代。”
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.
自行飛車上裝有全球定位裝置，據此可以調整飛行方式，而且無需飛行員駕照就能直接上手。Paravelo的設計者希望它能成爲主流交通工具之一，還說它的價格和小型家庭轎車相差無幾。
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.
兩位設計者稱，這輛自行飛車十分適合遠程上下班，因爲它可以摺疊，能放在諸如辦公室一類的狹小空間中。這項發明還獲得了環境運輸協會的大力支持。
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.’
協會董事安德魯-大衛說：“對好幾代人來說，汽車在交通中一直占主導地位，但現在可以讓位於這種會飛的自行車了。”
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.’
來自倫敦的裏德先生說：“如果你一直渴望去探險，卻苦於沒有金錢或空間購置一架直升機，那對你來說，Paravelo就再適合不過了。”
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.
發明者保證：有了Paravelo自行飛車，交通擁擠、停車罰單和怒路症就都將成爲歷史。他們還說，無需考取執照就能駕駛飛車，而且價錢只有一輛小型家用轎車那麼多。
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.
自行飛車採用生物燃料，環保無污染，最高可飛到4000英尺的高空。在起飛時，生物燃料運轉電馬達，電馬達帶動螺旋槳，使這個飛行器升離地面。
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的另一個附加設計是NightFire閃光車把，裏面含有氙氣閃光燈，最遠可見範圍兩英里。這是特意爲自行飛車設計的。車把手上還附有1-1.25英寸的夾鉗，但不與車閘槓桿或變速器相連。
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，還有個內置帳篷， 對於假日出行者來說無疑是上好選擇。發明者認爲增加帳篷是個絕妙的設計，因爲這樣車主就可以在野外安營紮寨，然後騎車探索周邊環境。
