The inventors of the Paravelo say it will revolutionise the way we travel

(Picture: Jonathan Hordle / Rex Features)

As they might have sung in Mary Poppins: ‘Let’s go fly a bike, up to the greatest height.’

Two British designers have unveiled the world’s first flying bicycle, which they claim will revolutionise the way we travel.

The XploreAir ‘Paravelo’ takes off from any open space and once airborne it flies at 25mph for up to three hours at a time, propelled by a fan using a biofuel 249cc motor and parachute.

Yannick Read and John Foden’s XploreAir X1 can reach altitudes of 4,000 ft but doesn’t require a special licence to operate.


They are looking for £50,000 to finalise the design and are using the Kickstarter crowd funding site to attract investors.



Yannick and John have spent two years developing and testing the prototype.

The flying bike can easily be stored and put together

(Picture: Jonathan Hordle / Rex Features)

The lightweight design folds to a size small enough to carry into a house or apartment for storage.

In order to fly, the bike docks with its trailer, a flexible wing is unfurled and an electric starter motor gets the fan going.

The pair say: ‘The Paravelo is aimed at those who have a thirst for adventure, but are without, perhaps, the storage space or bank balance to accommodate a helicopter.

‘As well suited to someone living in London as Mojave, we believe the Paravelo can transform the way we travel for work, leisure and adventure.’