Oshkosh—A Look into Future

The Oshkosh EAA AirVenture offers not only a road ahead for China， but also possibilities for the future of private flying， exemplified by the following private flying equipments.

“Jetman” Yves Rossy

He leapt from a helicopter， ignited the engines on his wings， and there he was， Yves Rossy hovering in the air. This is not unfamiliar for people who have watched the movie Rocket Man. But Yves Rossy is even faster than the rocket man. Powered by four jet engines， his jet pack can fly as fast as 300km/h.

As the first “Jetman” to fly a jet engine-powered wing， the 54-year-old’s first public appearance at the EAA AirVenture and his wing-to-wing flying with a B17 Bomber is set to be the highlight of this year’s event.

Before known as Jetman， Yves Rossy has served as a pilot in the air force and then capital of Swiss Air. He embarked on the development of a single man flying wing with a belief that flying will become more private. Through 30 years’ research and improvement， the wings he developed can take off and land anywhere and can support any kind of move in the air. His ambition is to equip man with a pair of wings that can fly freely.

Terrafugia Flying Car

The flying car developed by Terrafugia presents another possibility for the future. It has a designed flying speed of 200km/h and a maximum range of 800 km. If you owns a Terrafugia， with one refuel， you can travel the 1088km between Beijing and Shanghai as fast as a high-speed rail.

If this is not impressive enough， wait a few years till Terrafugia significantly increase its speed and range. Flying at 300 km/h and with a range of 1000km， you will never worry about traffic congestion. With Terrafugia， everything is possible. It can take off or land on a 760m runway， or if traffic permit， on any highway.

And you don’t have to worry about your flying skills. Terrafugia is equipped with a GPS positioning system， an electronic automation system， and a satellite control system that does not require similar high piloting skills as aircraft pilots.

From the outside， Terrafugia looks no different than normal cars， except for a pair of foldable wings that are folded when driving on the ground. If you want to fly， the wings can be fully extended in 30 seconds at the push of a bottom. Many aviation enthusiasts were pretty impressed at the ease of its maneuvering.

But its hybrid design may prompt “ethical” issues. Can people holding car driving license fly it？ Or can it take off on a highway？ Soon these questions will be brought to the table of the legislators， probably within 10 years.

Business Jets by an Automaker

On July 26th， two light jets with Honda logo arrived at Oshkosh for their first public debut. As a famous auto maker， Honda surprised the world when it announced its plan to develop business jets. But it also prompts people to think， since Honda has promoted cars to the wide public， will it do the same for aircraft？

“EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has special significance for me. This event is where I introduced the proof-of-concept HondaJet to the world for the very first time. It was truly the beginning of Honda’s exciting venture into aviation，” said Honda Aircraft President and CEO Michimasa Fujino. “I am very excited that EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has once again provided the setting for the first public appearance of HondaJets.”

Honda cars are widely recognized for its smooth maneuver and competitive price. With a business jet priced at 4.5 million USD， it will be exciting to find out whether its business jets will inherit the outstanding design， excellent quality cost control， as well as advanced management from its auto business.