The Sky's The Limit For Hybrid Off-Road/Aircraft Vehicle
- 1 Mar 2017
There is a vehicle that can do just that. It’s called the SkyRunner and it’s from the imagination of Stewart Hamel, CEO of SkyRunner in Shreveport, Louisiana. The inspiration for the SkyRunner was a skydiving accident during which Hamel dislocated his arm and was forced to give up his skydiving hobby. He used to skydive every weekend. “I had suffered a posterior dislocation of my arm. As a result, it kept popping out whenever I was stabilized during a skydive,” he said. Hamel has been working on the machine for about four years. “It was originally supposed to be a personal toy for my kids and I to ride at my ranch in Colorado,” said Hamel. “Something I could drive around and fly around the property. As a pilot I respected the safety record of the parafoil wing. Little did I know there was a demand by so many for a powersport aircraft. I got a lot of feedback from operators and special forces.” Due to all the interest, Hamel hired some off-road and aviation consultants and he got some money from his own small private capital venture company and started developing the vehicle. He established a Facebook page that attracted more feedback and things just started to come together. “I listened to people who were interested in the project’s values. Some individuals wanted a toy and then there were some who saw it as a tool. This group included ranchers and government agencies. What they wanted was something that was simple, redundant, versatile, low maintenance and serviceable,” said Hamel. Putting a lot of emphasis on the serviceability, Hamel searched out an off-road brand that had dealerships all over the world so a person could drop the vehicle off somewhere convenient to be serviced and where they could go to buy parts when they needed them. Hamel noted that the vehicle has 38 parts. He aligned the project with Polaris, an off-road vehicle manufacturer with more than 1800 dealerships around the world and Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), a multinational aerospace and transportation company that manufactures Rotax, the most popular light-sport aircraft engine in the world. Hamel noted that the post-sale experience and convenient serviceability would be important to customers.
The SkyRunner uses two K&N RC-1200 universal clamp-on air filters on the ground engine. “K&N products are all over the place,” Hamel said. “I am also familiar with them because they are heavily involved in off-roading, which is a big part of the recreation that takes place in this part of the country. I also have K&N filters in my personal truck,” he said. The SkyRunner is an off-road vehicle similar to what one would see competing at the Baja 1000 race. It features a 74-inch wheelbase, a total length of 156-inches, height of 75-inches and width of 73-inches. It includes a Polaris Prostar 952cc SOHC v-Twin engine for ground transportation in front and a Bombardier Rotax turbocharged 1211cc 4-cylinder engine for flying in the rear. The Prostar produces 89-horsepower and the Rotax offers 115-horsepower. Maximum ground cruising speed is 70 mph and maximum air cruising speed is 40 mph. Maximum ground range is 240 miles and maximum air range is 120 miles. It needs 450 feet to takeoff and 400 feet to land. It has a restricted operating altitude of 10,000-feet. It has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) S-LSA approval. This means SkyRunner can be manufactured and sold ready-to-fly direct from the factory, rather than assembled by the owner as a kit. The vehicle seats two. Ground instrumentation is on the right side of the steering wheel and aircraft instrumentation is on the left side. So whether you wish to drive or fly, one simple sequence works for both – 1) Flip 2) Start 3) Engage. Each engine operates independently and so only one engine is needed at a time. Hamel noted that ranchers, people, and companies that need an aircraft to fly short range, border security agencies, and, of course, people looking for a personal toy are buying it. The price is $139,000. Hamel added that SkyRunner is creating its own dealer network. “We’re getting dealer interest in Alaska, Southern California, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, and Orlando,” said Hamel. Most of the interest in the United States is coming from the south and west, noted Hamel.
Hamel expects to deliver 700 vehicles each year globally within the next four years. “Currently, we’re building four units per month with a production capacity for 10. The hallmark of our production is our quality control and ability to scale production. In four months and nine new employees, we can grow from 10 to 20 aircraft per month,” said Hamel. The SkyRunner vehicle is manufactured in Shreveport, Louisiana. Hamel added that some options are becoming available including hubs and titanium brake rotors. He pointed out that the company will be launching its own adventure gear and apparel in March. | ||||
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