A Man Just Flew a Dune Buggy Across the English Channel

Flying cars are here, but they're not what we imagined.

June 19, 2017 9:00 am

In 1909, Frenchman Louis Blériot made the first flight across the English Channel in a plane.

In 2017, one of Blériot’s countrymen completed the same journey, except he used a car instead.

Named after the winged horse in Greek mythology, the Pegasus car that Bruno Vezzoli piloted across the Channel is a one-seat dune buggy with a pusher propeller for gliding and a parasail. Also capable of driving on land at 60 MPH, the Pegasus can hit up to 50 MPH once it’s airborne.

English Crossing (4 images)

Using the unique craft, Vezzoli was able to travel the 36 miles from an abandoned runway in Ambleteuse, France to a landing area outside of Dover, England, in about 50 minutes.

Designed by Jules Verne fan Jerome Dauffy, the hope for the Pegasus or a future creation based on it is that the specialized vehicle will be able to fly around the world in 80 days. “The automotive and aeronautic industries were born around a century ago and it’s only now that we are managing to combine the two modes,” Dauffy told Reuters.

The Pegasus can’t make it for 80 days yet (three hours max) but even still, très bien for now.

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