Ever since the Wright Brothers, man has dreamed about flying like a bird. We have all sorts of aircraft out there that allow you to take to the skies, but you never get the same experience as a hawk soaring over the forest or even a pigeon fluttering around in the park. Sure, we have commercial aircraft, fighter jets, and hot air balloons, but the sensation of human flight has not yet been achieved. We’re actually a lot closer to making that a reality than you think, though.

Some guy named Larry Neal developed what he calls the Super Sky Cycle. It takes a somewhat eccentric-looking bicycle, straps on a rudimentary engine, and tops it off with all sorts of rotors and other helicopter gear. The end result is a flying motorcycle that is actually road-registered and available for purchase (as a kit for $37k USD). The rotor on top can be folded up, so that the Super Sky Cycle can be stored away more easily. The transmission can also switch between driving the rear rotor and the rear wheels, so it is just as useful on the road as it is in the air. Click here for videos of the Super Sky Cycle in action

One of the biggest restrictions to the Super Sky Cycle is that it is still a vehicle that you sit in, not unlike a private jet or a small helicopter. Man is not flying, per se. Man is fluttering around in a smaller helicopter. Yves Rossy of Switzerland was a little more adventurous.

Rossy, known to some folks as FusionMan, had a decorated career in the military as the pilot of a fighter jet. He later went on to fly commercial airplanes for a living. He’s also partaken in sky surfing, but none of these ever achieved the level of “flying like a bird” that he wanted. So he went and developed one crazy flight system. What resulted was a set of fiberglass and Kevlar wings outfitted with small, but powerful Jetcat engines. It was ground-breaking. It was dangerous. But he did it. He actually flew.

When you’re on a glider, you are descending toward the Earth the entire time. With Rossy’s JetWing, he was able to remain horizontal for over four minutes. His next goal is to try to ascend. The documentary video below is definitely worth the four minutes of your time. Craaaaaazy!

It’s epic. It’s brilliant. And no matter where you take it, it’s nothing short of spectacular. But the most important question remains: who wants to buy me one?

When you think about the car show circuit, a few notable cities immediately come to mind. There’s the Detroit Motor Show, of course, as well as exhibitions in Geneva, New York, and my hometown of Vancouver. Normally when I think about Seoul, images of crazy cell phones from Samsung and LG come to mind. You know the type: the ones that come packed with multi-megapixel cameras, DMB portable TV, huge vibrant screens, touch-sensitive controls, and all sorts of goodies that we can’t even begin to fathom here in North America. I don’t think of Korea as the cutting edge place when it comes to cars. When I think of a Hyundai, I envision cheap quality, budget-minded pricing, and a horribly ugly ride.

Hyundai and Kia have come a long way in recent years, though, and while they haven’t yet earned my respect, they are starting to come out with rather funky looking concept cars. The Kue crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is one such example.

It’s got gimongous guillotine doors, super fat fender flares, a prominent behind, super slim side mirrors, an in-wheel GPS navigation system, and front bucket seats that swivel at least 90 degrees to make it nice and easy to get out of the car. It looks pretty nutty. Check it out.

More pictures are available at aving.net:
- Rear view mirror
- Interior
- Backside

I hope this doesn’t result in me getting kicked in the chest by Ed Lau, because the source of this information is the same as what got me into that whole chest-kicking fiasco in the first place. Leftlane News is reporting that a US-specific Top Gear is apparently in the works, officially bringing the popular car enthusiast show to our side of the Atlantic.

Naturally, there will be more of a focus on American cars rather than those from Seat, Peugeot, and Citroen, but the kicker is that we’ll get the same three hosts as the BBC British show: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

I’ll take this “news” with a big grain of salt for now, lest I get kicked in the chest again.

UPDATE (4/10, 22:32): Confirmation! A BBC spokeswoman went on the record and said, “BBC Worldwide has had exploratory conversations with the US networks to bring a local version of Top Gear to the US, but there is not yet a deal on the table.”

Over at BC Place Stadium, yes the place that had a deflated roof, they’re hosting the 2007 Vancouver International Auto Show. This car show has gone through a few different names over the years including the Pacific International Auto Show and the BC International Car and Light Truck Show, but I think the current choice makes the most sense. After all, it falls right in line with the bigger car shows on the circuit, like those in Detroit, New York, and Geneva (though the last of these has a “Motor” show and not an “Auto” show).

My brother, who works at Metro Ford, hooked me up with a couple of free tickets so I took in festivities on Tuesday prior to dining at a Korean supermarket near India Gate Restaurant in downtown Vancouver. Because it is far from being one of the more prominent car shows, there were no new unveilings (to my knowledge) under the dome at BC Place, but there was still plenty to see. Here are a few articles I wrote for Mobile Magazine regarding what I saw at the show:

• Volvo C30 With the Deceiving Center Console
• Suzuki SX4 WRC Concept with the Giant Wing
• Funky Speedometer on Mini Cooper S
• Video: Crazy Paintjob on T-Rex Super Trike is Hot!
• Ford Shelby GR-1 Dipped in Chrome
• Chrysler’s Giant Touchscreen Showcases Concept Cars
• Turn Signalling in Style with BMW M Coupe
• Video: Cheesy Chrysler Sales Pitch for Men and Women

The 2007 Vancouver International Auto Show runs until Sunday, April 8th. Regular admission is $12 at the door with entry through Gate A at BC Place Stadium.

Top Gear is easily one of the most popular automotive enthusiast shows on the planet and it’s all because of that stupid Jeremy Clarkson that I’m probably going to get kicked in the chest by Ed Lau a la Frank Miller’s 300.

Earlier, Jeremy Clarkson, host of Top Gear responded to the question of whether Top Gear would be back for another season by simply saying, “It won’t be.” This put the blogosphere into a headspin, Beyond the Rhetoric and Leftlane News included. Well, turns out that Clarkson’s quote was taken a little out of context. What he meant is that they won’t be doing a summer special because they’re still working out some kinks. More specifically, the lease to the airfield where they test the vehicles has run out and they need to sign a new one.

Jalopnik somehow got a hold of Clarkson, who now says:

Everyone seems to think the programme is finished or that I’ve left. Well, sorry to disappoint you all but it isn’t and I haven’t. Top Gear… will be back in the autumn.

Thank goodness. Ed, you can kick me in the chest the next time I go to dot com pho.