London: A team of British adventurers will, on Wednesday, set off on an extraordinary journey from London to Timbuktu in the world's first road legal bio-fuelled flying car.
The Parajet Skycar team says it plans to travel over six weeks through France, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and Mali, returning home via Senegal.
The team intends to fly across the English Channel, the Straights of Gibraltar and huge sections of the Sahara desert.
The project is the brainchild of Giles Cardozo, an engineer who invented and piloted one of two powered paragliders that flew over Mount Everest in 2007.
Speaking at the official launch of the expedition, Cardozo, who is also the chief pilot, explained that the car works using a powerful fan and a paraglider wing which enable it to achieve speeds of about 70 miles an hour in the air.
However, Cardozo cautioned that it may not be "the ultimate means of transport" just yet because it is vulnerable to poor weather.
The flying car will be supported by a ground crew comprising, trucks, all terrain vehicles and motorbikes.
The team claims that the car will be safer for a pilot than most aircraft because is has no pitch control and so cannot stall or dive.
In the event of an engine failure, the pilot should be able to glide down to the nearest safe landing site but, just in case, an emergency parachute can be deployed.
The Parajet Skycar team says it is aiming to raise over one hundred thousand pounds for charity through sponsors and supporters.
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