I won't be late, darling... I'm literally FLYING home! £12k wonder that beats the rush hour (but don't forget the petrol)
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It could be the solution to the stress of commuting – and even mean the end of those apologetic calls home from stranded trains or the 'car park' on the M25.
This motorised paraglider comes in a suitcase, is put together in ten to 15 minutes and can soar above the queues for up to three hours.
It features a propeller, a small engine and a reinforced polyester wing and is the brainchild of TV adventurer Bear Grylls, who has developed the machine with Dorset-based company Parajet.
Adventurer Bear Grylls developed the BG Paramotor with Dorset based company Parajet
The pilot is attached to the engine with a harness and needs a run-up of just 65ft to take off and even less to land. He controls the machine by pulling handles to steer it left or right and using a throttle to climb or descend. Even if the engine cuts out, the 'wing' should be able to glide to safety. The aircraft can be packed and stowed in a car boot. Or a commuter could carry the harness like a backpack into the office, while carrying the other parts in lightweight bags.
Ex SAS-man Grylls, 40, said of his £12,800 machine: 'It's like being lifted off the ground and then soaring like a bird. You swoop in to land, before touching down on your feet. And there are no hard parachute landings like we used to have in the military.' It can reach 35mph, depending on the weather, and has a range of about 100 miles – the equivalent of Winchester to Eastbourne, or Birmingham to Liverpool. Grylls flew an earlier version to the top of Everest, and similar machines have crossed the Channel.
The adventurer, left, used a similar machine to cross the channel and even fly over Mount Everest, alhtough it is so small it can even be packed up and put into the boot of a car, right
Although aimed at the adventurous, the Bear Grylls Paramotor has already been employed for more routine journeys. Staff at Parajet, based in Semley, have used it to fly to work, and one made an impressive entrance at a dinner party by landing on a lawn already dressed in his tuxedo. The price includes ten days' training.
But there are some regulations for the fed-up commuter to consider. Big cities like London have restricted airspace to keep them clear for commercial jets, while in other built-up areas pilots must stay 1,000ft above the tallest buildings and 500ft from any person, vessel, vehicle or structure.
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