OSHKOSH, Wisconsin – With so many cool, cutting edge airplanes at this week's AirVenture show in Oshkosh, it’s easy to focus on new engines, sleek bodies and flashy takeoffs. But in the case of the I-Tec Maverick, the plane's purpose and its builder's mission is as impressive as the vehicle itself.
With its 128 horsepower Subaru engine, no-frills cloth exterior and rear-mounted propeller, you wouldn’t call the Maverick sexy. The beauty isn't in what the Maverick looks like, but what it can do. The 1,000-pound flying buggy was designed and built exclusively to reach disadvantaged people in remote jungle areas.
The Maverick can, in just minutes, switch between driving, off-roading, floating and flying. That makes it just the thing for reaching remote areas deep in jungles, forests or disaster zones. Whether you call it a flying car, a floating plane, or a ATV hybrid, the Maverick brings new meaning to the word versatility.
“This is a vehicle that we can get into areas where others can’t,” Steve Saint, the brain behind the Maverick, told Wired.com. “When the road stops or the bridge is out, that’s not a limitation.”
On the ground, the Maverick can drive at highway speeds, fits into a two-car garage and can be gassed up at your corner gas station. Once its airborne, it can reach an altitude of 300 feet and a max speed of 40 mph. An innovative hydraulic steering system means the Maverick uses a single, multi-use steering wheel. In driving mode it controls the wheels, and while in flight it controls the parachute canopy.
“Easy to use – that’s key,” Saint said. “If you can drive it you can fly it, too.”
He says the transition from driving to flying can be done in less than ten minutes and is as easy as pulling a pin and shifting a lever to transfer power from the Maverick’s transaxle to its rear-mounted composite propeller. Floats can be attached to the bottom of the vehicle for river crossings, and its dual-drive engine kicks in fast. Its track - the distance between the centers of each wheel -- is the same as that of a Toyota Landcruiser, which means it can follow ruts left by off-road vehicles.
Saint says another of the Maverick’s advantages is its mast and spar system. The 22 foot mast is mounted to the car’s roof and can be assembled in minutes. It supports a cloth wing that stows in a duffel bag over the passenger’s compartment.
“Even in crosswinds, we can land it,” he said.
The Maverick project is part of I-Tec – the Indigenous People’s Technology and Education Center – an organization founded by Saint that is committed to helping indigenous Christians living in the developing world. While the religious affiliation is sure to ruffle some feathers, it’s tough to fault an organization for developing transportation that gets supplies to people out in the middle of nowhere.
“We are looking to serve people in frontier areas,” Saint, a missionary who grew up in Equator, said. “People that would be very tough to reach otherwise.”
Best intentions aside, Saint says the U.S. government has expressed some interest in using the Maverick in a law enforcement capacity, and Saint admits that he hasn’t dismissed the idea.
“The best way for us to make these affordable is to sell a lot of them,” he said. “You need those economies of scale.”
Photos: Dave Demerjian / Wired.com
