April 20, 2005
And hereÂ’s the good news -- a lot of people are building machines youÂ’ll be
able to buy.One of those people is an inventor named Woody Norris. This week, he will receive AmericaÂ’s top prize for invention. ItÂ’s called the Lemelson-MIT award -- a half-million dollar cash prize to honor his lifeÂ’s work, which includes a brand new personal flying machine. Correspondent Bob Simon reports.
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It's called the AirScooter, and self-taught inventor Woody Norris says it goes on sale later this year.Norris, 66, asked one of his test pilots to demonstrate the AirScooter for 60 Minutes on a hilltop outside San Diego, Calif. It can fly for 2 hours at 55 mph, and go up to 10,000 feet above sea level.
"Look how quickly it stops, hovers, sideways, sideways, straight down," Norris tells Simon.
Everything is controlled from the motorcycle-like handle bar. Push it forward and the two counter-rotating blades pivot forward. Push it back and it goes back. Norris says you wonÂ’t need a pilotÂ’s license if you fly it under 400 feet in non-restricted air space. And heÂ’s going to sell it for $50,000.
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