Wingboarding is new adventure sport just like wakeboarding, but in the sky.
If asked, I would absolutely call myself a danger lover or adrenaline junkie, so when somebody decided to invent the idea of wakeboarding in the clouds, my ears perked up like Scooby Doo.
Developed by a startup called Wyp Aviation, wingboarding basically involves flying through the air on a winged surfboard at 70 mph, being towed behind an airplane. Did you nearly crap your pants while thinking about that? Good, that is the point.
Founder and engineer Aaron Wypszynski got the idea from a few episodes of the Disney cartoon Tailspin, and has been working on it ever since. The company is currently working with 3D printed models to perfect the idea. The board itself has wheels to help get it off the ground, and both the rider and wingboard have parachutes to help them both return to the ground safely.
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The mock version of the wingboard has tested successfully, and now Aaron is trying to raise the $275,000 he needs for the first prototype. I don’t know about you, but I would totally do something like this– I mean, if you’re going to die anyway, wingboarding might be the most exciting way to opt out. We are on the verge of having flying cars, planes that can travel at supersonic speeds, and having all our Amazon.com orders delivered via drone to the windows of our apartment buildings. Is it so far fetched to believe that extreme sports would also take to the skies?
All they need is a human, now.