a few words from michael Hey thanks for reading this intro Most people skip the intro so I’m really glad you’re here While I have you here’s a question What do you think of when you hear the word vehicle Probably a car right Yep a car is definitely a vehicle But did you know that boats airplanes blimps submarines bicycles roller skates and even grocery carts are vehicles As far as I’m concerned just about anything that moves and typically carries something else can be considered a vehicle Including animals Of course I’m not a dictionary I’m just a dude who likes vehicles Especially unusual extraordinary curious and UNCONVENTIONAL vehicles BTW tortilla chips are a type of vehicle too They’re a vehicle for salsa or cheese dip if you prefer And a pencil can be a vehicle for your clever ideas Here however I’m thinking we should probably stick with more mechanical-ish things otherwise we’ll get way out of hand Though I kind of like it when things get a wee bit out of hand This intro is starting to get out of hand Okay I’ll stop now p s Look I’m inside a 1950’s Isetta three-wheeled bubble car Please don’t park in front of me or I’ll never get out the door 4
There are SO many kinds of vehicles out there How about we make a list An official list Of course it’s only official because it’s in this book Which doesn’t really make it official at all Aerocycle Airplane Airship All Terrain Vehicle Amphibious Vehicle Balloon Bathyscaphe Bicycle Blimp Boat Buggy Bulldozer Bus Cable Car Canoe Dandy Horse Digger Dirigible Dogsled Drone Elevator Excavator Fixed Wing Aircraft Funicular Golf Cart Ground-Effect Vehicle Handcar Official List Hang Glider Helicopter Horse Drawn Wagon Hovercraft Hydrofoil Hyperloop Ice Skates Jet Pack Jet Ski Kick Scooter Monorail Monowheel Moped Motorboat Motorcycle Ornithopter Paddleboat Pogo Stick Quadracycle Rickshaw Rocket Rocket Train Roller Skates Rover Screw Propelled Vehicle Segway Ship Short Bus Sled Spacecraft Stroller Submarine Submersible Surfboard Tank Tiltrotor Aircraft Tractor Train Tram Trencher Tricycle Truck Tunnel-Boring Machine Unicycle Van Wheelbarrow Wheelchair Yacht Zip Line Can you think of some other types of vehicles I’ve left a few extra spaces for you Wait you may not want to actually write in this book I mean it’s fine by me if you do But you might not Your call 5
AIRBOARD PERSONAL tm HOVERCRAFT manufacturer Arbortech date of production 2000 2007 Once upon a time the personal hovercraft was advertised in the back of comic books But was it real Errr It wasn’t until the opening ceremony for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney Australia that it finally showed its face Millions of viewers were captivated There it is The personal hovercraft To be specific it was the Airboard Personal Hovercraft Fill it up with gas hop on board and hover 8 inches 20 centimetres above the streets cruising at speeds up to 15 miles 24 kilometres per hour Sweet Simply shift your weight to turn which you’ll need to do to avoid large puddles sand and other non-solid surfaces that the Airboard’s motor can’t handle And wait it runs out of gas in just one hour Sorry I can’t hear you over all the noise this thing is making Um does the price tag really say 14,000 Oy 6
still want one I certainly won’t stop you You can occasionally find used Airboards for sale on eBay for as little at 2,900 Free local pickup included ode to the airboard Hover here hover there Hover in your underwear You can hover down the street but only if the street’s concrete The four-stroke engine loudly roars Sorry Mom no time for chores I’m lifting up I’m moving free But why is everyone looking at me Are they mesmerized by my hover stance Or is it because I have no pants As seen in the back of comic books from the 1960s and 70s Well sort of The ad asked you to send 3 50 for plans and a photo Awesome Yes I was that kid in the 70s who sent off his allowance money for hovercraft plans And yes I’m still waiting for them to arrive 7 powered by personal hovercraft float on air around your house or school it really might or might not work your parents vaccum cleaner motor Send all your allowance money for fake plans 454 Fake St Fake CA 90214
