I once had the er, thought -- of living on a houseboat in Sausalito, commuting to The Lab\ufffd across the Bay ... via
.
.
.
. wait for it - -
Benson Gyrocopter.
Cute one-man gadget.
No web then.. but finally read a few about the home-built rotors and the consequences of error.
[OK - ya could buy those preassembled: a Good Plan, I wotted..]
There was an adequate parking lot on the Hill, for the roll-out.
Started calculating..
Leather jacket, goggles [check]
Radio.. in event ditching looked imminent. (No GPS then, either)
No sweat if engine died - autorotate does fine.
.
.
But >THEY< wouldn't let me use it. Something about Rulez for experimental aircraft.
Government is always a coward.
Dream extinguished.
Life saved. No boat {sob}.