ANDERSON, Ind. — “You don’t see something like that every day,” seventh-grader Tristan Dixon said Tuesday, after he and his classmates got a firsthand look at the future.
In this case, it was the Vertiscooter. The gasoline-powered personal hovercraft was one of a handful of cutting-edge inventions that Anderson entrepreneur Pete Bitar brought to demonstrate to students of Anderson Preparatory Academy on their aerospace day.
A line formed to take a ride on the Vertiscooter after school Commandant Robert Guillaume expertly glided the stand-up hovercraft to a stop mere feet from cadets watching the demonstration outside the school.
“That was pretty cool,” Guillaume said. ”It was excellent,” ninth-grade English teacher Brenda Maxfield said after her ride. And when science teacher Anita Burt stepped off, she said, “It was awesome. ... I can really see that being the future.”
Bitar was invited to speak to students who had just completed aerospace projects on which they had worked together over the last month. Before demonstrating the Vertiscooter, Bitar had shown cadets inventions that are in the field, contracted to the Defense Department.
On the gym wall, he shone handheld lasers that are in use by U.S. soldiers staffing checkpoints in Iraq and elsewhere. Their light — by design — can be blinding.
Bitar, who has been featured in programs on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel, then walked to an innocent-looking briefcase sitting on a tabletop.
“This has no practical application,” he said, then caused the briefcase to burst forth a small, continual, controlled burst of electrical lightning whose zapping sound was worthy of Nikola Tesla.
The captivated cadets let out a continual, controlled “wow.”
“I’ve always been a sci-fi nut,” Bitar told the students. “You can see how things really could be if you used your imagination.”
He urged students to look to those who are doing challenging, technical work in the fields they are interested in. “Learn how they do things, learn how they process things.”
APA aerospace teacher Natalie Carter met Bitar through a firm she operates, NRC Business Development Consulting, and invited him to speak at the school.
“They don’t have to be 30 or 40 years old to have an invention,” Carter said. “They can do it now. ... His inventions, they’re awesome. And he’s doing it right here in Anderson.”
Bitar told students that invention doesn’t always involve a bolt from the blue. “Some of what you have to do is build on technologies that exist today,” he told students.
By that standard, seventh-grader Shane Jones was already thinking about the next generation after watching the Vertiscooter in action.
“I’d probably put some wheels on it,” Jones said. “And make sure it’s Earth-friendly.”
Breaking News
Related Photos
-
John P. Cleary
-
John P. Cleary
-
John P. Cleary
Related Links
Discussion
Aerospace inventor wows students
Bitar's work has been featured on History Channel, Discovery Channel
- Breaking News
-
-
Police: Powell withdrew $7,000 day before killings
Utah authorities have for at least six months investigated the disappearance of Susan Powell as a murder case. But without a body, they publicly held out hope that she would be found alive.
-
Jury pool narrows in ex-UVa lacrosse player case
Attorneys on Tuesday narrowed their pool of potential jurors in the trial of a former University of Virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his ex-girlfriend.
-
Looking for work? There may be an app for that
Looking for a promising career in a lousy economy? A new study suggests you're apt to find it in apps — the services and tools built to run on smartphones, computer tablets and Facebook's online social network.
-
Southern Indiana caver killed self in treacherous cave
An Iraq war veteran and carving enthusiast who was reported missing four months ago died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a treacherous cave in southern Indiana, authorities said Tuesday.
-
CDC: Bread beats out chips as biggest salt source
Bread and rolls are the No. 1 source of salt in the American diet, accounting for more than twice as much sodium as salty junk food like potato chips.
-
Court: California gay marriage ban is unconstitutional
A federal appeals court on Tuesday declared California's same-sex marriage ban to be unconstitutional, putting the bitterly contested, voter-approved law on track for likely consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.
-
Russian foreign minister in Syria amid escalating violence
Russia's foreign minister urged Syrian President Bashar Assad to move ahead with reforms Tuesday as a way to resolve Syria's crisis, as a cheering crowd of thousands waving Russian flags welcomed the diplomat, praising his country for blocking U.N. pressure on Damascus.
-
Paul McCartney to headline monarch's concert
Former Beatle Paul McCartney will star in a musical tribute to Britain's queen to mark her Diamond Jubilee.
-
Autopsy: Kids killed in Washington suffered hatchet wounds
Josh Powell painted himself as a tortured man, ridiculed without reason in the disappearance of his wife, steadfastly insisting he was innocent until the end.
-
Authorities remove body found in southern Indiana cave
Authorities believe a body removed from a cave at a state forest along the Ohio River in southern Indiana is that of a man reported missing four months ago.
- More Breaking News Headlines
-
Police: Powell withdrew $7,000 day before killings
Former Komen Exec Defends Funding Cut
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Jury Selection for Ex-UVa Athlete Enters 2nd Day
Raw Video: Giants Celebrate Another Super Bowl
Cab Driver Helps Wis. Family Escape House Fire
Greek Leaders Seek Deal As Bankruptcy Looms
Bernanke: Recovery Depends on Consumer Spending
Staff Removed at LA School During Abuse Probe
Eastwood in Super Bowl Ad 'Compassionate'
Stranded Fishermen Rescued From Bay of Green Bay
Analyst: Outside Troops Won't Intervene in Syria
Police: Father Planned Deadly Fire for Some Time
US, UK Pressure on Syria; More Homs Violence
Raw Video: Mass Killer Wants Medal, Freedom
Court Strips Contador of Tour De France Title
Runaway Goat Leads Police on Wild Chase
And the Winner for Best Super Bowl Ad Is...
Romney Latest Poll to Join Let-me-explain Club
