Skip to main content

VIDEO: Volvo’s ‘Flying Passenger’ literally takes the high road

November 29, 2016

Will the paraglider, being towed by the truck, make it under the flyover? Will sales rise of 2394 Volvo trucks equipped with the latest I-Shift Dual Clutch?

Thankfully the paraglider makes it. Who knows if Volvo sales will surge. But the video of a man paragliding off the back of a lorry on a sunny day is worth watching. Beautiful Croatian mountain scenery is part of this “Flying Passenger’ video made for Volvo Trucks. The challenge was shot in the Dinaric Alps in Croatia on closed-off roads and under strict safety supervision.

It’s the latest in the Live Test video series by Volvo. The driver of this Volvo FH truck – forward control high cab – must maintain a high cruising speed to keep the paraglider in the air. The test highlights the performance of Volvo Trucks’ powertrain, fitted with I-Shift Dual Clutch.

The truck driver is Louise Marriott, from New Zealand. She knows something about maintain constant speeds, too. In late 2015, Marriott was proclaimed the most fuel-efficient driver in the on-road category of Volvo’s annual Asia Pacific Fuelwatch Challenge.

Marriott became the first female driver – and New Zealander - in the competition’s six-year history to achieve a podium finish at the event, joining Ravi Poleboina from India who was awarded the most fuel-efficient driver in the off-road segment.

Marriott, a driver for JPM Holdings in Christchurch, New Zealand, was one of four female entrants. The other three were from China, Thailand and Korea. To win the title of the most fuel-efficient driver in the on-road category, she clocked 17.5% less fuel compared to the highest amount of fuel burnt at the event.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Volvo’s 75tonne EC750E optimises productivity and profitability
    January 6, 2017
    Fuel efficiency, increased productivity and better performance ensure the EC750E crawler excavator from Volvo Construction Equipment delivers maximum return on investment. The 75-tonne EC750E offers power and stability to deliver high capacity in most applications. Powered by Volvo’s Tier 4 Final/Stage IV compliant D16 engine, the heavy-duty excavator delivers increased horsepower of 374 kW/502 hp. The EC750E offers an electro-hydraulic system, optimised to operate in harmony with the robust engine, d
  • High-tech, high places: 3M in US and MetService in New Zealand
    August 1, 2017
    The US state of Michigan sets up a high-tech test road while New Zealand’s transport officials buy in some high-tech weather forecasting. The road safety division of 3M will provide the US state of Michigan with lane markings and retroreflective signs for a connected vehicle technologies trial along the I-75 highway. Around 5km of the Interstate 75 work zone in Oakland County will be transformed over the next four months to improve safety for drivers and test advanced vehicle-to-infrastructure technologie
  • Volvo CE sees sluggish growth for Q1
    April 25, 2022
    Volvo CE is experiencing sluggish growth for Q1, 2022.
  • Electromobility in the off-highway industry
    September 14, 2020
    Electrification brings many benefits to off-road machines including zero exhaust emissions, improved efficiency and significantly reduced noise levels, so why aren’t we seeing more of them yet? Zeyd Okutan, Volvo Penta’s product manager responsible for the company’s Industrial Segment Electromobility Product Planning and Strategy, explains what direction the industry is heading in and what needs to happen before electric-powered machines become the norm