Comments on: The First Ever Flight of a Pedal-Powered, Wing-Flapping Vehicle http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/09/23/the-first-ever-flight-of-a-pedal-powered-wing-flapping-vehicle/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Chorete http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/09/23/the-first-ever-flight-of-a-pedal-powered-wing-flapping-vehicle/#comment-22292 Chorete Sun, 26 Sep 2010 17:13:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=20490#comment-22292 I have a never tested a design of mine which is much simpler. I alway wonder why designers of whatever always follow the exixting trends even if they are trying to design something extraordinary. They just copied the Gossamer and installed some cables to move the wings. The cockpit has a large crossection, but worse, the transmitting mechanism that indeeed has a large ratio must be not too efficient. My system: Just make one laarge wing. You do not need such a long tail. Then hang the pilot from it like in a hang glider and then make push-ups on the hang bar. You mus help the hands with the legs using some kind of geometrical contraption. According to the third Law of Newton it is the same to say taht you are doing pushups or that the entire wing is flapping in a much efficient parallel way than the birds. I offer this idea to tha Canadian friends. Chorete I have a never tested a design of mine which is much simpler.
I alway wonder why designers of whatever always follow the exixting trends even if they are trying to design something extraordinary.
They just copied the Gossamer and installed some cables to move the wings.
The cockpit has a large crossection, but worse, the transmitting mechanism that indeeed has a large ratio must be not too efficient.
My system:
Just make one laarge wing. You do not need such a long tail.
Then hang the pilot from it like in a hang glider and then make push-ups on the hang bar.
You mus help the hands with the legs using some kind of geometrical contraption.
According to the third Law of Newton it is the same to say taht you are doing pushups or that the entire wing is flapping in a much efficient parallel way than the birds.
I offer this idea to tha Canadian friends.
Chorete

]]> By: UH1H http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/09/23/the-first-ever-flight-of-a-pedal-powered-wing-flapping-vehicle/#comment-22291 UH1H Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:17:24 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=20490#comment-22291 Big John is right. This is a flapping wing glider, nothing more. If they make one that takes off from the ground on its own, flies a figure 8, and then lands, just as the human powered Gossamer Albatross first did, then I'll be impressed. Till then this is an interesting gimmick, but still a gimmick. Big John is right. This is a flapping wing glider, nothing more.

If they make one that takes off from the ground on its own, flies a figure 8, and then lands, just as the human powered Gossamer Albatross first did, then I’ll be impressed.

Till then this is an interesting gimmick, but still a gimmick.

]]> By: Rhacodactylus http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/09/23/the-first-ever-flight-of-a-pedal-powered-wing-flapping-vehicle/#comment-22290 Rhacodactylus Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:17:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=20490#comment-22290 This is very cool, but i don't get why everyone is acting like it's a miracle. As materials and designs improve, more and more becomes possible. This is very cool, but i don’t get why everyone is acting like it’s a miracle. As materials and designs improve, more and more becomes possible.

]]> By: bigjohn756 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/09/23/the-first-ever-flight-of-a-pedal-powered-wing-flapping-vehicle/#comment-22289 bigjohn756 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 20:39:22 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=20490#comment-22289 I wonder how they prove that it is flying because of the flapping wings rather than simply gliding from the speed built up from the takeoff pull? I wonder how they prove that it is flying because of the flapping wings rather than simply gliding from the speed built up from the takeoff pull?

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