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JamesVincent wrote:Where are the control surfaces?
Where's the lift come from? God knows I'm no engineer, but I don't see how that thing can fly.
Could be directed thrust via what I am guessing is supposed to be some kind of directed airflow (via the nozzle on the vehicle's nose) high-speed ducted fan propulsion system. Though, it could be the imaginarium that they've got mounted on those nacelles. Either or, really.
Edit:
Here's a wsj blog entry that talks a bit more about the design. Those nacelles are supposed to be stowed props used for take off. Makes me wonder where they are keep the engines needed to do much of anything with those.
JamesVincent wrote:Where are the control surfaces?
Where's the lift come from? God knows I'm no engineer, but I don't see how that thing can fly.
You can't see the props in the rendering. Lift is provided by the external pods that can rotate from vertical for takeoff to more acute forward angles for higher-speed flight. From what I gather, forward thrust is enhanced by the pusher prop configuration.
I cannot fathom that they could use a turbine small enough to fit in the pods as depicted. Obviously, reality will creep in on later versions.
The Honorable Judge Roy Bean The world is a car and you're a crash-test dummy. The Devil Makes Three
Ah. Like a Harrier (for a jet) or an Osprey (for a prop). But, as you both say, there's no way that drawing allows for the size engines required for VTOL. And they have wings.
So I still don't see how that thing (as drawn) can fly.
"A wise man proportions belief to the evidence."
- David Hume
The fact that you sincerely and wholeheartedly believe that the “Law of Gravity” is unconstitutional and a violation of your sovereign rights, does not absolve you of adherence to it.
What the promoters of these vehicles have to eventually come to grips with is a target market of diminishing size and airspace of diminishing space.
They will never be anything but a novelty.
To get one of these types off the ground requires licensing of the pilot AND a physical location that the FAA is amenable to, not to mention an insurance policy that would probably cost as much as an average house payment.
The Honorable Judge Roy Bean The world is a car and you're a crash-test dummy. The Devil Makes Three
I have to admit that I find this quite fascinating if simply because I was of the generation that they promised this sort of thing to.
Once I get past the cool neat aspect and reality takes over, I have to agree that the practicality and affordability issues pop to mind real hard and fast. My understanding is that you would have to have a full pilot's license to operate one, adn the FAA restrictions would be crippling I would expect as they would be serious air hazard I would think, and I can't help but think the insurance, always assuming you could get it, would be staggeringly expensive. I think novelty is the kindest thing that can be said about it.
The one positive thing about it, they are so prohibitively expensive that the really dangerous loons won't be able to afford them, thus limiting their destructive efforts to the streets and highways, which is more than bad enough to my mind.
The fact that you sincerely and wholeheartedly believe that the “Law of Gravity” is unconstitutional and a violation of your sovereign rights, does not absolve you of adherence to it.
wserra wrote:Ah. Like a Harrier (for a jet) or an Osprey (for a prop). But, as you both say, there's no way that drawing allows for the size engines required for VTOL. And they have wings.
So I still don't see how that thing (as drawn) can fly.
There are alternate renderings of the vehicle that show that the nose cone is much larger than the initial picture would suggest. It still looks a bit small to power three props while holding enough fuel to travel more than a mile.
The lift can be provided by angling the props. The Osprey does that as the wings can't provide enough lift by themselves. It'll increase drag and slow the vehicle down a bunch, but given that commuters are supposed to be flying this beast, that probably is by design.
And that model requires a parasail to provide the lift. See the videos here. I still don't see how a VTOL model can fly without much larger engines than the drawings reflect.
"A wise man proportions belief to the evidence."
- David Hume
Maybe you have to wish really really hard. I find the whole concept bemusing, and I can rate the possibility of getting me in to one about minus 200%.
The fact that you sincerely and wholeheartedly believe that the “Law of Gravity” is unconstitutional and a violation of your sovereign rights, does not absolve you of adherence to it.
The WSJ blog has a rendering showing a much larger nose cone. Big enough to house an engine the size of a helicopter's. I'm still not sold on the pivoting props, the ducted fan should be providing thrust and the vertical blades the lift, no need to pivot the props, if speed is a problem, make the rear fan more powerful.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - A prototype flying car completed a 35-minute flight this week between international airports in Slovakia, fulfilling what developers called "a key milestone" in moving toward production.
The dual-mode car-aircraft, called AirCar, flew on Monday between international airports in Nitra and Bratislava. It was AirCar’s first inter-city flight and 142nd successful landing, according to Klein Vision, the company behind its development.
I don't know why there was so much emphasis on it having a Bimmer engine but apparently it does.
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Wow!!! Unless that was all CG and fantasy that was gorgeous. I had to hunt to find the video of it flying, and it is pretty. I would presume it is a rear engine twin split tail, and I would assume a pretty good engine if it is a BMW. The structural design is really interesting and I would say reasonable. The only issue I can see is the rotor being a wind drag. Just lovely. It will be interesting to see what the cost and economics turn out to be.
The fact that you sincerely and wholeheartedly believe that the “Law of Gravity” is unconstitutional and a violation of your sovereign rights, does not absolve you of adherence to it.
Wonderful! Soon, we'll have arrests and prosecutions for flying under the influence/flying while intoxicated, not to mention having to deal with the deaths resulting from the crashes.
"We've been attacked by the intelligent, educated segment of the culture." -- Pastor Ray Mummert, Dover, PA, during an attempt to introduce creationism -- er, "intelligent design", into the Dover Public Schools
