Flight, human powered ornithopter

[JohnK]

I think it's safe to say that this is amazing (even the music fits).

 

http://www.physorg.com/news204386550.html

[S1Steve]

Hi John,

That is very cool when it starts to flap it's wing. I never heard the term Ornithoper, what does that mean ????

 

Steve

[MHKflyer52]

I read an article in one of the science journals that I read about this feat in late August sometime around the 18th and the question of weather it was a true self powered flight due to it being towed into flight is what is holding up the approval of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FIA) and why they are waiting till their meeting in October. I would think the students would try to accomplish their takeoff roll by using a sloop to gain enough momentum to lift off and then sustain a level flight and land to insure that they can really sustain flight by flapping a wing mechanism and create lift by doing so but that is just my belief and opinion and we all know everyone has one.

I still think they have achieved more than anyone else in this area of flight and I find it great that they are able to get the weight down to the 94lbs for the size of the craft.

[JohnK]

Hi Steve, I think Onithopter means flying by 'flapping' wings, which is what it does once the tow car gets the thing up in the air.

Martin, My take on this is that the wing machinery that you need to build in order to take off is really different than the wing you need to just keep flying once you're in the air. And even level flight is really hard to do.

I'll bet the students who built it will be bragging about it the rest of their lives.

[gjslutz]

I have a friend here in OHIO that built a 1905 Wright fFyer. It was a true 100% replica that he flew at least 60 flights in it. He built the exact derrick that had a rail extending out from as a catapult. There was an 1,500 Lb weight that he dropped to shoot it up to speed. I had crewed for him many times as it took about 6 to 8 people to stage it for flight.

 

He cast the engine, It was 100% as the Wrights did in 1905. Same materials, HP & Props. & all.

 

He crashed it at Hoffman Prairie @ Dayton on a practice flight. His name is Mark Dusenberry, and there is several clips on him on the NASA site. He didn't fare too well as he is now in a wheelchair.

[JohnK]

Sorry to read about your friend's accident and injury. But in spite of his accident he was certainly very successful in duplicating the Wright's work, and got to enjoy the fruits of his work for some time.

You say that the Wright Flyer used a launch assist, which I had forgotten. So the people in Toronto building the ornthopter are following in those footsteps in that they solved the level flight issue before tackling the problems of take off.