Comments on: Amazing New Aircraft Technology — The FanWing

By: bearcat

bearcat — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:12:34 +0000

Nice STOL could give the Osprey some competition down the road. Now just imagine with some modifications. Such as servo motors in the wing which could gradually transform wing shape as a more conventional propulsion system internally powers up such as a turbo fan jet speed could be increased..Then you would have the best of both worlds.

By: Southwood

Southwood — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:37:05 +0000

Isn’t it interesting that the first viable use of this type of craft is for surveillance. Very soon there will be no privacy to any of us. I like the tech. but can’t we find a use for something like this that doesn’t include a violation of our freedom?

By: okyredneck

okyredneck — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:48:03 +0000

In it’s present form,A marble and A good slingshot could bring it down. However scaled up to say, A cesna 150 at 45 mph it would be a great target for A “BOLO” or A lasso tied to A tree! Lousy spy plane, great target plane though!

By: bruce armstrong

bruce armstrong — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:50:00 +0000

wasn’t that on the cover of popular mechanics in 1948?

By: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:02:18 +0000

I doubt it will work full size.

I’ve build small air craft that use wounded up Rubber Bands!!

By: Mr. Fusion

Mr. Fusion — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:36:11 +0000

#13, Gig,

I agree. These things have a tendency to work well in small prototypes but lose their advantage when scaled up to a usable size.

By: GigG

GigG — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:05:41 +0000

Great for small UAVs but I don’t see that scaling up very well. Even to the size of a Cessna 172.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:02:20 +0000

If you wanted a flying car, you should look at MIT-spinoff Terrafugia.

http://www.terrafugia.com/

By: Maddog

Maddog — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:50:08 +0000

This one might be a bit different as it is a rotation object or fan as part of a fixed airfoil. Would be interesting to use for short take off then cove rover rotating airfoil once in flight and power normally. If you could use a power take off from the standard jet engine to run the foils during take off and landing it would be very interesting.

By: Jopa

Jopa — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:46:59 +0000

What an extremely cool idea!
It should be interesting as a payload carrier.
It’s loitment time is impressive

By: BubbaRay

BubbaRay — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:40:24 +0000

#7,8, Paul Camp, I knew I'd seen this before. Enclosing the rotors does add some efficiency, but your statement re: stationary airfoils is essentially correct. More info on the Magnus effect can be found here. Scroll down to the java simulator.

By: Paul Camp

Paul Camp — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:49:58 +0000

Addendum: Flettner created his rotor airfoil in 1922. Nothing new here. Move along.

By: Paul Camp

Paul Camp — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:47:21 +0000

This idea pops up from time to time. They’re called Flettner rotors because Anton Flettner stood two of them on end and used them as sails on a ship named Buckau. They depend on the Magnus effect to act as an airfoil.

They have the same problem Flettner discovered and which there really isn’t any way to get around — you need to spin them to create an airfoil. On top of that, you need energy to propel the craft forward. That makes them intrinsically less efficient than stationary airfoils where you only need energy for propulsion.

By: Drunken Duck

Drunken Duck — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:20:20 +0000

Neat plane but couldn’t they have found a gal that didn’t have a crow’s voice or that kept repeating herself with stupid questions…

By: Gasbag

Gasbag — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:54:53 +0000

FLYING CAR HA HA HA. I find the idea one big joke.Come you going to take the traffic problems of today and put them in the air. Would give the term “Car Accident” new meaning?