Somehow I think this is a bad idea, with one strong wind it looks like it might flip over.




  1. BelgianDude says:

    with one strong wind it looks like it might flip over.
    ——

    Actually because of gyroscopic precession …..

    control is done the same way as a “segway”.
    Here the pilot grabs the two rods that are ‘fix’. The one he is sitting on is the one shifting his weight and causing the direction changes.

    Requires good skills. specially with two rotors spinning just above your head … 🙂

  2. AlexP says:

    I can see this thing lopping off some poor mook’s head…

  3. TIHZ_HO says:

    That’s in the second video AlexP. :p

    Cheers

  4. bobbo says:

    How much gyroscopic precession is there with counter-rotating props?

    Actually this looks very practical==far more than the Mohler Sky Car or jet packs.

    I likes it.==Looks affordable too.

  5. bobbo says:

    Similar product here. I prefer the one above. Small is beautiful, assuming it has the range? I wonder how these things auto-rotate, if at all?

    http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/354/C14104/

  6. pjakobs says:

    The words “temporarily deaf” form in my head…

    pj

  7. Ben says:

    Segway steals a page from Apple and announces the Segway Air…. 🙂

  8. thomas says:

    i want wan

  9. JPV says:

    It should be called the Decapitron.

  10. eyeofthetiger says:

    There are some better versions personal helicopter available for sale. Might as well save up and get a jet pack.

  11. BelgianDude says:

    bobo> there still is precession.
    but the whole thing is more stable than a single prop.
    (to avoid going into too much detailed techno-blaah).

  12. BubbaRay says:

    With identical counter-rotating masses at equal radial velocities, there is little precession. Precession occurs with one axially balanced mass rotating on a single axis. Even the Earth precesses once every 24,000 years or so (nutation).

    I’d like to fly that neat machine. But as with any ultralight, I’d also be wearing a ‘chute. Especially one with too many moving parts.

    Autogyros are very cool also.

    http://www.americanautogyro.com/

  13. B. Dog says:

    If the NFL allows their use, I hope they have the good sense to only allow the offense to have one airborne at the time the ball is snapped.

  14. Ken in Berkeley says:

    Could you imagine commuting to work with thousands of other commuters using that thing too? It would be total chaos and destruction.

  15. BdgBill says:

    “Could you imagine commuting to work with thousands of other commuters using that thing too? It would be total chaos and destruction.”

    And that would be different from our current road system how?

  16. BubbaRay says:

    The only way that tens of 1,000’s in the sky could work would be full FAA computer control. And you’ve seen their record in the past 10 years. Cripes, their computers aren’t good enough to play 10 year old games — they can barely control airline traffic and GA.

    I just can’t even imagine the mess. Sure, you could get to work in 5 mins., but it’ll take an hour for that takeoff clearance. Har!

  17. Mike Potter says:

    THis is one damn awesome idea. Now all we need to do is market it to the politicians of the world. Aside from the obvious population control benefits just think about the shape we’d be in if G.Bush had tried to fly one in 2000.

  18. hhopper says:

    But, will that guy blend?

  19. ECA says:

    If you think about it…
    And this had MORE POWER..
    It would be perfect for Emergency services..

  20. zaw says:

    Wow larger version of coaxial RC heli.

  21. Rick Cain says:

    The coaxial rotor is what makes this work, otherwise the system would be too heavy and complex.
    The Russians have helicopters like this (Ka-25, Ka-52) in production and they are a lot more stable and safe than the Marine-killing VTOL Osprey.

  22. RobO says:

    I believe this is the right idea, an affordable and simple flying contraption.
    Where can i get more information about it, like who built it, and
    are there any plans available for it?

  23. Carl Rover says:

    Sure market it to politicians–give it to the Hey, Mike Potter: Democrats and have Obama fly this one to his next “bipartisan” summit to discuss gutting NASA and adding more illegal immigrants to the feed at the U.S. taxpaayers trough. At least G.W. Bush was a jet pilot. Takes a lot more smarts to fly a fighter jet than the Oval Office desk.


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