msprange said:The scary thing is, I think there are some people who might enjoy a set of rules like that
Perhaps I ought to add rules for noob-tubing. . .
Hiromoon said:Uh-huh.... the real world example is a military funded project, Derek. Otherwise the mythbusters were testing plans off the internet.
Hiromoon said:So the guy who came up with it hovering around doesn't count as flying?
Michael Moshier, chief executive of Trek Aerospace, says it has only hovered a few feet off the ground in tests. He said, "We didn't want to test it higher than we were willing to fall." Mr Moshier expects to sell the aluminium and titanium machine to a museum or aviation enthusiast.
Trek Aerospace saw its Springtail EFV-4 aircraft achieve untethered forward flight in a test that lasted about a minute and covered around 20 metres.
It is built to fly somebody weighing up to 13 stone (182 pounds) at nearly 70mph for 100 miles. Two overhead fans lift the gas-powered machine and it's steered with a joystick in each hand. Michael Moshier, chief executive of Trek Aerospace, says it has only hovered a few feet off the ground in tests. He said, "We didn't want to test it higher than we were willing to fall." Mr Moshier expects to sell the aluminium and titanium machine to a museum or aviation enthusiast.
The company retired the prototype last summer to concentrate on a second-generation model with better joysticks and a smoother engine. It hopes to sell personal flying machines to the military, allowing soldiers to pass over swamps, mine fields and other rough terrain.
Source: www.ananova.com Friday 10 January 2003
Hiromoon said:Actually, they're doing quite well with their Springtail.
Hiromoon said:Yep! It's called hope it lands on its side or it's back.... And it's called baby steps. Do you hop into an experimental airframe and go zip around in it? Give it a few more years and we'll see what that thing can really do.