Here's One for the High Tech Minded

Try this site.

www.fanwing.com...

Instead of a propeller....well, I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Anyone. Thoughts?

Is that a grass cutter head?!

It's been windtunnel tested since 1998.

This isn't a joke.

I've seen this before. I thought the Russians came up with it but as i was reading the site it said the Brits did.

And i'll tell you why I'd still want props: Cuz they look better!

You bring up a great point on design.

If people are unable or unwilling to get over the familiar with design, there will never be advances in efficiency in aeronautics.

Personally, I think most planes (with some exceptions) are alright to look at, excepting the fighter planes and exotics. This design is meant to offer the possibility of more people having their own plane that takes off and lands in a small place. Looks wouldn't keep me from accepting a new technology capable of delivering vertical takeoff (potentially) and using a substantially decreased amount of horsepower.

Besides, should the concept pass testing, there are ALWAYS a myriad of variations on a design that will come up. First invention, then innovation.

For example, the nacelle and the multitude of vehicles based on that lifting motor.

Oh i'm all for new technology (i mean the commercial aricraft fleet is getting real boring). I just dont see this idea taking off when it comes to public oppinion.

I'd love to be able to have my own aircraft some day I just think there are better avenues. Still this is an interesting concept. Do you know if there are any plans to make a full scale version or anything?

I think the site said they will be testing an ultralight, experimental craft this year that will run at about 40 horsepower.

Perhaps it will take a few convincing flights with a person in it to show people its safe.

They talk about the wing being able to "autorotate" if the engines fail giving the aircraft the ability to perform a controlled landing.

I'll keep an eye on it and report back (if I remember.)

I read about this in Popular Science. It is a very interesting concept but it will not become popular.

Yeah... I have seen this elsewhere before and it intrigued me and its really ingenious, however I don't think its the wave of the future. People wont like it IMO.

Here is a link to some videos of a mockup in flight.

www.fanwing.com...

Havn't checked them out myself, but the concept is neat! I likey alot, It will never 'fly'................ commercially that is.

Originally posted by jetsetter
I read about this in Popular Science. It is a very interesting concept but it will not become popular.

Is that a pun one the word "popular"?...

I'm no mech/ struc engg. but I suspect the aircraft can only carry out "yaw turns" and not "roll turns"..
Or maybe the blades are swivel-fitted so that they can achieve a simultaneous "yaw-roll turn"..

What about pitch? I cannot find any info on how the craft manges to raise or lower its nose..

EDIT: on seeing some photos it seems that the craft can execute
yaw-roll turns..

I mentioned this in this thread.

I was quite facinated with it and it will be good technology for UAV's, crop-dusters and leissure aircraft.

I like it!

BTW, granitehead, I love the name + avatar

[edit on 2/4/2005 by GrOuNd_ZeRo]

I wonder what took them so long to come up with this. For my seventh birthday (1972) I recieved a toy that worked pretty much the same way as this aircraft. It looked like a small airplane except for the fact that the wings rotated on a horizontal axis. The string attached at the midpoint of the fuselage giving the nose an upward pitch. If you had any kind of wind at all this thing would climb like a scared cat. The neat thing about it was that no matter how fast the wings spun it only had so much lift. You could fly this thing in a gale without worrying about breaking the string. I hope that I get to find out how this thing flies.