tassiefubar said...

Dunno how to put the pic the right way up...oops!

Go to www.irfanview.com and download Irfanviewer and all plugins. Best little free graphics editor around. You can do all sorts to just about any graphics file with it.

Thanks for that cisco

We had some people interested in our 2-person landyacht on race day.

They seemed really confused for what it was, so we explained it to them.

I think when we explained it to them they still was a bit confused...oh well

like it. Have a close look at a blokart set up for the front hand steering ,as it would be well applicable to what you are doing. perhaps contact Blokart before just copying it though
otherwise I would suggest go for it

all hills and trees round there fellas, lived there for 4 years and only ever sailed on the dunolly oval. this is a job for lachy

Hey Nic, guy's, check this out!!!!!!!

It was on a kite forum I haunt.

Human powered helicopter.
Tomorrow (Weds 5/11/11), University of Maryland will attempt to set a record for human powered helicopter flight. If they can sustain a 60 sec hover at a min altitude of 3 meters, up for grabs is the Sikorsky Challenge prize of $250,000. Also notable is the aircraft will be powered by a female pilot. I suspect she will be a competitive cyclist (most likely a track racer given the high intensity, short interval required).

A promo video is shown below. Amazing how huge this structure is yet only weighs about 200 lbs (including pilot!). Current record is just under 20 secs set by a Japanese team back in 1994. If UMD wins this challenge, it will be an amazing feat of engineering and athleticism. Should be exciting and good luck to them!




The rules state "Human power only" so no regenerative sources can be used. And speaking of the pilot, here is a photo of her training in the test rig:





She definitely looks perfect for this challenge (i.e. petite yet strong!). Hope so since she'll have to sustain about a 1 HP output (746 Watts) for the entire flight. Oh yeah, note how she is also using hand pedals. They estimate this will add approx 10% more power than just legs alone.

If the UMD team even gets off the ground that will be an accomplishment in itself. It's been 30 years since the inception of the Skorsky Challenge, yet there have only been two teams to successfully get a human powered helicopter airborne.

How good is this!!!!!!!!

How we survived our youth??? Bugger off, I'm still livin' it!!!!

I have about 10 hours stick time on a 2 seat Benson gryo glider (behind a HQ holden ute with a 200kg bale of wool in the back to hold it down). Robbie, my mate, finally totalled it whilst tethered to a fence strainer post, on a gale force day. It tipped over while landing. Only his ego hurt but he didn't have enough money to rebuild it in the 1980's. It's probably the reason I'm still here.

I will watch out for the Collectors. I love all the weird gear that turns up on the show.

I love kites and I'm keen to give paragliding a go. We have fantastic coastal slopes here. There is a paragliding school, in Albany 500kms to our west.

Hope you are getting more wind than us, as the last 2 weeks has been calm here.

Keep those students building Nic.

Hey guys!!!
I've got a good story of survival to relate.....perhaps we should start a thread on seat of your pants flying
We had a paddock at the farm at Central Castra which was gently undulating for about 500 meters. This was our main "training" spot....facing north and if conditions were good, "blessed" with a slight sea breeze..(there's the link!)
It was one of our hay paddocks and this had been harvested in December....by late Janurary it was dry and the stubble was about 5 or 6 inches off the ground.
Remember "stubbie" shorts?...all the rage in the 70's. You know Warrick Capper, we all wanted to look like him. These were my main bit of protective equipment.....didn't wear helmets....something to do with not being able to gauge the strength and direction of the wind and our airspeed/ stall indicator aka a bit of wool tied to the front stay was deemed unreliable, so we had to be able to hear the wind speed.
It was hot....21 degrees is hot for the NW of Tassie. I did a pre flight final, made sure the bits of fencing wire holding the A frame were not too bent following my brother's "landing" in a rock pile and lined the Albatross up and ran like buggery into the 10 knot breeze.
As I took off the breeze died to a couple of knts. so I only gained about 5 meters of altitude...which seemed kinda fun anyway..so I started skimming the ground following the contours of the hill. This was going so well that I decided to poke my legs forward and with them sticking out in front was having a great time. TILL THE BREEZE DIED ALL TOGETHER. Not enough airspeed to fly, legs forward, could not get them back to run,(would have snapped them off..I thought)......started skimming the stubble....just airbourne, just skimming on my bum for about 300 meters with the top of every undulation being a little more than just a skim.
My protective gear AKA stubbie shorts,not being designed with stubble in mind, were forced up my bum crack. My landing gear....my bum cheeks were able to take the full force of the skimming. This allowed the Albatross to land with no damage. I sustained two neatly symmetrical red raw cheeks and was unable to sit down for a month. Was the butt of jokes for ages after that.
I seemed to remember I had a pair of blunnies on as well......back in the days when they were made in Ozland and I would own some
I know I'm still 17...and I'm going to stay that way for ever

Hm! Control Freak at such a young age!!
Izac, have a quiet word with the fubs about sail area, I don't know how large an area you should have on that beast But just 'cos it is twice as long don't mean you need twice as much sail. it only has three wheels none the less and two 6mtr sails is 12 mtrs of the stuff, plenty to be able to name the LY the Horizontal Machine or the Inside Out Devil. 12Mtrs should be just about right to turn it inside out along with the Crew. I'd also have a chat with Landyacht on that subject.
Ron

OK! Izac,
it is great to see you younguns use a bit of sense to and figure things for yourself. Go ahead and do it but I stress that you may be over doing the area a TAD. That is my opinion and so long as no one gets done an injury it is all good. Learning for oneself is a great and memorable way to learn. No complaints now Blame laid just pure lessons. From an Old Fart that is what life is about learning even at my age. Nothing is bad jst lessons, from Downsides there are always Upsides. Be positive and always see the upside.
Ron

Well Izac, the short answer is that very little is impossible.. However successful rejoining could be a problem. I think you could probably Sleeve it and keep it as a two piece mast. The insert sleeve would be Ali' using the right materials should be very good. I suggest you have a quick Q and A with Paul or Chook to get the correct info..
Ron
PS: Make sure that the cut is nice and square.

Ideally the cut should be exactly 90 deg OR at approx 45 deg.

Camera tracks (as used in video productions) are cut at 45 deg so they interlock and position nicely together with no bumps. [the idea would work well for a mast]

Hi fellas- if you go to page 8 of the construction section, there is a thread about "Bill Finches 3 piece mast"

same principal works for a 2 piece mast.

you can cut a regular fiberglass mast down- or use the remains of some old snapped masts to make an easily transported model.

just remember to reinforce the joins with a bit of fiberglass!

Tassiefubar,
If you have some odds and sodds of Carbon Fiber etc they should be good as Sleeving material, look at a purchased mast. They use woven cloth CF to make their Sleeves.. From my experience I would suggest that a length of CF would be just fine.. Ali.. T6 would do the trick as well.. Young Izac in his wisdom sggested that you guys are willing to make mistakes and learn.. Way to go Izac.. That is the best way to fix a lesson.. Have a go and "Use the Force Izac, Use the Force"
Ron

Hey
Thanks guys ...looks like "The force is with us!"
Got some mast section....from tipshop....has been run over and squashed. Might try rolling/squashing it a bit more and use it as a sleeve????
Cheers Nick

Tassiefubar,
If you want some good advice, throw that crushed CF to Buggery and Gone.. It is dangerous stuff to handle and just as dangerous to breath the ground fibers.. Don't teach the kids to play with ** like that.. The splinters are fine and go under the skin really easy.. When Sanding or cutting the stuff always wear a mask and preferably do the work out in the open so the breeze can carry the dust away from you.... If worst comes to worst you have a Wood Shop at School, no doubt.. Turn up some solid Oregon Pine Dowl to suit the job and as said before wrap a couple of turns of Glass Tape about the ends and Resin them.. Take a close look at modern fishing rods, especially Fly Rods, They are only Wraped with cotton and resin-ed and when a Big Fish loads them up that joint doesn't break..

You could bind the ends with 100lb Braided Nylon and it would work just as well.. But don't Teach the KidZ to play with busted CF.. Not No How!
Ron