The next generation of flight/racing?

"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
02/19/2020 at 13:51 • Filed to: None

DISCUSSION (22)

HammerheadFistpunch > Dusty Ventures
02/19/2020 at 13:56

Man that flight was sketchy as hell. 11/10 would not want to be onboard.

Thomas Donohue > Dusty Ventures
02/19/2020 at 13:56

With an on-board pilot, isn’t it just a helicopter? With more rotors ?

Notchback88 > Thomas Donohue
02/19/2020 at 14:03

More rotors that are low inertia, and can’t autorotate.

Ash78, voting early and often > Dusty Ventures
02/19/2020 at 14:11

Nobody with any concept of aerodynamics would get into that.

Thankfully, expert knowledge of just about everything is going away in favor of blind faith, so I’m sure we’ll find some takers.

Ash78, voting early and often > Thomas Donohue
02/19/2020 at 14:12

A helicopter with engine failure (if it’s upright) just acts like a parachute. Quadcopters and similar don’t have much capability there . They just drop.

Blaquer > Dusty Ventures
02/19/2020 at 14:39

Wait, is it remote controlled, or is the guy in the cockpit controlling the flight too?

TheRealBicycleBuck > Ash78, voting early and often
02/19/2020 at 14:45

And yet, the “air taxi” is something that people keep pushing. https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/8/21056956/ehang-air-taxi-first-flight-demo-pilot-electric-north-carolina-us-faa

WilliamsSW > TheRealBicycleBuck
02/19/2020 at 15:36

Yeah fuck that, I would never ride in that thing.

Riding in a helicopter is something I’m not a fan of, this would be a no go.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Dusty Ventures
02/19/2020 at 15:43

Somehow even before watching I knew Flite Test was involved...

TheRealBicycleBuck > WilliamsSW
02/19/2020 at 15:52

I really enjoyed riding in a helicopter and if I had the funds, I’d complete my rotorwing certification.

I still wouldn’t ride in that air taxi. I sure hope they plan to put in ballistic chutes. That’s the only hope for the passengers if there’s an electric failure.

Dusty Ventures > Snuze: Needs another Swede
02/19/2020 at 15:52

Only sort of. They had no involvement with design or construction, they were only brought in to see the first flight and help promote it

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Dusty Ventures
02/19/2020 at 15:54

Still, I just knew they’d somehow get in on something like this.

I have 2 of their foam board planes sitting at home, both about 80-90% complete. I really need to find some time to finish, and need to buy a radio. It’s somewhere only my list of 27,000 other things to do.

Dusty Ventures > Ash78, voting early and often
02/19/2020 at 15:58

Yeah, I figured if this to ever be a thing they'll need to all be fitted with ballistic recovery chutes

TheRealBicycleBuck > Snuze: Needs another Swede
02/19/2020 at 16:44

I ha ve two of their Explorers. The intent was to get my son interested in flying R/C. We completed one of them and flew it several times. I bought power pack B, so what they call “docile,” I’ll call slow .

At the end of our second flight session, I decided to push it a bit and show my son how to do a loop. The first loop went fine. The second loop ended when the wing folded. I probably missed a small section of glue when I built the wing. The crash wasn’t too bad, but it caused enough empennage damage that we couldn’t just swap wings and get it back in the air.

We haven’t flown since. I’m hoping to help him finish his plane this summer and get them both into the air at the same time.

Nom De Plume > Dusty Ventures
02/19/2020 at 17:01

And Chamonix finally banned wingsuits. I bet they have no issues finding a way to rid their skies of these.

WilliamsSW > TheRealBicycleBuck
02/19/2020 at 17:01

I’ve been in a helicopter once, it was weird coming from fixed wing aircraft.

My dad’s old neighbor was a long time Captain for United (in fact he was their first black captain) and HE always said he hated helicopters, so I think that kinda stuck with me. That guy has thousands of hours in B-52s, 757/767, DC-10s and God knows what else. I figured if he wasn't good with them, I didn't need to be.

TheRealBicycleBuck > WilliamsSW
02/19/2020 at 17:07

I discovered that one of my neighbors is a helicopter pilot in a very dramatic way. In 2016, we had flooding in our area. This fellow spent most of the day doing aerial inspections. Instead of returning to the airport at the end of the day, he just flew home and landed. It’s a good thing he has 10 acres to land on! I saw him coming in and talked to him after I watched him land. He said that most of the roads in the area were impassable. We had already hunkered down, so that wasn’t a surprise. He knew the only way to spend the night in his own bed was to fly home.

Sometimes being a helicopter pilot has some big advantages.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > TheRealBicycleBuck
02/19/2020 at 21:22

Thats awesome!

I think I went with Power Pack C because I make bad decisions. M y buddy and I actually split a 2 plane kit, I got the P-51 and he’s got the F4U Corsair. I’ve heard the warbirds are not the best starter planes. So that, plus the C pack, should be perfect!

TheRealBicycleBuck > Snuze: Needs another Swede
02/19/2020 at 23:15

Oooo. If you’ve never flown R/C before, find someone who can help you. Especially with the planes you’ve chosen. I was a freshman in college when I learned to fly. A friend of ours had been flying for years, so he guided us through the construction of several Gentle Lady gliders and then he taught us to fly. This was a great glider to start with because of the simple build, slow flight characteristics, and simple tail controls.

My first solo kit was a Top Flite Metrick . That sucker was a bear to build with a complex airfoil and a full-flying stabilator. It also flew a lot better than the Lady. After that, I stepped into the world of glow-fueled planes.

To be honest, flying with a group of people was so much more fun than flying alone. We had lots of crazy adventures together. If you and your buddy manage to keep the birds in one piece for more than one flight, you’re sure to have a great time!

Ash78, voting early and often > Nom De Plume
02/20/2020 at 09:01

Wingsuits are a great idea but for all the idiots only using them for flying too close to the terrain.

Nom De Plume > Ash78, voting early and often
02/20/2020 at 10:50

Totally unlike a...

For numerous reasons larger “drones” are not safe enough to operate near people. The real world/ sporting possibilities of something strong enough to carry a human and gear are quite fascinating.

I’ve crashed (shudders) numerous five figure “drones” that had the same issue below.

Ash78, voting early and often > Nom De Plume
02/20/2020 at 10:54

Code brown! I think I just piste my pants.