Ken Sandyeggo
July 30th 03, 04:16 AM
(sanman) wrote in message >...
> I was reading about inflatable wings:
>
> http://www.spacedaily.com/news/plane-inflatable-wing-01a.html
> http://www.ilcdover.com/EngineeredInfl/inflatwing.pdf
>
> and I wondered why these couldn't be implemented as rotor
> configuration, for a
> "flying car" type of vehicle -- ie. a car that could instantly convert
> to helicopter flight.
>
> If you look back at those older Hiller helicopters, they had big,
> thick, rigid aluminum rotors:
>
> http://avia.russian.ee/vertigo/hiller_x-2-235-r.html
> http://avia.russian.ee/vertigo/hiller_xh-44-r.html
>
> An inflatable equivalent might be somewhat thicker and yet not be so
> rigid, and would not have the high mass penalty.
>
> So you'd be riding a sort of lightweight automotive vehicle along the
> road, and you could switch to helicopter mode, with inflatable rotors
> popping out on the top of your vehicle. Your engine would then power
> the rotors, and you'd fly away. Once you landed again, the deflated
> rotors would be tucked back into whatever compartment they'd popped
> out from.
>
> Cmon, there are all kinds of wierd-looking lightweight concept cars
> out there, so why not this? What would be the main difficulties with a
> concept like this?
Getting anyone to stop laughing long enough to think about it. Are
you related to Moller?
KJSDCAUSA
> I was reading about inflatable wings:
>
> http://www.spacedaily.com/news/plane-inflatable-wing-01a.html
> http://www.ilcdover.com/EngineeredInfl/inflatwing.pdf
>
> and I wondered why these couldn't be implemented as rotor
> configuration, for a
> "flying car" type of vehicle -- ie. a car that could instantly convert
> to helicopter flight.
>
> If you look back at those older Hiller helicopters, they had big,
> thick, rigid aluminum rotors:
>
> http://avia.russian.ee/vertigo/hiller_x-2-235-r.html
> http://avia.russian.ee/vertigo/hiller_xh-44-r.html
>
> An inflatable equivalent might be somewhat thicker and yet not be so
> rigid, and would not have the high mass penalty.
>
> So you'd be riding a sort of lightweight automotive vehicle along the
> road, and you could switch to helicopter mode, with inflatable rotors
> popping out on the top of your vehicle. Your engine would then power
> the rotors, and you'd fly away. Once you landed again, the deflated
> rotors would be tucked back into whatever compartment they'd popped
> out from.
>
> Cmon, there are all kinds of wierd-looking lightweight concept cars
> out there, so why not this? What would be the main difficulties with a
> concept like this?
Getting anyone to stop laughing long enough to think about it. Are
you related to Moller?
KJSDCAUSA