Clearly Outside the Box

Here's something you don't see every day.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/07/15/...oriens-glider/

Although it seems like there may be a 'little work' left to bring this
to fruition, it is still gets me all warm and fuzzy to see people
reaching in directions like this.

-Paul

"Clearly", the inventor hasn't flown on blue thermal days in the
southeast (or anywhere else where the temps get slightly warm...)


Talk about "greenhouse effects..." (Or would that be "hothouse
effects"...)


Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

I agree that this is "out of the box" thinking. While in engineering
school they taught us how to brainstorm. Everyone must write down 10
ideas. When you are forced to come up with 10 ideas, you can quickly
run out sane ideas and the last 3-4 end can become pretty bizare. Its
those bizare ideas that are "out of the box". Unfortunately most
brainstorming is done real time in front of, to you at least, a more
knowledgable group people who often maintain the status quo and/or
only agree with incremental changes. Being presented with someone's
10 ideas, sometimes you say, "I never thought of it that way".

Anyway, my status quo thoughts are;

1) Interesting "winglets". I wonder if these are aeronautically sound
or were they used simply because they look good.
2) Someone needs to tell the designer that while side-by-side seating
might seem like the right thing to do (in airplanes and cars), tandem
seating produces the least cross section area to the ship and better
performance.

On Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:22:24 -0700, ContestID67 wrote:

1) Interesting "winglets". I wonder if these are aeronautically sound
or were they used simply because they look good.

I bet the interference drag from those tip loops would more than outweigh
any possible benefit.

3) I can't see that tiny engine-generator unit coming remotely close to
running the electric motor at night or under cloud. I notice that there's
no fuel tank or electric storage system.

4) One of the drawings shows "transparent photocells" on top of the cabin.
Transparent photocells are impossible because by definition all photons
will pass straight through. Translucent or band-pass photocells may be
possible but that's not what was described.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. |
org | Zappa fan & glider pilot

On Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:53:08 +0100, Martin Gregorie
wrote:


4) One of the drawings shows "transparent photocells" on top of the cabin.
Transparent photocells are impossible because by definition all photons
will pass straight through.

Nahhh...
They're made of transparent aluminum with a photon filter. Just ask
Scotty for the formula.


Perhaps the transparent glider will be useful for those chilly
pre-winter days when you could use the extra heat?
Don Byrer KJ5KB
Power & Glider Pilot Guy
kj5kb-at-hotmail.com

"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without bending the gear..."
"Watch out for those doves...smack-smack-smack-smack..."

Don Byrer wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:53:08 +0100, Martin Gregorie
wrote:


4) One of the drawings shows "transparent photocells" on top of the cabin.
Transparent photocells are impossible because by definition all photons
will pass straight through.

Nahhh...
They're made of transparent aluminum with a photon filter. Just ask
Scotty for the formula.

Or ask researchers in Australia and Japan:

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/04/14/...solar-windows/
Inhabitat » Transparent Solar Windows Set to Energize Homes

http://www.aist.go.jp/aist_e/museum/science/12/12.html
Transparent Solar Cell

They are transparent to visible light, not to UV or infrared.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

Someone is having fun modeling in Rhinoceros.

Brad

I remember an anecdote told by a professor of engineering at Imperial
College (=solid high quality engineering) that also lectured to
"Industrial Designers" at the Royal College of Art (=solid high
quality art).

He noted that if you asked the designers to produce a design for an
egg, they would produce something that was the size, shape and colour
of an egg, but which was completely empty inside. And they would be
*completely* satisfied with that.

It seems that anecdote can still be still be recycled, with no loss of
validity.

Where is the door?

Gliders flying at night? Given that some have difficulty in daylight I
can't see that idea catching on :-)


At 11:53 20 July 2008, Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jul 2008 02:22:24 -0700, ContestID67 wrote:

1) Interesting "winglets". I wonder if these are aeronautically
sound
or were they used simply because they look good.

I bet the interference drag from those tip loops would more than
outweigh
any possible benefit.

3) I can't see that tiny engine-generator unit coming remotely close to
running the electric motor at night or under cloud. I notice that
there's
no fuel tank or electric storage system.

4) One of the drawings shows "transparent photocells" on top of the
cabin.
Transparent photocells are impossible because by definition all photons
will pass straight through. Translucent or band-pass photocells may be
possible but that's not what was described.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. |
org | Zappa fan & glider pilot