Other types of radio controlled vehicles

iggy8n

http://www.flixxy.com/airplane-flies-like-a-bird.htm

This is pretty dramatic. I always thought this could be done and expected some renaissance type person like Leanardo da Vinci to do it. The aerodynamics have all been worked out by the birds. All we need to do is copy the system and find the materials to build it. I was impressed by this event at TED.

Cngevpxhaqrefpber

Wow! That is awesome!

Unfortunately it doesn't look like it's for sale yet though.

iggy8n

I bet it will cost a bit - until the unusual flapping part becomes more commonplace. This is the first such item I've ever seen. I've seen other powered planes that would have the wings wiggle or swing back, like the mach 2 (and speedier) aircraft do to reduce the drag of the wings when they go at rocket speeds. But, actual flight from flapping is just phenomenal.

TechGuy

Cngevpxhaqrefpber

One potential problem I see is the wind...

iggy8n

Well, birds do it somehow whether there is wind or not. I guess you'd have to get all the control servos connected to the right places like ailerons and tail linked and controlled by one channel - I think the control for the servos would determine how easy it would be to fly this thing - even without wind or extra weight, etc. I'd like to lift a fish line up over an 80 foot high tree and deposit the other end over another tree. This was all to make these very unwieldy rhombic antennas that would be 700 feet of #12 solid wire on a side - you have to run three wires per side if you wanted a lower impedance. I've always had the trees. I've never had a strong enough model helicopter to lift the 700 foot fishline way up above the 80 foot trees. I'd have to be in a tree myself to observe what was happening. I have considered renting a real helicopter. But, it doesn't matter anymore these days. I still consider it as an exercise when some new technology appears. I've made a lot of antennas. It has been fun doing the actual construction. It was really fun when it all worked the way it was supposed to.

TechGuy

Cngevpxhaqrefpber

iggy8n

Cngevpxhaqrefpber

According to the website, 40 feet is the range, enough for most houses but not enough for bigger indoor areas like warehouses, basketball courts, etc.

iggy8n

Yeah, the radios are very low power. My original needed height to the top of the trees is about 90 feet or so. Then, if there are tree branches in the line of sight, one starts losing control. I bet the zeppelin would be stuck in the tree or just fly away in the wind if there was no major adjustment in radio power and antennas.

Cngevpxhaqrefpber

iggy8n

The motor could propel it faster in the right direction. But, if the radio wasn't controlling it because it was too far away, the motor size wouldn't matter. I think you could just add more of them and have them all listen to the same transmitter frequency. Some tape or kite string could be used to add the lift of many balloons until one could lift the weight of the fishline and drop it over the tree. The 'dropping it' might need some other motor/solenoid to release a pin to drop the line. There are some possibilities here. Maybe contacting the manufacturer would do some good.
I must add that I've given up this whole rhombic antenna project because the internet has made ham radio obsolete. There are still hams on the air. But, they don't use radio like when it was the only way to connect distant places.

TechGuy