I don't believe this can ever be an efficient and practical transportation system due to a dozen of reasons one can easily spot. IMO transportation will seriously evolve when LIGO discovers more about gravitational wave's nature. When outputs are combined with precisely pioneered know-how of the Searl effect. On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 11:27 PM, John Ferrell wro= te: > On 11/2/2011 2:04 PM, RussellMc wrote: >> The final missing =A0item on my childhood wish-list has just been born. >> >> The cellphone and LEO satellite constellations gave us the practical >> reality promised by the =A0Dick Tracy Communicator and the " Man from Un= cle" >> =A0 'Open Channel D' worldwide communicator pen. >> >> John Carmack showed us that the Flash Gordon Rocket ship ("take off and >> land on a column of fire / leap into space"), if not quite yet here, was= on >> its way and Burt Rutan's Spaceship One and the various space tourism >> wannabee startups have helped fill in the gaps as we wait. >> >> Micral, Altair, Imsai, IBM, Apple and the growing crowd didn't just redu= ce >> the building sized computers of the early 1950's to a real affordable ho= me >> computer, and Xerox's 1972 "Dynabook" portable personal computer dream i= nto >> a netbook, but kept on going and we are yet to see the sensible end in >> miniaturisation of genuine portable personal computing. And Siri, standi= ng >> in for HAL, is yet to show us the dark side of her personality. >> >> And the internet. Oh yes! The internet is what we dreamed of but knew co= uld >> never be true! And more. >> >> But, for decades now I, and many others, =A0have asked >> >> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 "Where are the flying cars. They promise= d us flying cars! >> Where are they?" >> >> There have been pretenders. The Solo Trek tired and the =A0Martin "Jet P= ack" >> =A0 more or less delivered a version of personal flight. And it's undeni= ably >> =A0 fun and utterly awesome - =A0but suh craft will =A0never fill the fl= ying car >> niche. Over the years various grotesque cars-that-also-fly have clawed >> their way into and fallen out of the sky. But the Starwars / Blade Runne= r / >> Avatar craft that lift from a =A0parking place, twist in the air and fal= l >> into the sky have never looked even remotely like happening. Until today= .. >> >> On October 21st 2011, the flying car arrived. >> This hasn't been billed as a flying car by anyone yet as far as I know, = and >> there is no technical breakthrough here - it's been obvious for a year o= r >> few that this is possible, and increasingly so in the last year or so. >> >> But this claimed world's first flight of an electrically powered >> "multicopter" in Germany heralds, (according to me) THE moment when the >> flying car made it's first stumbling footsteps (wingbeats?) >> >> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 http://www.gizmag.com/first-manned-multicopter-f= light/20345/ >> >> Unlike the undoubtedly marvellous "Martin Jet Pack" which is so-far >> notionally somewhat ahead of what has been achieved here, this craft >> represents a proof of concept (which nobody doubted anyway) of >> a (reasonably) practical, =A0(reasonably) safe, (reasonably) affordable = means >> of (reasonably) =A0useful manned flight. >> >> 16 rotors. 16 electric motors in a quad arm (two crossed beams) >> construction. 16 vicious open props, an exercise ball as landing gear (w= hat >> an excellent idea). >> Don't fly too high on first flight 'just in case'. >> Rough - sure. >> Impractical as it stands - sure. >> Innovative - no, not at all. >> But - earth shatteringly new and fantastic. >> Fly by wire stable. >> Anyone suitably keen and moderately technically capable could build one! >> The basic hard work has been done. You can buy the parts, and the >> controllers and download the software. There's quit a lot of tinkering >> between there and getting airborne, but it's "just a matter of >> engineering". >> >> Able to fly safely (they say) in this configuration with up to 4 motors >> out. . >> How many motors you need or are practical or desirable in more advanced >> forms is tbd, but properly implemented, here is something which quite >> probably won't fall out of the sky when an amateur-enthusiastic prop fai= ls, >> motor seizes, battery vents with flame, computer crashes, etc. Sure main >> beam failure and Murphy can and will kill you - as can a prop shard or >> unfortunate interaction with a failing part and something excessively >> important. But sensible design, sensible construction, sensible operatio= n >> and a small amount of luck will make these far safer than small copters, >> microlights, hang gliders and more. Worst case this craft will safely br= ing >> it's pilot home, even if dead. >> >> A major initial factor here is the electric drive. It's use of batteries >> make it far less energy-density effective by far than fuel powered >> =A0 internal combustion engines, but allows essentially as many motors t= o be >> placed where you want them and to be controlled easily and well. =A0IC >> versions can and will happen, and it may be that a "diesel electric" >> version =A0may be attractive with an internal combustion engine providin= g the >> conversion of energy dense fuel to electricity to drive electric =A0moto= rs. >> >> At the upper end this concept is unlikely to threaten conventional rotor >> craft. Scalability probably becomes unattractive at large loads, high >> speeds and long ranges. But for a craft that can (just about) be flown >> safely off an urban back lawn with a reasonably good chance of not killi= ng >> its users or miscellaneous people along the way, this concept fills a ga= p >> which nothing else available comes near to. >> >> At last, the flying car! Soon, anyway. >> >> >> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Russell McMahon >> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Copyright Russell McMahon, November 3rd (NZ) 2011. > http://www.suasnews.com/2011/11/9691/german-multicopter-makes-first-manne= d-flight/ > I like this one... > > -- > John Ferrell W8CCW > "The man who complains about the way the > ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it." > > > > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .