Aviation - On the cusp of something new by AnthonyT

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Aviation - On the cusp of something new

POSTED BY: ANTHONYT
UPDATED: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 21:30
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VIEWED: 811
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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 5:51 AM

Freedom is Important because People are Important

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2011/11/29/solar-impulse-aircraf
t.cnn

Hello,

The earliest attempts at flight were made in large, fragile, low-power craft. They were highly subject to environmental conditions and their mechanisms were primitive, cantankerous things. They could barely carry a single passenger for a short distance. They were proof of concept vehicles.

They changed the world forever.

The video above shows just such a craft (I describe it for those who can't view videos from where you are.) It has a vast, delicate wing. It has weak little propellers. It is expensive and it is touchy. It carries a single passenger.

In 2014, it is scheduled to carry its passenger around the world. Powered flight, without fuel.

These sorts of things excite me.

Oh, I found pictures:

http://www.getsolar.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/solar-impulse.
bmp

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 6:03 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

I'd like to live in a world where large, inflated airships dotted the skies. Would be fun to ride in , too, I imagine. But too easy a target for those wanting to engage in mischief, and worse.

*sigh*

"The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it." - Albert Einstein

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 6:22 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Wow, that's cool! And you analogy is perfect, it IS like the first attempts at flight, given it's a whole new concept. It looks so fragile, tho'; I don't know how it's going to deal with weather...I didn't hear anything abouth how they plan to deal with that by 2014. As of now, it looks AWFULLY fragile, and "the conditions have to be just right". But I sure hope it's a success, and like the Wright Brothers, a harbinger of things to come!

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 6:59 AM

FREMDFIRMA

I been followin this a while, posted about it as well, but it's still damn cool either way.

The solar/stirling/temp differential dirigible Geekfarm was workin on hath run into some problems however, the scale model works just fine, but it doesn't seem to translate well when built larger for reasons they're still at odds about, although it's fun to watch them argue.

Speaking of less pleasant things that fill the sky however - they HAVE almost worked out all the kinks on a cheap, quickly deployable method of killing drones dead, dead, dead.
And I've *zero* moral issues with selling it to anyone should we find the means to mass produce it.

-Frem

I do not serve the Blind God.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 2:58 PM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Hello,

I really love derigibles and semi derigibles and hybrid airships. They are much safer than we have been led to believe. And unlike common speculation, merely perforating one isn't enough to cause catastrophic failure. In order to make one crash due to loss of gas (as opposed to gently floating to the ground) you would need to bring formidable firepower to bear. If it isn't filled with flammable gas (and to my knowledge no modern designs call for it to be) then it can be a rather safe, fluffy vehicle.

I hope the solar airship concept bears fruit. It is a great idea.

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 3:00 PM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
Wow, that's cool! And you analogy is perfect, it IS like the first attempts at flight, given it's a whole new concept. It looks so fragile, tho'; I don't know how it's going to deal with weather...I didn't hear anything abouth how they plan to deal with that by 2014. As of now, it looks AWFULLY fragile, and "the conditions have to be just right". But I sure hope it's a success, and like the Wright Brothers, a harbinger of things to come!

]

Hello,

It really does evoke the wonder of the 'wishes and wire' era of airplane construction. :-)

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 3:02 PM

DREAMTROVE

The perfect craft to get away from the new detention policy.

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011 9:30 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

Yay airships, steampunk anyone?

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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