OT: Not quite a flying car, more of a flying motorcycle.

[Peter Trei]

A while back we had a long thread about Larry Page's Zee.Aero stealth project
to build a flying car.

This is a demonstrator, not the final product. Its still pretty cool.

http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-kitty-hawk-flying-car-photos-what-we-know-so-far-2017-4

[J. Clarke]

In article <b004526a-d0f9-4544...@googlegroups.com>,
pete...@gmail.com says...

There are much more advanced versions of this concept in existence. Google
"Volocopter". There's also the Ehang 184 but I've never seen any evidence
if it actually flying with a passenger.

[Greg Goss]

Tops out at 15 feet. So it's depending on ground effect. Kinda like
those Soviet Caspian cargo "planes" that surface so often in "wierd
stuff" clickbait pages.

Ground effect gives you lots of extra lift. Does flying a craft with
a ring of widely spaced propellors in ground effect also give more
stability? If one side dips, it approaches the ground and its lift
would ramp up dramatically.
--
We are geeks. Resistance is voltage over current.

[J. Clarke]

In article <em8a9k...@mid.individual.net>, go...@gossg.org says...

>
> Peter Trei <pete...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >A while back we had a long thread about Larry Page's Zee.Aero stealth project
> >to build a flying car.
> >
> >This is a demonstrator, not the final product. Its still pretty cool.
> >
> >http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-kitty-hawk-flying-car-photos-what-we-know-so-far-2017-4
>
> Tops out at 15 feet. So it's depending on ground effect. Kinda like
> those Soviet Caspian cargo "planes" that surface so often in "wierd
> stuff" clickbait pages.

"Cargo"? Some of them were _very_ heavily armed.

> Ground effect gives you lots of extra lift. Does flying a craft with
> a ring of widely spaced propellors in ground effect also give more
> stability? If one side dips, it approaches the ground and its lift
> would ramp up dramatically.

And I suspect that the altitude limitation in this case is not due to a
need for ground effect but to a need for remaining alive after the thing
crashes.

[David Mitchell]

Greg Goss wrote:
> Peter Trei <pete...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> A while back we had a long thread about Larry Page's Zee.Aero stealth project
>> to build a flying car.
>>
>> This is a demonstrator, not the final product. Its still pretty cool.
>>
>> http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-kitty-hawk-flying-car-photos-what-we-know-so-far-2017-4
>
> Tops out at 15 feet. So it's depending on ground effect.

I'm not sure it is. From Wikipedia: "In fixed-wing aircraft, ground
effect is the increased lift (force) and decreased aerodynamic drag that
an aircraft's wings generate when they are close to a fixed surface".

That's not what's happening here.

[David Mitchell]

Greg Goss wrote:
> Peter Trei <pete...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> A while back we had a long thread about Larry Page's Zee.Aero stealth project
>> to build a flying car.
>>
>> This is a demonstrator, not the final product. Its still pretty cool.
>>
>> http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-kitty-hawk-flying-car-photos-what-we-know-so-far-2017-4
>
> Tops out at 15 feet.

Meh. It's a toy.
How about this: 300km, 300km/h

https://www.wired.com/video/2017/04/lilium-s-funky-jet-could-make-flying-car-dreams-a-reality/

[J. Clarke]

In article <4LmdnSo0qtNb_GLF...@brightview.co.uk>,
david.robo...@gmail.com says...

Ask any helicopter pilot about ground effect.

[hamis...@gmail.com]

From the same page
"Principle of ground effect[edit]

Normal lift. High pressure (yellow), low pressure (blue)

Lift in ground effect due to the increase in high pressure under the wing.
When an aircraft flies at a ground level approximately at or below the length of the aircraft's wingspan or helicopter's rotor diameter, there occurs, depending on airfoil and aircraft design, an often noticeable ground effect."

[J. Clarke]

In article <P7SdnaZGzp0Y_mLF...@brightview.co.uk>,
david.robo...@gmail.com says...

The difference is that his actually gets off the ground with a human on
board.

[David Mitchell]

I'm sure there is - the fan rotors are very small though.
Hence no ground effect at 25m.

[David Mitchell]

And he'd say:

When an aircraft flies at a ground level approximately at or below the
length of the aircraft's wingspan or helicopter's rotor diameter, there
occurs, depending on airfoil and aircraft design, an often noticeable
ground effect."

To which I'd reply:

[David Mitchell]

I'm fairly sure they wouldn't have bothered to put a transparent
windscreen in, were that not planned.

Okay, let's say 200km at 200km/h.

[David Mitchell]

Bad form to reply to myself; but I've looked at the site:
www.lilium.com, and it's much better than that: the 300/300 figure is
for manned flight, (they're also talking about a 5-person taxi).

You may, of course, choose not to believe them, as they've only flown a
scaled down prototype; but I'm impressed enough by that to think they
can do (at least something approximating) it.

There are some more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zw6DaUmfRw

[J. Clarke]

In article <uIGdndcfQMuewZ3E...@brightview.co.uk>,
david.robo...@gmail.com says...

The Moller Skycar has a windscreen and has been in development now for
nearly half a century but has never carried a human. You really don't have
an appreciation for con-artistry.

[David Mitchell]

Perhaps you are too cynical for your own good.

We should know in around two years. If I remember, I'll look it up
then, and either apologise to you, or expect one from you ;-)

Most of the others in the youtube video I linked to have flown with a pilot.

[Quadibloc]

On Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 12:56:54 AM UTC-6, Greg Goss wrote:

> Tops out at 15 feet. So it's depending on ground effect. Kinda like
> those Soviet Caspian cargo "planes" that surface so often in "wierd
> stuff" clickbait pages.

Ah, yes, the Soviet airplane captured in satellite photos that couldn't fly... I
remember recently running across its story... the Ekranoplan!

https://www.wired.com/2011/06/ekranoplan/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_effect_vehicle

John Savard

[Peter Trei]

They've been used in SF a few times; Stross' "Missile Gap" (nuclear powered, to
boot!), and McAuley's "Planet of Fear".

pt

[Jerry Brown]

IIRC Max hitches a ride into Earthport in a GEV in "Starman Jones".

--
Jerry Brown

A cat may look at a king
(but probably won't bother)