What more can I say?

 

http://www.dump.com/aircrafttest/

what I found eye watering was the sight of the guy welding a joint to the structure without ANY protection for his eyes!!!!   :Shocked:

what I found eye watering was the sight of the guy welding a joint to the structure without ANY protection for his eyes!!!!   :Shocked:

Yeah, that too, but I did notice that he had them closed, as much good as that did that close.

Perhaps it was for the best that it never made it off the ground.

that plane reminded me of an original version of microsoft flight sim where you were able to design your own plane. The plane i designed did not fly that well either.

 

Rob

I think we should try to send him an old computer with FS9 and the default Cessna so at least he can practice some simulated flying.  Even if he eventually gets the "plane" in the air....and it somehow is able to achieve stable flight, the comment that "he has never seen the inside of a cockpit" probably does not bode well for the outcome.

Did I hear that he was an IT professional?  He may already have FS9.  Or something.

 

This reminds me of that video from early aviation that showed a variety of spectacular failures.  The "umbrella plane"  "Operates on the umbrella principle."  Wild ride.  Then there was the plane with multiple wings... 10 maybe?  Collapsed apart before leaving the ground.  The guy with rockets and wings on his bicycle.  Makes you wonder how anyone was ever able to get off the ground.

 

Hook

But the dream is what's important!

But the dream is what's important!

 

I forgot about the guy who jumped off the roof of his barn with huge square plywood wings strapped to his arms.

 

Let's hope he lives to write a book about his experiences. 

 

Hook

Recent events in my life have made me realize more than ever that it's absolutely vital to be creating, doing and learning.  It's important to leave something behind that your kids, your grand kids, your loved ones and even your friends and acquaintances can remember you by.  What that particular something is isn't as important as there's something.

 

Life is meant to be lived and it's more fulfilling to be a creator than a consumer.  Even if this fellow never gets his craft off the ground he will learn things and gain insights that will translate in tangible and intangible ways into other parts of his life.  If, in the final analysis, his pursuit winds up being nothing more than a topic of conversation among his children when he is gone--"hey, remember when dad tried to build that airplane"--he has been a success.

never seen the inside of a cockpit?

 

This can only end badly

never seen the inside of a cockpit?

 

This can only end badly

 

Yea - and he still hasn't! lol.

 

 

But we can rest easy knowing it's not a problem with the aerodynamics...just a few minor design difficulties with the gear etc. 

 

 

But we can rest easy knowing it's not a problem with the aerodynamics...just a few minor design difficulties with the gear etc.

 

I just spewed Diet Coke all over my monitor. 

 

OK, let's simplify the problem as much as possible.  If you gave the guy a Cessna 150 or Piper Cub, would he be able to take off from that particular unimproved surface, fly a pattern of some sort, and land on the same surface?  If there's any crosswind? 

 

We already know materials strength is not this guy's strong suit.  What are chances of the wings remaining on the plane?

 

I hate to be a downer, but I have a little experience in this area.  My best-and-oldest friend once designed an ultralight, and wanted to use my garage to build it.  I refused, as I used my garage already and suggested he rent a storage space for the three months he claimed he would need.  He never did.

 

This probably saved his life.  He was a bit... eccentric... and his design was a Frankenstein's monster.  It was specifically designed to be unstable.  And twin engines, on an ultralight.  This machine would have cheerfully killed him, probably on his first high speed taxi test (He knew about these, he was well-read and had about 12 hours in a Cub).  Had he gotten it into the air, it would have been interesting to try to control.  With a canard wing, it would have been too easy to get into an unrecoverable stall... and a tailslide.  His knowledge of materials strength wasn't any better than the guy in the video, and his method of mounting the fiberglass covered styrofoam wings actually frightened me at the time.  If a wing mounting had given way, the propellers on each side next to the pilot had a good chance of passing through the cockpit... and the pilot.  "It's stressed for 12 G's positive and 9 G's negative."  Somehow, I doubt that.

 

This guy wasn't stupid;  he's one of the smarter people I know.  But he liked to do things differently.  I didn't think too much about it at the time, but since then I've learned a lot about flying and I can see a lot of problems with his design. 

 

He's still around, thank goodness, but no longer flying or designing ultralights.

 

Hook

Looks like he needs to set up a kickstarter campaign.  

Talking about 'Experimental'.... :rolleyes:

 

Had a good laugh - thanks for posting!