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Post by jesse on Mar 21, 2012 12:58:49 GMT -5
Man has been trying to fly like a bird since the beginning of time. It looks like a fellow in Holland has finally had some success in the field of endeavor. The flight is not very long, but it is flight. Not a propliner to be sure and not a jet either. Jesse humanbirdwings.net/ |
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Post by garryrussell on Mar 21, 2012 13:23:33 GMT -5
Brilliant
A very brave chap...Thanks for the link
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Post by okami on Mar 23, 2012 13:02:22 GMT -5
... Unfortunately, it now appears his 'flight' was nothing less than an elaborate hoax: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17487282It looked a bit suspicious, but it had me taken in as well. If it's too beautiful to be true... |
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Post by jesse on Mar 23, 2012 13:12:41 GMT -5
Yes, I saw the details on CNN and Fox News. I did not read the article so I did not notice the wii setup. Oh, well. Back to the old drawing board. ;D
Jesse
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Post by garryrussell on Mar 23, 2012 13:52:11 GMT -5
A good bit of animation nonetheless
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Post by sunny9850 on Mar 23, 2012 16:38:52 GMT -5
I don't believe anything shown on FoxNews... ;D
But seriously...there simply is no way in heck this could have been real. Just do the math roughly in your head what sort of forces would be required to flap these enormous wings.
The guys that might have enough oomph in their chest and back muscles for one or two flaps are almost all way too heavy to be lifted like that or have the stamina to do it for a minute or two.
Growing up I had a book on flight and its development via Lillienthal and so on. One of the illustrations that immediately sprang to mind when I heard about this was a comparison between a bird and a man and their relative muscle mass, attach points and weight.
In the next drawing they had a man with the appropriate muscle and bone structure scaled up from a common Sterling....the breast bone would have to stick out as far as the elbow.
Sorry ...we can as the Canadians have proven with clever use of leverage manage a hop or two using the strongest muscles in our body....the legs.
Or we can hang from a glider....in a harness to take up some of the forces required.
Cheers
Stefan
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Post by Harry on Mar 23, 2012 16:44:42 GMT -5
Those flying Dutchmen  Cheers, Harry |
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Post by jesse on Mar 24, 2012 8:27:13 GMT -5
It was done with mirrors.
Jesse
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Post by ashaman on Mar 25, 2012 20:48:46 GMT -5
Well, there was that guy in the last season of Top Gear who did fly with wings against Richard Hammond's car in a race... and won too.
Of course he was dropped by an helicopter and his wings were jet powered... but you can't have everything from life. ;D
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Post by sunny9850 on Mar 25, 2012 22:28:23 GMT -5
That was not as much flying as an extended glide ratio parachute jump. These bat-suits have been around for some time both in the employ of private thrill seekers and certain military groups  And for that matter it was not a fair contest...the Cayenne would have won with tires appropriate for the terrain. Even the best all wheel drive system can't create more traction than the tires can transfer to terra firma. The object of discussion was human powered flight not free fall or gliding. Stefan |
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Post by ashaman on Mar 26, 2012 8:22:40 GMT -5
As you said, Stefan, that kind of "Flying Dutchman" human powered flight was inherently impossible, so, for what was worth, I thought to give another point of view. Who knows, if the above mentioned "Flying Dutchman" had used jet power on its wings... maybe, I dunno, 8 of the same micro jet units of the other, Top Gear used wings... even with little fuel he could have done the same flight showed in the first clip for real... ...only to crash and burn in the end, of course, given the speeds... but, as already written, you can't have everything from life. ;D |
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