4 ms·

NASA Stealth Copter

22 points by techdog 17y ago

sailormoon 17y ago
That is awesome, but what's the point in using batteries? It's just a sop to the environment that drastically limits the device's potential. The fact is that hydrocarbon fuel is still the best, highest density energy transport we have. Batteries are still weak and, especially for flight, awfully heavy. Keep the electric motors but ditch the batteries and replace it with a small gas turbine generator. For the same weight, you could probably increase the flight time by a factor of 10, well beyond the willingness of most people to sit in that thing ...
- tjmc 17y ago
  Agreed. Legally, GA aircraft under visual flight rules must have at least 30 mins reserve so currently this thing wouldn't be allowed to fly! Battery powered aircraft aren't completely impractical though. This Chinese electric 2 seater has a 40KW brushless electric motor, 400lbs of payload and up to 3 hours of endurance: http://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports/lsa/sport/electrics-emerge http://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports/lsa/sport/electrics-e... The downside is it's slow (60mph), but if the engineering challenges for lithium-air batteries are ever solved you'd have a serious competitor to piston aircraft. Not to mention that electric engines are far more reliable than piston ICEs and you don't have to worry about fuel fires (just don't use Sony batteries ;-)
  - sailormoon 17y ago
    electric engines are far more reliable than piston ICEs So are turbines, by a wide margin. Electric motors powered by a gas turbine would be a pretty damn reliable system. I do not trust reciprocating engines as far as I can throw them! I know the perverse regulatory environment that has lead to the stagnation of technology in GA but still. Not completely dead, though, it seems - thanks for that link. Most impressive. $89k! Sheesh, that's almost regular-joe level!
- blhack 17y ago
  Exactly. The very sad reality is that humans really just were not meant to fly; we're too heavy. Luckily for us, we're smart enough to burn some hydrocarbons and lift our heave bodies off of the ground. Artificially limiting this ability using batteries is just silly. If the tech was practical (it isn't right now) or if this project was about developing batteries (it doesn't sound like it is) then fine, but can we pretty please see a gas version?
apu 17y ago
Can a mod change the URL on the submission to the non-shortened one? http://asserttrue.blogspot.com/2010/01/nasas-one-man-stealth-plane.html http://asserttrue.blogspot.com/2010/01/nasas-one-man-stealth...
- allenbrunson 17y ago
  most of the url shortening services are banned here. i'm sure this one will be too, eventually.
  - richcollins 17y ago
    How the hell do you get a single digit as a domain name?
    - gojomo 17y ago
      Have/buy friends in the .LY registrar and/or Libyan government?
- mark_h 17y ago
  A plug for un-tiny: http://untiny.com/ http://untiny.com/ Can be used with greasemonkey (my revisions: http://github.com/markhepburn/untiny-greasemonkey/ http://github.com/markhepburn/untiny-greasemonkey/ )
z8000 17y ago
Forget about scratching your knee if you have an in-flight itch! I get claustrophobic just looking at that thing.
Concours 17y ago
Really awesome, I'll be willing to buy this if they build it...
jonnycowboy 17y ago
This will never fly, in the current config. Too much danger from the propellers which are level with your HEAD.
papersmith 17y ago
I don't think my neck can withstand that cruising position for very long. I always thought if it wasn't for Clark Kent's super strength, he would have developed neck problems. Maybe hang glider pilots could provide more insight.
danielh 17y ago
There seems to be a company in Japan selling one person helicopters. Gasoline powered though. http://en.gen-corp.jp/ http://en.gen-corp.jp/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd99ziWFF7Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd99ziWFF7Q

22 points by techdog 17y ago

That is awesome, but what's the point in using batteries? It's just a sop to the environment that drastically limits the device's potential. The fact is that hydrocarbon fuel is still the best, highest density energy transport we have. Batteries are still weak and, especially for flight, awfully heavy. Keep the electric motors but ditch the batteries and replace it with a small gas turbine generator. For the same weight, you could probably increase the flight time by a factor of 10, well beyond the willingness of most people to sit in that thing ...

tjmc 17y ago
Agreed. Legally, GA aircraft under visual flight rules must have at least 30 mins reserve so currently this thing wouldn't be allowed to fly! Battery powered aircraft aren't completely impractical though. This Chinese electric 2 seater has a 40KW brushless electric motor, 400lbs of payload and up to 3 hours of endurance: http://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports/lsa/sport/electrics-emerge http://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports/lsa/sport/electrics-e... The downside is it's slow (60mph), but if the engineering challenges for lithium-air batteries are ever solved you'd have a serious competitor to piston aircraft. Not to mention that electric engines are far more reliable than piston ICEs and you don't have to worry about fuel fires (just don't use Sony batteries ;-)
- sailormoon 17y ago
  electric engines are far more reliable than piston ICEs So are turbines, by a wide margin. Electric motors powered by a gas turbine would be a pretty damn reliable system. I do not trust reciprocating engines as far as I can throw them! I know the perverse regulatory environment that has lead to the stagnation of technology in GA but still. Not completely dead, though, it seems - thanks for that link. Most impressive. $89k! Sheesh, that's almost regular-joe level!
blhack 17y ago
Exactly. The very sad reality is that humans really just were not meant to fly; we're too heavy. Luckily for us, we're smart enough to burn some hydrocarbons and lift our heave bodies off of the ground. Artificially limiting this ability using batteries is just silly. If the tech was practical (it isn't right now) or if this project was about developing batteries (it doesn't sound like it is) then fine, but can we pretty please see a gas version?

apu 17y ago

Can a mod change the URL on the submission to the non-shortened one? http://asserttrue.blogspot.com/2010/01/nasas-one-man-stealth-plane.html http://asserttrue.blogspot.com/2010/01/nasas-one-man-stealth...

allenbrunson 17y ago
most of the url shortening services are banned here. i'm sure this one will be too, eventually.
- richcollins 17y ago
  How the hell do you get a single digit as a domain name?
  - gojomo 17y ago
    Have/buy friends in the .LY registrar and/or Libyan government?
mark_h 17y ago
A plug for un-tiny: http://untiny.com/ http://untiny.com/ Can be used with greasemonkey (my revisions: http://github.com/markhepburn/untiny-greasemonkey/ http://github.com/markhepburn/untiny-greasemonkey/ )

z8000 17y ago

Forget about scratching your knee if you have an in-flight itch! I get claustrophobic just looking at that thing.

Concours 17y ago

Really awesome, I'll be willing to buy this if they build it...

jonnycowboy 17y ago

This will never fly, in the current config. Too much danger from the propellers which are level with your HEAD.

papersmith 17y ago

I don't think my neck can withstand that cruising position for very long. I always thought if it wasn't for Clark Kent's super strength, he would have developed neck problems. Maybe hang glider pilots could provide more insight.

danielh 17y ago

There seems to be a company in Japan selling one person helicopters. Gasoline powered though. http://en.gen-corp.jp/ http://en.gen-corp.jp/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd99ziWFF7Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd99ziWFF7Q