5 ms·

Apply HN: The ParaWing – Parasailing Meets Hang Gliding and Jetpacks

3 points by 6stringmerc 11y ago

Problem: Personal flight progress has been limited, and is a field ripe for further disruption. Solution: An innovative wing design patent employed to create a personal flight unit. Overview: The ParaWing is fundamentally a combination between Parasailing and Hang Gliding concepts. What sets the ParaWing apart from normal approaches is that the wing design is based on a researched avenue to increase performance using specific characteristics. The basic idea of having a ‘tow vehicle’ like a pickup truck in which to mount a base is the platform by which testing of the flight unit can be done using progressively more realistic simulations. Having the ParaWing tow-flight concept is a test-bed to prove that the wing design and math will work. What isn’t immediately clear is if the creation will enable adding powered flight. The short-term goal is to reach a prototype for wind-tunnel/real-world testing, and the long-term goal is to get the unit functional in tow-flight and iterate power sources to be able to disconnect and aviate akin to Yves Rossy, aka “Jetman.” At first I’m not exactly sure of the market potential – or liabilities. What I am sure about is that this idea offers a path to a future where personal flight is actually viable. It took a lot of effort and risk to get aviation where it is today, and I want to be on the forefront of what tomorrow might bring. My background in aviation is something I’ve been around my entire life. I’ve studied technological advancements in hardware, software, and materials like composites with relentless passion. Once this idea came to me, I knew it’d be headline material. Now, I want to get selected in this process to bring it into reality. It’s 2016, and we should have jetpacks by now! The following graphic from 2012 gets the spirit on paper as I originally conceived it: http://imgur.com/TalG2BL http://imgur.com/TalG2BL Thanks for your time reviewing and I look forward to discussing this project!

trishume 11y ago
One thing I would love to see if I was an investor looking at this idea is a whole bunch of back of calculations. Do you have calculations using estimates of potential drag, thrust and lift that show that this idea might be viable? What if a simple calculation might show that this idea will never fly (pun intended) without all the testing? I know you won't be able to get a definitive answer, but it would be nice to have something to show that it wouldn't require enormous technological advances to make it work.
- 6stringmerc 11y ago
  Very fair point, and I'm rather paranoid in revealing the academic sources which justify the excitement regarding the design patent idea. BUT! I can affirmatively state that the research I've compiled as part of the development file includes numerous calculations regarding lift, stall characteristics, and how to actually implement it. It's been used in some industrial applications before that can be cited, but not in this avenue (yet) which is appealing from my perspective. Basically, we know this works, but we don't know this works in this application.
ryporter 11y ago
I know you've been around aviation and have studied relevant fields, but what have you actually built? Nothing personal, of course, but personal flight is the sort of domain which attracts many people who lack the knowledge or ability to design and build a product that respects the laws of physics. :) It would help your pitch if you could describe something flight-related that you have designed and built yourself, or if you told us that you have a prospective co-founder who has done so.
- 6stringmerc 11y ago
  No personal offense taken, and the first thing on my agenda once I figure out how to source the material of size on my budget is to build (carve) a full-scale model of the wing from styrofoam. A material type similar to toy foam gliders[0]. Using the academic research for the proprietary design and the following guides, there is a lot of math involved and resources to incorporate: https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/WindTunnel/Activities/lift_formula.html https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/WindTunnel/Activities/lift... http://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads_faq.html http://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads_faq.html Determined number crunching in the design will guide the dimensions and shape of the airfoil as much as I can humanly do with accuracy. However, due to the higher lift coefficient and lower stall point identified in the approach, there's some wiggle room I hope. I work a lot with my hands, do frequent sculpture projects, and have a basic mechanical aptitude. Later comes the decision of the material / approach to construction of an actual load bearing unit (spar and canvas or composite molding technique) and adding control surfaces, with associated electronics. Likely sourced from RC industry. A couple close associates that would consult on this have background in RC and UAV development (pre-consumer interest), small-scale electronics (Pi, etc), associated coding work, and some experience with making composite (carbon fiber) type parts. After watching years of the Moller Skycar hype[1], attempts at satisfying road and flight worthiness with flying cars, the Hoverbike[2], and the Martin Jetpack[3] I can totally understand the notion to think of this concept as vaporware. As you mentioned, physics doesn't welcome humans flying through the air. What present technology offers though - in materials and computing power for stability controls in extremely small Moore's Law packages and this academic research - is quite an exciting time to consider new possibilities. To me, I think it should be an obvious 'given' that creating the wing unit as a tow-flight recreational idea will work, simply because mouting it to a pickup truck and mashing on the gas will provide plenty of thrust. It works with parachutes and boats - a seriously inefficient drag system - so while orders of magnitude potentially more dangerous, I don't see why the tow-flight implementation won't work as described. It's from this development that the next - powered flight - would be considered. The amount of testing and development that this requires before putting a human on it is a genuine concern. Then again, certain types of people put on wingsuits[4] and jump out of airplanes or cliff tops. From time to time I wonder if I'm genuinely both smart and crazy enough to really put my mind to building it...but if I get started...no turning back! [0] http://www.guillowtoys.com/uploads/2/9/7/9/29799789/315980821_orig.jpg?510 http://www.guillowtoys.com/uploads/2/9/7/9/29799789/31598082... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moller_M400_Skycar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moller_M400_Skycar [2] http://www.hover-bike.com/MA/the-hoverbike/how-you-can-own-it/ http://www.hover-bike.com/MA/the-hoverbike/how-you-can-own-i... [3] http://www.military.com/video/aircraft/pilotless-aircraft/the-worlds-first-practical-jetpack/3645048620001 http://www.military.com/video/aircraft/pilotless-aircraft/th... [4] http://s3.amazonaws.com/iexplore_web/images/assets/000/002/231/original/Richard_Schneider.jpg?1438798267 http://s3.amazonaws.com/iexplore_web/images/assets/000/002/2...
6stringmerc 11y ago
Why Prototype 1 Will Be Named “Mr. Yoshi’s Birthday” Names changed because Internet At about 16 I was in an Algebra class at a relatively small private high school in Fort Worth, and Mr. Yoshi was the teacher. Many of my classmates were older and had been on a less rigorous math-course track. Mr. Yoshi was Japanese and spoke with accented English, an even tone without many inflections which reflected his very calm personality, and I can still hear his personal way of saying “parabola” in my memories. Some of the older classmates, like Ron and Kevin, liked to try and get a rise out of Mr. Yoshi. One morning, Ron came in and said, “Happy birthday, Mr. Yoshi!” “Oh Ron,” Mr. Yoshi replied, “today is not my birthday.” Eventually Kevin, Ron’s pal, started doing it too. Every class, upon walking in, Ron and Kevin would tell Mr. Yoshi “Happy birthday” and every day he would give the same, calm response informing them of their mistake. It wasn’t mean spirited, it was just goofy. So one day while Kevin is mouthing off to Mr. Yoshi, he got personal. “Mr. Yoshi, what did you used to do before this? I mean, why would you want to be here with us?” “Before this,” Mr. Yoshi replied, “I worked for NASA designing and testing wings.” You could hear a pin drop in that classroom. Kevin even had to think for a minute. “Wait, Mr. Yoshi, you mean that you used to work for NASA and you left that to teach US?” “Yes, it was very boring.” Once the disbelief set in, I can honestly say that the room had an incredible amount of new respect for Mr. Yoshi. Here was a guy who worked at one of the premier places of science and math deciding that he wanted to teach immature teenagers Algebra and other math. It was mind blowing. Oh, and so I don’t leave you hanging – though our class with Mr. Yoshi had finished the previous semester, in the next semester, when it was Mr. Yoshi’s birthday, Ron, Kevin, and some buddies made sure to bring a cake and some balloons for him. I wasn’t there to see it, but I heard how he responded with a smile: “Oh yes, today is my birthday!”

3 points by 6stringmerc 11y ago

trishume 11y ago

One thing I would love to see if I was an investor looking at this idea is a whole bunch of back of calculations. Do you have calculations using estimates of potential drag, thrust and lift that show that this idea might be viable? What if a simple calculation might show that this idea will never fly (pun intended) without all the testing? I know you won't be able to get a definitive answer, but it would be nice to have something to show that it wouldn't require enormous technological advances to make it work.

6stringmerc 11y ago
Very fair point, and I'm rather paranoid in revealing the academic sources which justify the excitement regarding the design patent idea. BUT! I can affirmatively state that the research I've compiled as part of the development file includes numerous calculations regarding lift, stall characteristics, and how to actually implement it. It's been used in some industrial applications before that can be cited, but not in this avenue (yet) which is appealing from my perspective. Basically, we know this works, but we don't know this works in this application.

ryporter 11y ago

I know you've been around aviation and have studied relevant fields, but what have you actually built? Nothing personal, of course, but personal flight is the sort of domain which attracts many people who lack the knowledge or ability to design and build a product that respects the laws of physics. :) It would help your pitch if you could describe something flight-related that you have designed and built yourself, or if you told us that you have a prospective co-founder who has done so.

6stringmerc 11y ago
No personal offense taken, and the first thing on my agenda once I figure out how to source the material of size on my budget is to build (carve) a full-scale model of the wing from styrofoam. A material type similar to toy foam gliders[0]. Using the academic research for the proprietary design and the following guides, there is a lot of math involved and resources to incorporate: https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/WindTunnel/Activities/lift_formula.html https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/WindTunnel/Activities/lift... http://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads_faq.html http://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads_faq.html Determined number crunching in the design will guide the dimensions and shape of the airfoil as much as I can humanly do with accuracy. However, due to the higher lift coefficient and lower stall point identified in the approach, there's some wiggle room I hope. I work a lot with my hands, do frequent sculpture projects, and have a basic mechanical aptitude. Later comes the decision of the material / approach to construction of an actual load bearing unit (spar and canvas or composite molding technique) and adding control surfaces, with associated electronics. Likely sourced from RC industry. A couple close associates that would consult on this have background in RC and UAV development (pre-consumer interest), small-scale electronics (Pi, etc), associated coding work, and some experience with making composite (carbon fiber) type parts. After watching years of the Moller Skycar hype[1], attempts at satisfying road and flight worthiness with flying cars, the Hoverbike[2], and the Martin Jetpack[3] I can totally understand the notion to think of this concept as vaporware. As you mentioned, physics doesn't welcome humans flying through the air. What present technology offers though - in materials and computing power for stability controls in extremely small Moore's Law packages and this academic research - is quite an exciting time to consider new possibilities. To me, I think it should be an obvious 'given' that creating the wing unit as a tow-flight recreational idea will work, simply because mouting it to a pickup truck and mashing on the gas will provide plenty of thrust. It works with parachutes and boats - a seriously inefficient drag system - so while orders of magnitude potentially more dangerous, I don't see why the tow-flight implementation won't work as described. It's from this development that the next - powered flight - would be considered. The amount of testing and development that this requires before putting a human on it is a genuine concern. Then again, certain types of people put on wingsuits[4] and jump out of airplanes or cliff tops. From time to time I wonder if I'm genuinely both smart and crazy enough to really put my mind to building it...but if I get started...no turning back! [0] http://www.guillowtoys.com/uploads/2/9/7/9/29799789/315980821_orig.jpg?510 http://www.guillowtoys.com/uploads/2/9/7/9/29799789/31598082... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moller_M400_Skycar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moller_M400_Skycar [2] http://www.hover-bike.com/MA/the-hoverbike/how-you-can-own-it/ http://www.hover-bike.com/MA/the-hoverbike/how-you-can-own-i... [3] http://www.military.com/video/aircraft/pilotless-aircraft/the-worlds-first-practical-jetpack/3645048620001 http://www.military.com/video/aircraft/pilotless-aircraft/th... [4] http://s3.amazonaws.com/iexplore_web/images/assets/000/002/231/original/Richard_Schneider.jpg?1438798267 http://s3.amazonaws.com/iexplore_web/images/assets/000/002/2...

6stringmerc 11y ago

Why Prototype 1 Will Be Named “Mr. Yoshi’s Birthday” Names changed because Internet At about 16 I was in an Algebra class at a relatively small private high school in Fort Worth, and Mr. Yoshi was the teacher. Many of my classmates were older and had been on a less rigorous math-course track. Mr. Yoshi was Japanese and spoke with accented English, an even tone without many inflections which reflected his very calm personality, and I can still hear his personal way of saying “parabola” in my memories. Some of the older classmates, like Ron and Kevin, liked to try and get a rise out of Mr. Yoshi. One morning, Ron came in and said, “Happy birthday, Mr. Yoshi!” “Oh Ron,” Mr. Yoshi replied, “today is not my birthday.” Eventually Kevin, Ron’s pal, started doing it too. Every class, upon walking in, Ron and Kevin would tell Mr. Yoshi “Happy birthday” and every day he would give the same, calm response informing them of their mistake. It wasn’t mean spirited, it was just goofy. So one day while Kevin is mouthing off to Mr. Yoshi, he got personal. “Mr. Yoshi, what did you used to do before this? I mean, why would you want to be here with us?” “Before this,” Mr. Yoshi replied, “I worked for NASA designing and testing wings.” You could hear a pin drop in that classroom. Kevin even had to think for a minute. “Wait, Mr. Yoshi, you mean that you used to work for NASA and you left that to teach US?” “Yes, it was very boring.” Once the disbelief set in, I can honestly say that the room had an incredible amount of new respect for Mr. Yoshi. Here was a guy who worked at one of the premier places of science and math deciding that he wanted to teach immature teenagers Algebra and other math. It was mind blowing. Oh, and so I don’t leave you hanging – though our class with Mr. Yoshi had finished the previous semester, in the next semester, when it was Mr. Yoshi’s birthday, Ron, Kevin, and some buddies made sure to bring a cake and some balloons for him. I wasn’t there to see it, but I heard how he responded with a smile: “Oh yes, today is my birthday!”