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So lets get silly here; granted I wanted a flying car ever since seeing a Spinner in Blade Runner. Deploy a balloon above the vehicle when not under power whic
by Shivetya 10y ago
So lets get silly here; granted I wanted a flying car ever since seeing a Spinner in Blade Runner.
Deploy a balloon above the vehicle when not under power which reuses the helium when not moving beyond a set speed. Pretty sure it can be an airfoil in itself and compact enough to sit above the craft. When transitioning to full on flight it can be partially deflated to reduce its air resistance but still retain the shape needed for lift. Plus why do these air cars need such high speeds when flying?
Since I am not a wiz at these things I am not sure how much balloon you need to compensate sufficiently for the vehicle weight. You don't need to compensate all of it, just enough so that when all power fails you don't hit the ground beyond the means of the occupants to survive. With modern electronics losing power at altitude should allow a glide landing.
- gambiting 10y agoTo "reuse" the helium it would need to compress it again - and that uses a lot of energy. Not to mention that you would need a lot of helium, and helium, almost like hydrogen, has a tendency to escape from its containers so you need really heavy lead bottles to store even a few litres. It's not impossible, but it does not seem practical in any way.
- nradov 10y agoHelium is typically stored in steel or aluminum pressure vessels. Not lead. Lead is heavier and more expensive, and it's soft enough that attaching valves can be problematic.