8 ms·
Goodyear Inflatoplane
- helpfulContrib 2y agoI've always wanted one of these - they seem like an awesome way to explore the world. I once fantasized about getting a couple of them dropped in some remote location, spend a few days or weeks hiking out there, and then flying back. Wonder what a modern variant would look like?
- k7sune 2y agoSomething like a powered paraglider comes to mind. It has the additional benefit of being reusable.
- rbanffy 2y agoImagine now it could have a much larger pressurised cabin.
- hi-v-rocknroll 2y agoWhy rely on an inflated wing that can be punctured or change in stiffness with temperature and altitude when fiberglass and carbon fiber rods exist?
- helpfulContrib 2y agoPortability and durability. Imagine a version with modern drop-stitch technology .. [1] [1] - https://www.yachtingworld.com/yachts-and-gear/the-new-inflatable-tech-that-could-cause-a-revolution-in-paddleboards-kayaks-and-more-151043 https://www.yachtingworld.com/yachts-and-gear/the-new-inflat...
- hi-v-rocknroll 2y agoThe original use-case was supposedly spy exfiltration of a plane in a "suitcase" minus the engine.
- mysterydip 2y agoI wonder how much it could be impoved if this project was revisited today with modern materials and manufacturing techniques.
- rbanffy 2y agoNot sure modern safety standards would be friendly to it.
- throwup238 2y agoIt’s 225 lbs empty so it qualifies as an ultralight aircraft like powered hand gliders. It’s a class that’s much easier to certify and has many fewer safety requirements.
- claudex 2y agoThey will self-certify themself and the problem disappear.
- usrusr 2y agoRigid flight needs exactly this, rigidity. But we do have inflatable flight: paragliders, first flight only a few years after the inflatoplane. Inflated only by the dynamic pressure from forward movement, but they make up what they lack in pressure differential with using more bracing wires (much more). But the inflatoplane relies on bracing wires as well, so the difference could be considered surprisingly small.
- londons_explore 2y agoI think there are lots of possibilities for inflatable vehicles which cannot be deflated. For example, make a flimsy structure out of thin steel foil, then pressurize it to give it far more strength than it would otherwise have. Same as the strength of a coke can. Except with steel as the tensile material, you can probably use pressures up around 1000 psi, making the whole structure have an amazing strength to weight ratio.
- Gare 2y ago> Except with steel as the tensile material, you can probably use pressures up around 1000 psi, making the whole structure have an amazing strength to weight ratio. Congratulations, you have created a bomb.
- londons_explore 2y agoYou certainly need to think about that in the design. But by rolling a 'texture' into the sheets the structure is made from, you can make sure that any hole can't 'rip' bigger, and therefore fails slowly rather than rapidly. You also need pressure regulator valves in case of fire. And you might want to make the whole thing double or triple skinned so the highest pressures can be deeper inside where they are less likely to get punctured/less vulnerable to corrosion damage/crash damage.
- usrusr 2y agoBut when do you really need a structure that has this exceptional strength on the happy path, but would still be good enough in terms of safety when pressure is lost? Unmanned aviation comes to mind, but the ratio between structural mass and battery+payload is already so low, even a zero-mass structure would not make a meaningful performance difference. It's all about the battery tech. Scaling up foil boating perhaps? Carbon fiber construction would certainly appear like a good candidate for taking advantage of being pressurized, and I perhaps naively take it as a given that materials is the major limiting factor in scaling up.
- Semaphor 2y agoAlso discussed in 2019: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21249801 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21249801
- mapleoin 2y agoPeople knew how to name things back then.
- mhh__ 2y agoNothing will ever top shark repellent bat spray
- buildsjets 2y agoI fly a Cessna from the time period with a Nav-O-Matic autopilot, Land-O-Matic landing gear, and an Omnivision window.
- knodi123 2y agoOkay, I had to look that one up, and: > Omni-Vision – The [term for the] rear windows on some Cessna singles, starting with the 182 and 210 in 1962 and followed by the 172 and 150 in 1963 and 1964 respectively. The term was intended to make the pilot feel visibility was improved on the notably poor-visibility Cessna line. The introduction of the rear window caused in most models a loss of cruise speed due to the extra drag, while not adding any useful visibility. That's hilarious.
- carabiner 2y agoToday it'd be some vague crap like "Float."
- ansible 2y agoMustard did a video on this. Nebula (subscription required): https://nebula.tv/videos/mustard-escape-in-an-inflatable-airplane-the-goodyear-inflatoplane https://nebula.tv/videos/mustard-escape-in-an-inflatable-air... Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ-4uWwQ5HA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ-4uWwQ5HA
- cousin_it 2y agoCan we make an aircraft with a motor and inflatable wing, such that the motor works for propulsion and also inflating the wing, and the motor's waste heat is used for heating the air in the wing?
- _yb2s 2y agoI wonder if this is more practical nowadays. Modern “drop stitch” inflatable kayaks and paddle boards are extremely rigid, strong, light, and reliable. They also have precise 3D shapes determined by the length and position of the internal drop stitch threads. Has anyone tried using that tech to create an inflatable airplane?
- plasticchris 2y agoFeels like an opportunity to make a very cool ultralight given the weight savings, and no pilot license is needed (though still recommended…)
- RajT88 2y agoDLC in a Fallout game
- mapt 2y agoGoogle recommends the Woopy-Fly inflatable ultralight, though it's not clear whether it's actually in production Discussions are not optimistic, but do invoke some related inflatable craft - https://www.reddit.com/r/WeirdWings/comments/n7a4k1/what_happened_to_woopy_fly_i_remember_seeing/ https://www.reddit.com/r/WeirdWings/comments/n7a4k1/what_hap...
- _yb2s 2y agoHaha, that looks incredibly dangerous. A floppy hang glider with much less lift and stability than a regular hang glider, and it needs continuous electrical power and two working fans to stay inflated. If I've learned anything from youtube - flying is not an expensive or inaccessible hobby. But safe flying is.
- LeifCarrotson 2y agoMy inflatable SUP is nice, and it is impressively rigid, but I wouldn't say it's light. I got the inflatable because it can be stored and transported compactly. Competition paddleboards and kayaks are fiberglass/composite foam sandwiches, and way lighter than the inflatable variants. I think the inflatable SUPs and kayaks are as heavy as they are because of the thick layers of vinyl and nylon that prevent punctures and abrasion. Kitesurfing kites are made of lightweight ripstop polyester, with a super-thin urethane coating, and have an inflated bladder to help hold their shape. That might be more appropriate tech for creating an airplane.
- scubazealous 2y agoToday this would most likely have the same drawbacks as the inflatable kayaks we see for sale. Saves on space (and money?) and could be good as an entry into a hobby but at any intermediate to advanced level there are better options to choose from. With the high barrier to entry to flying I think most pilots would opt for the most reliable option from the start. I would not want to be caught in inclement weather in an inflatable anything.
- IG_Semmelweiss 2y agoWhat if you are stuck in north korea and the duffel bag containing this landed just at your patio ? I am surprised this was not pursued more aggressively, in fact.
- whamlastxmas 2y agoPretty sure NK would easily shoot this out of the sky
- IG_Semmelweiss 2y agoIs this true if you are invisible to radar ? (i assume inflatables absorb radio waves much better than metal?) Or flying low ?
- bloopernova 2y agoWould inflatable wings/bodies work on Mars or a similar low pressure environment?
- hi-v-rocknroll 2y agoIf you searched the web, inflatable bodies have been used. The problem is Mars atmosphere is 2% and gravity is 38% that of Earth's. Gravity-corrected wing loading to reach the equivalent of say a small plane on Earth would require 20x the wing area. A proposal demonstrator of this was suggested in a paper: https://www.icas.org/ICAS_ARCHIVE/ICAS2014/data/papers/2014_0478_paper.pdf https://www.icas.org/ICAS_ARCHIVE/ICAS2014/data/papers/2014_...
- tooltechgeek 2y agowouldn’t the lower density be equivalent to a higher altitude on earth? Propellers would be not effective but some type of jet or rocket would?
- hi-v-rocknroll 2y agoSure. It likely also means different wing geometry and it needs to move faster.
- frankus 2y agoI've noodled around with something like this for a climate-controlled micromobility vehicle. Something like the Nimbus but built with ebike components (https://nimbusev.com https://nimbusev.com -- godspeed to them because I really want them to succeed, in part so I can buy one). I'm pretty sure it would be ridiculous and impractical, but we could use a way to solve the "it's only five blocks away but the weather's miserable" in a way that doesn't involve huge parking lots and otherwise terrible land use. I know that there must be clothing that solves this, but donning a whole suit for what might be a 90-second trip is a lot of friction, especially when the alternative is feeling a little bit guilty about driving for a trip that could easily be biked/walked/etc.
- pbronez 2y agoNimbus looks super cool! I’d love to try one. Top speed of 50mph suggests it’s not enough car for highway commuting, unfortunately. I’m more excited about the Aptera. I think it’s significantly bigger and more highway-capable than the Nimbus, while still much more efficient than contemporary EVs. It’ll cost twice as much as the Nimbus as well… quite different vehicles other than the common 2-front, 1-back wheel configuration.
- ChoGGi 2y agoThe Nimbus S shows 75mph
- metadat 2y agoPreviously discussed in 2019: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21249801 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21249801 (26 comments)
- hi-v-rocknroll 2y agoI saw this in a documentary many years ago as some sort of spy aircraft to exfil from a hostile country. While a cool concept, subsequent ultralight aircraft made this design obsolete. Just don't get shot at or have a leak. While it could be very compact to transport, it's not very practical or robust. Also, the service ceiling and service floor(?) could vary based on temperature. For example, if it started at sea level and very cold conditions, it's possible it could not exceed a certain altitude below the need for a pressurized cabin and below its performance coffin corner.
- crashmat 2y agoIt says because of the airflow from the engine it could be punctured by up to 6 .30 calibre bullets and maintain pressure. Is this enough resilience? (I don't really know about aircraft combat)
- hi-v-rocknroll 2y agoSo it's a flying bouncy castle or flying tube man. Makes sense. Imagine it would be extra fun if there were an inflatable Fokker Dr.I.
- EdwardCoffin 2y agoNeal Stephenson's novel Seveneves [1] included something like this (early in part 3), and it being inflatable wasn't even the coolest thing about it. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seveneves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seveneves
- 1-6 2y agoJust be careful of thumbtacks in your carryon.