Video here: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/workshop/4218427.html?series=27
Prop trike = guaranteed prop strike
It's neat, but I wonder if he calculated the efficiency of the power train vs. just driving the wheels.
Human-powered prop trike
- Thread starter mikea
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Video here: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/workshop/4218427.html?series=27
Prop trike = guaranteed prop strike
It's neat, but I wonder if he calculated the efficiency of the power train vs. just driving the wheels.
SkyHog
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I was working on this exact setup about 3 years ago, but it wasn't a pusher prop, it was mounted in the front of a woman's mountain bike.
I believe the one and only time Ron Levy was ever in flashchat I was discussing it with him. I got it to taxi on its own, but never got beyond that (lost interest as I couldn't find a way to get decent speed for a takeoff and I never mounted wings).
I believe the one and only time Ron Levy was ever in flashchat I was discussing it with him. I got it to taxi on its own, but never got beyond that (lost interest as I couldn't find a way to get decent speed for a takeoff and I never mounted wings).
You do know how much work they put into the Gossamer Albatross to keep weight down and have enough power and they used a trained athletic bicycle marathoner as a pilot/engine....
SkyHog
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Actually, no, I didn't even know it had been done before
Was a pretty neat little setup though. I used a giant gear connected to a tiny gear to get the propeller (which was actually a plastic propeller) spinning fast enough to pull the bike. It didn't take a whole lot of effort to make it move on a flat surface.
OK, also the Gossamer Condor:Actually, no, I didn't even know it had been done before
Was a pretty neat little setup though. I used a giant gear connected to a tiny gear to get the propeller (which was actually a plastic propeller) spinning fast enough to pull the bike. It didn't take a whole lot of effort to make it move on a flat surface.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/maccread_condor.htm
The Gossamer Albatross crossed the English Channel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_Albatross