Swedish engineer test flies human-carrying drone
A Swedish engineer, in his garage, has built a flying vehicle using drones and gasoline engines.
You have to see the thing to understand how insanely simple, crazy, and cool this is. For example, the whole thing is essentially nothing more than a seat surrounded by eight drones, their spinning propellers rotating only about two feet from the passenger.
But it appears to work, though the design is without doubt not quite finalized. I have embedded a video of one of his test flights below the fold. This was fortunately an unmanned flight, because about three minutes in the vehicle goes out of control and crashes.
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A Swedish engineer, in his garage, has built a flying vehicle using drones and gasoline engines.
You have to see the thing to understand how insanely simple, crazy, and cool this is. For example, the whole thing is essentially nothing more than a seat surrounded by eight drones, their spinning propellers rotating only about two feet from the passenger.
But it appears to work, though the design is without doubt not quite finalized. I have embedded a video of one of his test flights below the fold. This was fortunately an unmanned flight, because about three minutes in the vehicle goes out of control and crashes.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Cool, experimental aviation from weed wackier engines! He is going to need a computer or microprocessor to create some sort of stabilization control in case of engine out or decreased power in any one of the eight engines. The stabilization problem would be easier with electric motors, but that adds weight and complexity. No matter, this is cool, someone tinkering in the basement or garage and building something!
Yes, the gas powered concept is a bit unnerving. One malfunctioning module and more than 12 inches off the ground and disaster is eminent. But a fun garage project.
The pilots seat looks disturbingly like a coffin. As soon as someone else builds one, they’ll start racing.
When I go flying, I almost always take a pair of wings and some control surfaces, if this engineer is thinking of flying this drone ship, and I think he is evidenced upon the coffin chair, he had better have his insurance paid up, as a hobby to play with, this is fine, as a means of becoming airborn, there are better and even cheaper means to do so.
-Am I the only one who thinks this is sorta like re-inventing the Helicopter?
It’s cool and all, I will not deny.
But I agree with Joe on this one.
Yes, this wheel has already been invented, even helicopters have control surfaces, and very few have more than one rotor head, no matter what, with asymmetrical thrust, very little you can do to right the ship.
Sometimes the journey is the object of the exercise. Sometimes people just want to tinker around.
Edward, I’m cool with that, maybe he can improvise a control system that takes care of the obvious issues, he’s not using cheap stuff, as a private pilot, I think safety is an issue here.
“I think safety is an issue here.”
Yeah, he may have decided that it is a death trap. I also suspect that had he been on board, during that test, he would have set the thing on the ground quickly, when he started having trouble.
Then again, some people do the craziest things, to fly:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Walters
Oh yeah, I forgot all about balloon chair Larry, poor guy was awarded the onarary Darwin Award! Funny and not funny.
Actually it’s lawn chair Larry!