Wednesday 16 July 2008

PAL-V

Not so much a flying car as a flying tricycle.

5 comments:

jayessell said...

It resembles the 'Little Nellie' Gyrocopter from "You Only Live Twice".
The pusher propeller indicates it's not a helicopter.

Does the driver have to get out to unfurl the rotor and unfold the rear stabilizer?

I wanted a "TRANSFORM!" button!

Sergej said...

I would imagine that the idea was to save complexity on feathering the blades: just leave them in one orientation and take care of fore-and-aft motion by pushing with the propeller. On the other hand, I notice a lack of small rotor on a boom or a second counter-rotating large rotor overhead, so maybe this thing was only thought through to some (incomplete) extent.

jayessell said...

Sergei...
Reread my first comment.
Note the "it's not a helicopter" segment.
Now, Wiki 'Gyrocopter'.
In a gyrocopter to rotor acts as a wing. It is unpowered except for an optional 'powered spin up' which is disengaged before takeoff.
As a consequence, no 'anti-torqe' tail rotor is required.


PS: May I ask your geographical location?

Sergej said...

jayessell: no need to wiki gyrocopter, as I already know what one is.

Agreed, then. And in keeping with the retro-futuristic tastes of Ephemeral Isle, definitely on-topic. I guess I thought the article linked implied VTOL capability, and concluded helicopter from that.

I am in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US and A. In case you are back in Mr. Szondy's old home, this is a couple hundred miles west of Chicago, and the last outpost of civilization (or at least sizable city) before the West Coast.

jayessell said...

Sergej...

I should have used the generic term 'Autogyro', as 'gyrocopter' is trademarked.

I'm looking forward to an 'Autogyro Auto'.

My idea for a flying car is a car/helicopter that uses ramjets at the tips of the rotor.

I saw a go-cart sized one on cable.

A decade ago or so Apple had a commercial where a flying car is being designed/presented on a Mac //ci.

Thanks for nothing YouTube!