Human Powered Flight
Printed From: BHPC Forum
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Forum Name: Etc
Forum Description: Any other riding-related topics
URL: https://forum.bhpc.org.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=4580
Printed Date: 27 March 2026 at 4:13am
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Topic: Human Powered Flight
Posted By: BarneyH
Subject: Human Powered Flight
Date Posted: 24 April 2012 at 2:10pm
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An interesting piece for the amatuer engineers among us. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17754246" rel="nofollow - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17754246 Considering the same guy tried to build a human powered hydrofoil last year he may be interested in what we do.
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Replies:
Posted By: Adrian Setter
Date Posted: 24 April 2012 at 4:33pm
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Saw the programme last night. The thing that pricked my ears up was that they were estimating he needed to put out 350W to fly it. I stand to be proved wrong but I don't rate his chances. ------------- Challenge Hurricane - MicWic Delta (Front half) - Burrows Ratracer |
Posted By: Richard Ballant
Date Posted: 27 April 2012 at 2:50pm
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A constant output of .35 HP or 262W is the ballpark figure for keeping an HPA aloft. That's constant, lift-off, climbing and turns need more power. Interesting that a wing dipped but did not break. The Daedalus, which did 74 miles across the Agean, fractured a wing in mid-air when coming in for a landing on a beach, because of thermal difference between the air over the sand and the air over the water! Like the British Airglow, the new HPA seems to be made more robustly. The blog comments for the film are interesting, because they suggest that fitting a shell around the rider would, as well as reducing drag, assist in countering rotation (dropping a wing). ------------- Richard Ballantine Chairman |
Posted By: Yanto
Date Posted: 27 April 2012 at 4:36pm
| I didn't notice any control surfaces. where there any? If not using shifting body weight to control the thing i would have thought to be nigh on impossible when pedaling and with such a wingspan. |
Posted By: NickM
Date Posted: 28 April 2012 at 10:53am
Good for him. His enthusiasm is admirable  Mind you, it would be a lot easier to get off the ground if he didn't have to take that bloody choir and orchestra with him... Are television programs these days considered incomplete without a "portentous" soundtrack churned out by some hack? |