Kilrah and the camper

Mazz · Mar 11, 2015

Kilrah said:
Yes, but only to follow accelerations. Won a beer that day
There's no drag slowing you down so no need to keep a forward tilt, but you still do need to give the same motion as the surrounding vehicle to your aircraft.

I have wondered about this for a long time and you have done it. I need a better explanation. So at a constant speed can you just hover?

Mazz · Mar 11, 2015

By the way, this is awesome.

Kilrah · Mar 11, 2015

Mazz said:
So at a constant speed can you just hover?

At constant speed, direction and altitude yes. The sum of forces on the surrounding vehicle is 0, so that's all you need on the aircraft too... and as there is no drag as the air moves with you there's nothing you need to compensate.

Mazz · Mar 11, 2015

i just wondered because a helium ballon in a truck will tend to move to the front if you accelerate hard because the momentum will push the air to the back of the truck and since the balloon is lighter it goes to the front contrary to what you'd expect. Didn't know if the momentum would keep a higher pressure in the back of the vehicle making it like you'd be surfing the whole time. I guess since it is not lighter than air there is no effect. This is really cool to me man. Thanks for showing me that. I have never had the opportunity to test it.

Nice to have a camper too. Can't lie, I am jealous.

Kilrah · Mar 11, 2015

Mazz said:
I guess since it is not lighter than air there is no effect.

Yeah that. The balloon being significantly lighter than the air around it can easily be moved by that air. A quad, no way.

Mazz said:
Nice to have a camper too. Can't lie, I am jealous.

Not mine though, we just rented it for a week 2 years ago during a trip in New Zealand.

InspiredOne · Mar 11, 2015

Ha... my wife and I were discussing this just last week-end. Great minds think alike!

Mazz · Mar 11, 2015

So I DID learn something huge today!!

Highrpm955 · Mar 11, 2015

Kind of like the ol' "firing a bullet in a fast moving airplane"... its relative. The speed of the bullet INSIDE the plane may be 1200 ft per second, but reletive to the outside of the plane, it may be traveling at 1933 ft per second assuming 500mph aircraft speed.