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Could you bring yourself to destroy a 21 foot long X-wing replica?
shardian:
--- Quote from: psik0tik on October 04, 2007, 10:25:14 am ---Point taken :) if they really want to impress...someone should get in it and steer it.
--- End quote ---
Steer it with what? Maybe if they slammed their body against the side they wanted to turn... ;D
It is a really neat project, and it appears the team is made up of Aerospace engineers with access to kick ass equipment and software. It seems they have run calculations to support the design, but most likely a joint will fail due to fasteners or craftsmanship.
So, I'd say it will go up well, but will probably break in the air due to stress on the wing joints. If I were them, I would have made the wings rigid and locked in the open position instead of trying to open them in the air.
Now the part I think is funny is that they think 3 parachutes will let it land fully in tact. It will still hit the ground with enough velocity to crunch the wood all to hell.
ChadTower:
bdbd, nice wreckage, Buck.
SithMaster:
Im sure that old R2 unit will be able to land it.
--- Quote ---So, I'd say it will go up well, but will probably break in the air due to stress on the wing joints. If I were them, I would have made the wings rigid and locked in the open position instead of trying to open them in the air.
--- End quote ---
No they should leave them in locked position. You only go into attack position if you are going to attack something. They should have started with the Headhunter (Z-95) and then moved up to the X-Wing.
They dont need parachutes just use the anti grav generators to land it.
--- Quote ---"it's likely we will have a structural failure in the wings, but we are hoping it will hold."
--- End quote ---
There you go they are obviously military contractors.
SavannahLion:
The military have done parachute drops with jeeps and larger. These things land just fine and in usable condition. NASA also used to land their space capsules with chutes.
They didn't cite the weight of the craft and I don't know man-rated parachute specifications, but if I were to guess, the parachutes are probably rated for a 250lb man and with three chutes, that gives them 750lbs to play with.
Each wing weighs 60lbs and at four, that comes up to 240lbs for the wings. That gives them 500lbs and two chutes to work with. I would add a fourth chute for safety reasons in case one chute fails.
Their design choice of using laminated wood is a little strange. I've never constructed wood aircraft, but my father has and from what I could remember of what he told me, he never used laminated wood for any component. I don't know what kind of aircraft he constructed though.
shardian:
Ultralight airplanes are usually constructed of wood. 3/4" ply for the frame spars and luan as a skin. That is basically what this x-wing is.
Landing a Jeep by parachute is a different situation. It can land on wheels and the suspension absorbs the impact. This thing will either land on the rear, the tip, or the wings. I mean, the thing ain't gonna come crashing down to earth, but it doesn't take much to bust up wood with that kind of weight. Think of it this way, push one of you fully loaded arcade cabinets off of a 10 foot ledge - heck even a 5 foot ledge. How well you think it will land? That is about the same velocity this thing will be hitting the ground with.
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