Could you bring yourself to destroy a 21 foot long X-wing replica?

[jbox]

The X-Wing model is huge. At 21 feet long and with a wingspan of over 19 feet it is, in fact, big enough to fly a kid in. However, knowing that it will be powered by solid-fuel rockets, they wouldn't put a kid, dog, monkey or Gizmodo editor inside, even if it uses three full parachutes to land.

They better get some damned good video of this thing when they finally launch it...

[Zero_Hour]

If only they could stage the landing for a swamp....

[tommy]

When you get something that cool you just gotta use it. It's like getting a really rare car that everyone is afraid to drive for the sake if it getting ruined or dented... when else are you going to enjoy it, when you're dead?

[Kevin Mullins]

Oversized model + solid fuel rockets = um, can't wait for the video

[Ed_McCarron]

Hold my beer and watch this...

[ChadTower]

That thing looks like it will get about as much lift as a 45 year old with a 25 year old boob job.

[lharles]

Red Six: I got a problem here.
Biggs: Eject!
Red Six: I can hold it.
Biggs: Pull up!
Red Six: No, I'm all right... ahhh!
{EXPLOSION}

[psik0tik]

I don't think that thing is gonna get off the ground.

[ChadTower]

Trust me, with solid rocket fuel, it's getting off the ground.

It won't have control and won't be in one piece, but it will leave the ground.

[psik0tik]

Point taken if they really want to impress...someone should get in it and steer it.

[shardian]

Point taken if they really want to impress...someone should get in it and steer it.

Steer it with what? Maybe if they slammed their body against the side they wanted to turn...

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.

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.

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.

"it's likely we will have a structural failure in the wings, but we are hoping it will hold."

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.

[billf]

NASA also used to land their space capsules with chutes.

Yeah, in water.

[psik0tik]

Point taken if they really want to impress...someone should get in it and steer it.

Steer it with what? Maybe if they slammed their body against the side they wanted to turn...

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.

I was being sarcastic...although you would be know as a uber nerd across the globe that flew the first one.

[shardian]

The real reason none of them are piloting is because they are all too fat to fit in it.

[ChadTower]

Unless they actualy have some sort of control, they haven't flown it.  They've launched it.  It's not much of an achievement to build something and fling it upwards.

[ahofle]

You've obviously never dabbled in high powered rocketry.  Just getting a simple tube with 4 fins to take off and land without failure is challenging enough -- I can't imagine how difficult launching something like that giant X-wing model would be.  Getting all 4 'M' engines to simultaneously ignite will be critical -- if one doesn't light up, I'm sure it will be completely destroyed.  They've taken it an extra step and added radio controlled parts.

Here's a video of a a 165 lb rocket taking off with 3 M engines.
http://www.ddeville.com/images/freedomphiter.asf

[mr.Curmudgeon]

I've got a bad feeling about this.

[danny_galaga]

and bones is WHERE exactly?

and yes, its gotta be launched. and hell, yes. you need to aim it at a swamp...

[danny_galaga]

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.

aircraft grade ply IS laminated wood. nothing strange about it. some very high performance aircraft have been made of ply, including (in WWII) DH mosquito and yak9....

[ChadTower]

and yes, its gotta be launched. and hell, yes. you need to aim it at a swamp...

Can't potentially dump a load of rocket fuel into a wetlands here, as cool as it may be for that particular craft.  In CA especially they'd probably put him in jail longer than if he'd raped a kid.

[romperwomb]

Video of the uhhm..launch/midair disintegration.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/boom/x+wing-rocket-launches-disintegrates-mid+air-307945.php

Edit: doh, wrong link

[ChadTower]

 

[mr.Curmudgeon]

That actually went much better than I had expected. The launch was absolutely beautiful. Kudos to them!
Looks like it disintegrated just as the rockets burnt out, so at least they got the most out of 'em.

This thing was never coming down in one piece.

[Kevin Mullins]

It went about as well as I expected.

(about as well as strapping rockets to an outhouse)
http://www.the-rocketman.com/outhouse.html

[shardian]

Yep, should have left the wings stationary in the open position and reinforced them. the opening thing was a really bad idea. With only two fins, there was nothing to stabilize the rocket.

[Bones]

I watched it over and over trying to work out exactly what happen. I am actually wondering if it was overstable and "weathercocked". ie- It tried to start flying horizontal but couldn't handle the forces of such a maneuver.

Looking at it and how far it got into the air, I am not really convinced it was a under-stability issue.

Bloody spectacular that's for sure. 

[ChadTower]

I figure one of the rockets failed a bit earlier than the others... so now you've got uneven directional thrust, and it tore the thing apart.  At least two were clearly still firing when it came apart.

[Bones]

I think the safest assumption is to just agree it was caused by a disturbance in the force.

[shardian]

Sure hope their companies shareholders don't see this project.

[ahofle]

Man that was fun to watch. 

[ChadTower]

I think the safest assumption is to just agree it was caused by a disturbance in the force.

Does it still equal mass times acceleration here?

[Ed_McCarron]

I think the safest assumption is to just agree it was caused by a disturbance in the force.

Does it still equal mass times acceleration here?

As long as you keep it in this dimension.

[jbox]

As I suspected, "destroy" was definitely the right word to use. 

[SithMaster]

I guess porkins was flying this one.

[boykster]

I guess porkins was flying this one.

 

[SavannahLion]

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.

aircraft grade ply IS laminated wood. nothing strange about it. some very high performance aircraft have been made of ply, including (in WWII) DH mosquito and yak9....

You got me. My father passed away before I could absorb all of his knowledge. All I know is that he did some sort of aircraft work for private individual(s?) yonkers ago. IIRC, the techniques he used never once involved ply. My father did a lot of repair and restoration work so he probably did some sort of restoration on some old airplane(s) somewhere.