This is a prototyping project for human powered flapping flight that uses vertical wind tunnels at low power and pulley systems that decrease the flyers effective weight.
A low powered vertical wind tunnel would allow flyers to experiment with semi-rigid wing structures that are small enough to be controlable. Experimentation could determine the most effective full-body flapping stroke and shape and rigidity of wings and then the power could be turned down and the prototype size increased incrementally.
The other way of doing this would be to suspend the flyer from a rope and pulley system with a weight on the other end of the rope that makes the flyer's weight effectively much less than it would be otherwise and then use the same incremental system to move the prototype wings toward full human power.-- JesusHChrist, Feb 22 2017 3d Ballet https://www.youtube...watch?v=3qlzQBryT9A [JesusHChrist, Feb 24 2017] XKCD got here first. https://xkcd.com/620/ [pertinax, Feb 25 2017] I'm getting deja vu all over again.
//The other way of doing this would be to suspend the flyer from a rope and pulley system//
[JHC], most of the schemes you propose are eminently testable. You've theorized endlessly about simple, throw-it-together flying gadgets made from feathers and wobbulators. And now a simple device to help you develop man-powered flight.
What I don't understand is why you don't just try doing some of these things to see if they work or not. I'm sure someone here with the relevant expertise would help explain how to use a rope and pulley.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 22 2017 Do you think it's safe to give [JesusHChrist] rope? At least, not enough to... you know...-- neutrinos_shadow, Feb 22 2017 Perhaps it would be best to determine that by means of an actual experiment.-- 8th of 7, Feb 22 2017 this idea consists of flapping, almost but not quite capable of self-powered flight, reminiscent of a chicken. perhaps removal of the head will improve the power-to-weight ratio and decrease aerodynamic drag.-- sninctown, Feb 23 2017 This is going to get all biblical if 12 people comment on it...-- not_morrison_rm, Feb 23 2017 Ballet in 3D-- JesusHChrist, Feb 23 2017 So [JesusHChrist] you want to fly with a material science anomally that effectively gives you a sailplane suit? And not forgetting the need for bird brain control of wing surfaces.
//3d Ballet// A human molecule wave equation, beautiful.-- wjt, Feb 25 2017 random, halfbakery