Human Powered Flapping Flight would be possible with a 4- wing, one piece suit made of springy foam and shaped adaptively so that it serves the purpose of smooting the person into the air. The design principle would be to simplify completely, so instead of having a 2-part suit with skeleton and separate skin, the foam suit would use density fading to achive springyness in one area and lightness in another. The suit would extend the capability of each apendage or of the body as a whole to use all of its energy evenly in supporting itself in air. One way to do this would be to graduate the shape and thickness of the wings so that they fade slowly into the air and have extreemly sharp but flexible edges. I think the wings should also be curled up around each appendage so that they only unfurl when the flyer excecutes a crawl style stroke vigorously enough with all limbs. (See bad drawings at link below.) Besides the spiral shape of the wings, (see link two) this idea is basically just a "simplify" idea for human powered flapping flight. Every design I've ever seen involves working parts that would not be efficient and would eventually wear out anyway. The answer seems to me to be to simplify the design as much as possible so that the one piece suit serves only the purpose of smoothing the person into the air so that they can use their energy efficiently. I'm pretty sure the answer is in the shape and the adaptiveness (gradual as opposed to sharp change in every quality) of the wing suit.
-- JesusHChrist, Jan 09 2005

(??) Spiral Spring Wings http://patricktimon...ven.com/photo3.html
See bad picture halfway down page [JesusHChrist, Jan 09 2005]

(?) Sprial structure http://patricktimon...en.com/catalog.html
Spiral structures to base design of wing on [JesusHChrist, Jan 09 2005]

(?) Birdman http://www.birdman.org.uk
Look in the Gallery for a picture of Aerosapien Dave Moore in flight. (he's in red) [JesusHChrist, Jan 10 2005]

(??) Thought you'd like this one. http://imgur.com/gallery/eCpdVEv
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 14 2014]

nature's own version https://www.faceboo...eos/323986345404821
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, Aug 15 2020]

"The only thing that is better than Home Depot for sparking ideas is a forest." -- well said.
-- reensure, Jan 10 2005


So it would wrap my arm when I needed low wind resistance, and unwrap to offer high resistance to push the air when I needed to "flap". Oh yeah. Really fine drawings! I love the superhero connotation. I think you are going to fit in fine here, JHC.
-- bungston, Jan 10 2005


kudos, very creative. but as far as a vertical take of is concerned, look at a bird that is capable of that feat, it's analogous pectoral muscles are near half the weight of its body....
-- triplenine, Jan 10 2005


I thought this said "Spiral spring wigs." Good for bouncing off the walls...
-- robinism, Jan 10 2005


triplenine: Most of the power for vertical take off would come from leg wings. Leg wings would be wrapped around legs until take off and only unfurled by air resistance as the flyer pistoned all limbs during take off. Wrapping wings would allow for walking in furled mode and also optimize tension over the unfurled wing in flying mode. Recent dinosaur discoveries suggest that the first flyers may have been 4- winged and used their leg wings for power during undulating flight, and only lost the lower wings to be able to compete as they started soaring.
-- JesusHChrist, Jan 10 2005


Then there is the issue of wanting to go to the toilet in a really big hurrrrrrryyyyyy.
-- Ah Supp, Oct 05 2011


At Last. Now I know what the H stand for in Jesus H. Christ.
-- Ah Supp, Oct 05 2011


Still a weight to strength game, Adding anything to the person has to be as light possible to allow human muscles to lever the whole kit and kaboodle against the air. Muscles also need to be strong enough to hold gliding shapes.

Humans aren't designing and advancing feathers.
-- wjt, Aug 16 2020



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