My Flying Saucer Designs

[HappyRCFlyer]

Over the years I've pursued different flying disc planes and am showing a couple of versions I came up with that are more true to the actual UFO saucer shapes that are often reported. These are not of course how the ones in the sightings fly at all but certainly it's been an interesting direction to go. The dome is something that's ignored and when set up properly it functions as a stabilizing force, creating an air vortex which eliminates the need for a rudder.

I've experimented with an cambered dome system along with a double dome system and they both are proven flyers. They are more for novelty and proving some aerodynamic principals but there may be some niche markets for them. I have some additional directions I'll be taking disc shaped craft that will get disclosed after the prototypes are made and tested.

 

[Mr Man]

Ever looked up the Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar?

 

[HappyRCFlyer]

Ever looked up the Avro Canada VZ-9 Avrocar?

Yes, that's pretty old of a concept they may have succeeded at if they opted to both prototype in smaller RC format and switched to prop power rather then ducted turbines. I did run an experiment on a similar principal using the cambered dome to house a prop and motor. It would pull in the air from below it, into the dome and shoot back downwards, it also would create thrust running it the opposite direction and thrust direction, again still within that closed dome, neither configuration though was enough thrust to do anything practical with.

 

[LitterBug]

This is my take:

 

[telnar1236]

Yes, that's pretty old of a concept they may have succeeded at if they opted to both prototype in smaller RC format and switched to prop power rather then ducted turbines. I did run an experiment on a similar principal using the cambered dome to house a prop and motor. It would pull in the air from below it, into the dome and shoot back downwards, it also would create thrust running it the opposite direction and thrust direction, again still within that closed dome, neither configuration though was enough thrust to do anything practical with.

Not to mention that they didn't have anything like modern computers or gyros at the time. Something like a modern multi rotor is only practical because we have exceptionally powerful processors readily available that can make adjustments many times each second.

I suspect the lack of instability in glide tests may have more to do with the completely symmetrical shape not creating any destabilizing forces than any vortex generation

Looking forwards to seeing how powered versions fly

 

[HappyRCFlyer]

Not to mention that they didn't have anything like modern computers or gyros at the time. Something like a modern multi rotor is only practical because we have exceptionally powerful processors readily available that can make adjustments many times each second.

I suspect the lack of instability in glide tests may have more to do with the completely symmetrical shape not creating any destabilizing forces than any vortex generation

Looking forwards to seeing how powered versions fly

Certainly they didn't have the computer processing power remotely and gyro's were pretty limited, they were hard gyro's used in missal and aviation and they technically still get used today, not course correcting control like our current standard ones used on the drones and such, which are a piece of hardware and software entirely different.

I spent some time in the early 2000's shaping a range of shapes out of foam in disc like formats to toss around, trying to avoid the rudder to stabilize, none of the permutations would work unless there was a fin or two which rules out just the mere symmetrical shape. The dome was a fluke observing someone toss a broken, 1/2 of a basketball like a Frisbee to their dog to fetch. They were of course spinning it like the Frisbee but I figured what if, and that was where these early video's show it was viable. I have more designs and video's of them, this is just pulling from some of my past here that I thought you guys would find interesting.

The video does show one of them powered up in action rc format in a very tiny yard, it was just a quick bash to prove the concept nothing more. There is the next one that is going to knock your socks off but it's nothing to do with any of these, just can't give out too much info for now until I get the prototype done up.

The rounded leading edge for these are an instability for incorporating into flying wings, you also get a better understanding along the limitations for flying wings all together, especially the fin less ones like the Horton variety. They are excellent until they are moving along well enough and pitch the wrong direction and turn into some tumbling down to the ground type of thing.

 

[L Edge]

Here is my version of a circular disc:

Used an EZ setup and it flies even with wind due to the steep dihedral I put into it. I also had to add small weights around to trim it in the 3 axis.

Works nice in a turn by pulsing the differential where it immediately starts to level itself out. If the turn is too steep, it stalls out and ends up rolling along the grass and flops down.

 

[HappyRCFlyer]

Here is my version of a circular disc:

Used an EZ setup and it flies even with wind due to the steep dihedral I put into it. I also had to add small weights around to trim it in the 3 axis.

View attachment 257931

Works nice in a turn by pulsing the differential where it immediately starts to level itself out. If the turn is too steep, it stalls out and ends up rolling along the grass and flops down.

That reminds me a lot of the Geo Bat, https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/Geobat_B42257730717B.pdf

 

[HappyRCFlyer]

This is my take:

I wonder if you took a bit from my earlier experiment with the dome enclosed system that had the prop/motor/thrust inside of it and created a dome that was above and around all of the assembly you put together. You would want to play around with the distance from the dome to the rest to get the proper intake to thrust ratio, it would though be severely cool on a novelty level to see even if it proves of no advantage over the stock set up you did. Excellent job you did with that BTW!

 

[L Edge]

That reminds me a lot of the Geo Bat, https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/Geobat_B42257730717B.pdf

Used the Rc Group version Geobat and added a flap/spoiler to it so you trim it to fly slow or spoiler it to bring the nose down to go faster.

 

[HappyRCFlyer]

Used the Rc Group version Geobat and added a flap/spoiler to it so you trim it to fly slow or spoiler it to bring the nose down to go faster.

I used to be pretty active in RC Groups and a few others back in the day. When i opted back in a couple of years ago it was just dead and what remained were just critical jerks that were only there because that's the only place that put up with their games. Social media, ie. Facebook mainly really have taken over the forums, I have my own small group called HappyRCFlyer if you ever are on that platform, you guys here are of course welcome to join. I did create another forum for my garden beds group, 116k members strong but nobody wanted to sign up even though it was vastly more dialed in then anything Facebook could muster, its just the sign of the times. Glad this place at least is staying relatively active. I can attest with mine, the spammers and bots were so bad just simply having a forum, any forum, that I had to turn off registration and do it manually per request to get people signed up and in. I'm sure this place has it's fair share with those, I hope it's not as overwhelming as what I experienced with mine, it was just too, too much, out of control.

 

[HappyRCFlyer]

I just got off the phone with Jack Jones, the inventor of the Geobat, he gave me full endorsement and authorization to reproduce the plane as a new kit line. He's sending me over the cad file which will make it easy to set up for my laser cutter. For others not familiar with the plane, here is an archive of their old website. https://web.archive.org/web/20080201011536/http://geobat.com/

 

[LitterBug]

I just got off the phone with Jack Jones, the inventor of the Geobat, he gave me full endorsement and authorization to reproduce the plane as a new kit line. He's sending me over the cad file which will make it easy to set up for my laser cutter. For others not familiar with the plane, here is an archive of their old website. https://web.archive.org/web/20080201011536/http://geobat.com/

VERY COOL!

 

[bisco]

I love it:

 

[HappyRCFlyer]

I love it:

There are many variations and video's of it galore. This is an honor to continue the legacy. I'm doing up the first one with a scaled to 36" version, electric, and keeping it to scale in look and form. Having the Cad files for the original fuel version is doable but It will be only kitted, without me creating the prototype, I don't have the fuel gear and a field that allows fuel planes to fly in that's convenient anyway.

 

[HappyRCFlyer]

VERY COOL!

Certainly! I should see if the Flight Test team want's to combine efforts to offer a foam board kit version of it as well.

 

[HappyRCFlyer]

Apparently the Geobat fly's nicely in a backwards configuration. I'm going to test it in both directions when it stops raining to see if there is any difference in glide distance/ratio.