Not history yet but might make it(Prandtl-D)

Vimana89

Legendary member
I heard this started as some college project that was built as an rc plane first. No vertical stabilization of any kind, unique boomerang shape. This may be the platform that we use to navigate the skies of Mars, as a uav, and maybe some day as a manned transport! This also has cool applications for flight right here on Earth. I like its unconventionality, its shape, and I like its "less is more" attitude. I thought I'd share for the cool factor, and maybe for inspiration; perhaps the right builder could have some fun with this as an RC.

 

Vimana89

Legendary member
A certain percentage of this might as well be Japanese to me because of my limited knowledge, but the thing that stuck out is where he said yaw creates thrust rather than drag with the design. That sounds big to me.
 

SlingShot

Maneuvering With Purpose
A certain percentage of this might as well be Japanese to me because of my limited knowledge, but the thing that stuck out is where he said yaw creates thrust rather than drag with the design. That sounds big to me.
It IS big. They found a way to eliminate or at least greatly reduce wing vortices. They studied bird wing shapes.
 

Vimana89

Legendary member
It IS big. They found a way to eliminate or at least greatly reduce wing vortices. They studied bird wing shapes.
That's kind of funny and shows the variety of methodology to flight. It's ironic because another plane I love very much, perhaps my favorite historical plane, relied on exploiting specific wing vortices to even perform at low speeds at all, and this one does what it does by eliminating them as much as possible.