[JoeF]

Who? What? Result?

[ARP]

Looks like one of the Leonardo da Vinci 'replica' designs built to show he could have flown.

Da Vinci Glider Successful - A flying machine designed by Leonardo Da Vinci 500 years ago flew successfully last month. The device, built with the support of the Museo Ideale in Vinci, Italy, was flown by world champion hang glider Angelo D'Arrigo. Plans for the glider were sketched out by Da Vinci in 1510, but only discovered by scholars in 1996. The device, though faithful to Da Vinci's designs, incorporates modern lightweight materials like aluminum tubing and dacron cloth, instead of the wood and canvas Da Vinci envisioned. Without the modern materials the machine would weigh 220 pounds and be too heavy to effectively fly. The modern version weighs only 50 pounds.

http://www.angelodarrigo.com/leonardo/?start_e

[Bob Kuczewski]

Who? What? Result?

That looks like it has the same square footage as Little Hawk. I hope he could run fast or used a "Safe Splat" whack mitigation system!!

[ARP]

Bob,

The span might be similar to the Little Hawk but the area is much greater. Here is another 'replica' based on the same Leonardo drawing but flying the opposite way round:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC74ImdHaLQ

Or this way round:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnEs4DTsX-A

It goes to show that almost anything can be made to fly and although fun to do it does not prove very much at all.

Tony

[ARP]

Angello 'flying' in a wind tunnel:- http://www.angelodarrigo.com/leonardo/images/gal27.jpg

[JoeF]

Thank you, ARP.

http://www.angelodarrigo.com/gallery_Sahara.php
http://www.angelodarrigo.com/gallery_Siberia.php
http://www.angelodarrigo.com/gallery_Over_Everest.php
http://www.angelodarrigo.com/gallery_AconcaguaXP.php



And
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelo_d'Arrigo

[Bob Kuczewski]

This was really neat to see:

Leonardo_Replica.jpeg (16.71 KiB) Viewed 6749 times

I don't speak German (very well), but I would have guessed that the roll instability was from the narrow span. So I was surprised to see that the rudder fixed it as well as it appeared to do.

Very good observations!!

[JoeF]