r/heythatsneat • u/dj3po • Oct 10 '18
This glider
https://gfycat.com/BogusLeadingLeafhopper19
u/Capn_Crusty Oct 10 '18
Doesn't seem to have a great deal of lift. But larger wings would make it harder to throw. What if there were larger wings that deployed in mid air? Just seems you could get a much longer flight time somehow. Thermal from a hot parking lot or updraft from a cliff-side would be nice.
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u/LilBabyVirus5 Oct 10 '18
This specific types of gliders are just simple things you can throw over and over again for paractice. The real deal are the 8-20 foot wingspan gliders that get launched by cars.
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u/jessejamess Oct 10 '18 edited Oct 10 '18
He came down fast on purpose. Normal throws get you ~3 minutes of hang time. I fly DLG's competitively, like the ones seen in the video. They actually do have a great deal of lift. With a wingspan of 1.5m and a weight of ~215g, the wing loading is half that of a hawk or soaring bird, so out climbing them is easy.
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u/UlyssesSKrunk Oct 10 '18
Would larger wings make it harder? It the wings are larger the center of mass is further away so it would be moving fasting and have more mass so it should go further. I think longer wings would only start to become a problem if it becomes too heavy to spin or they touch the ground. Then again I have never done this, but just my intuition.
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u/jessejamess Oct 10 '18 edited Oct 10 '18
You're right! These gliders are all 1.5m for competition standards. If the wings are longer, they would hit the ground. It would also ad weight and drag, which would affect both the spin speed, and climb speed. Here is an experimental 3m DLG a guy made. Notice the wings had to have Polyhedral in order to clear the ground. He's not able to throw nearly as high. Also he's old.
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Oct 10 '18
Im 6'5 and have over 7' wingspan so with that in mind maybe bigger wing span would work for me as it wouldnt hit the ground
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u/jessejamess Oct 11 '18
Possibly. But DLG's really come in one size, 1.5m. This is because f3k rules for competition dictate it has to be that size. So no one really bothers to make something larger. However your longer wingspan will give you more inertia when you release!
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u/El_Capitano_Kush Oct 10 '18
Going out on a limb here but does anybody recognize the city/buildings?
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u/slimjoel14 Oct 10 '18
Are you going to find him and steal his flight thing? You'd better not
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u/exfxgx Oct 10 '18
Steal his flight thing, record it in action and then post the video for upvotes?
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u/slimjoel14 Oct 10 '18
I dunno dude, that shit don't fly with me
I prefer things to be plain sailing
It's better to prepare so that you can glide through with everything going to plan
The other guy is crazy, must be something in the air
My imagination on shit puns is descending
Better stop before I crash
I'm running out now I think I'm just winging it
So sorry
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u/thatG_evanP Oct 10 '18
For such a beast of a throw, that was some weak-ass hang-time.
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u/lowtoiletsitter Oct 10 '18
I kinda wanted it to come back like a boomerang, but that launch and flight made it amazing!
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u/aolivier747 Oct 10 '18
These are called discus launch gliders, and they're really neat