Flying Bicycle?

Alright, look. I don't know if anyone has ever actually tried this—not just here in America, but anywhere in the world—but flying a bicycle. It sounds totally nuts, I get it, but if you really sit down and chew on the idea, maybe it isn't half bad... right?
Basically, here’s how I’m picturing it..
Imagine adding an extra chain to the rear sprocket of the back wheel, connected to a second, smaller gear (no energy loss, less pedaling effort required), and then mounting a propeller onto that smaller gear. We're talking a massive propeller, though, because we actually need lift. 🙂 So, that propeller would be mounted right over the rear end of the bicycle to push it forward. The bike would also have wings. I was thinking something like a paraglider rig basically welded directly to the handlebars, so when you turn the bars in mid-air, you turn the whole glider and change direction!

That’s the gist of it... I might post a sketch of my own later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbC8crk2msY
(By the way, this is the closest thing I've found to someone actually taking a bike into the sky.) 🙂

Cheers!

Hmm. If you design the propeller like a helicopter, there’s zero room left for wings. If you go the airplane route, you need enough velocity to generate lift under those wings, otherwise, the whole concept of flight falls apart. Plus, the wing would have to be massive just to keep the bicycle airborne at low speeds—otherwise, you’re looking at a freefall scenario. And gravity doesn't play around. The extra weight from the build would be a killer; you'd need retractable wings just to make it work. Sure, anything is theoretically possible, but it wouldn't hold up in reality. As far as I know, only one inventor in New York has even come close to pulling this off, and even then, it was only partial success. I think his name is Griffin.

I’ve read some Alan Ford myself—solid stuff.
Basically, yeah, the propeller sits horizontally just like on a plane, except this time it's slapped onto the back of the bicycle.
And man, those wings definitely need to be bigger, I'm with you there. If we're looking at an 8kg bike plus the weight of the wing structure itself... wouldn't I need a 2.5-meter wingspan per side? That puts us at 5 meters total.😁

There are plenty of much more elegant ways to go out; I'm not sure why you settled on a bicycle.

What happens if you just run out of steam at like 100 feet up and have nowhere to land? You could end up dropping straight into heavy traffic, or hitting spiked fences, or getting chased by some angry dogs 😁... or what if a sudden gust of wind just slams into you and flips you completely off balance? Honestly, I’ll stick to a classic bicycle or a good old-fashioned bike 😁

I mean, just the other day on the Boardwalk, some stupid pigeon almost took me out. I saw him flying right at my face at head height, and right as I ducked, he zipped by just 20 cm above my head. Now imagine trying to fly like that and getting smacked by a seagull that weighs a few pounds

jadehound5 said:I’ve read some Alan Ford myself. Solid stories.
Mostly, yeah. It’s just like an airplane propeller, only mounted horizontally on the back of the bicycle.
The wings definitely need more surface area. I’m with you there. If the bike itself is sitting around 18 lbs and then you factor in the weight of the wing structure... would we be looking at a 2.5-meter span per side? That puts the total wingspan at about 5 meters. 😁

My bicycle weighs in at 32 pounds. I’m about 187, so we’re looking at a total package of roughly 220. That doesn't even account for the frame itself or extra gear like a backpack. Maybe ten meters would cut it, provided the wingspan stretched across the entire bike—maybe even wider. To get off the ground, you'd need a high-flow propeller, probably at least five feet in diameter with three blades, spinning fast enough to lift and then transition into a glider effect. You'd be looking at a full Carbon frame, Carbon components, and everything else made of titanium or magnesium just to stand a chance.

Patrick King7 said:My bicycle weighs in at 14.5 kg! I'm about 187 lbs, so we're looking at roughly 220 lbs total! That doesn't even include the frame structure or extra gear like my backpack. Honestly, maybe a 30-foot wingspan would cut it, provided the wings were wide enough to cover the whole bicycle. Maybe even wider! You'd need a high-flow propeller too—at least 5 feet in diameter with three blades and some serious RPMs just to get airborne and maintain that glider effect. We’re talking a full Carbon frame, Carbon components, and everything else made of titanium or magnesium...

You have to calculate exactly how much thrust is required to keep all that junk in the air. And that needs to be a constant force. So, who on earth is strong enough or has the stamina to hold up that much weight in mid-air for thirty minutes straight?

... Of course there’s such a thing as a human Powered Aircraft (it looks more like a glider, really) that’s actually flown across the English Channel, traveling from the UK coast all the way to France—dedicated to Daedalus, naturally. But you won't find any useless wheels on those (so it's definitely not a bicycle), nor any other dead weight. The human body can only generate a very limited amount of energy, just barely enough to provide lift for an ultra-light aircraft like that, and even then, it requires some incredibly light-weight professionals to pull it off. I'll dig up some photos and links for you...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_Albatross

... and also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_Condor

I found some more links here; just check out the human Powered Aircraft section
...
... though, let's be honest, flying a balloon is probably much easier:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008...sh-channel.php
http://home.teleport.com/~reedg/whitedwarf.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQdwx...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D63PK2IyJ4

Patrick King7 said:So, a Carbon frame, Carbon components, everything else out of titanium, or maybe magnesium...

I’m 100% with you—if you want this to work, the build has to be featherlight. 👍
But where am I supposed to find all that stuff? Honestly, I have zero clue where to source high-end Carbon or magnesium if I'm just trying to run some simulations. 🤷 😕 If you've got a lead, let me know!
So, that’s the plan: build the kite frame in that classic V-shape.
And obviously, the frame needs fabric, which is yet another thing I need to track down... 🙄

Later on, I'll just crunch the numbers to see how much lift I get per square meter of fabric.
I need enough surface area to carry about 180lbs. (That's my bike at 22lbs + me at 132lbs 🙂 + whatever extra gear, like a backpack, you mentioned, say 15-20lbs 😂).

Alright, enough talk. Time to build this thing!

jadehound5 said:I'm with you on that—weight is everything. 👍
But where am I supposed to find all this stuff? I have zero clue where to pick up Carbon or magnesium specifically for modeling purposes. 🤷 😕 If you have a lead, let me know.
So, the plan is a V-shaped frame for the kite. Classic.
And obviously, the frame needs fabric, which is another thing I'll need to track down... 🙄

Later, I'll just run the math on the lift capacity per square meter of fabric.
I need enough coverage for about 80kg. (My bicycle [10kg] + me [60kg🙂] + whatever payload we talked about, like a backpack [5-10kg]—maybe more if the pack gets heavy! 😂))

Alright, that's the gist. Time to build it.

You can't just buy Carbon off the shelf; sure, you can, but it's pointless because carbon fiber is custom-molded in specialized shops. You might be better off going primitive (and heavier). Maybe an aluminum skeleton reinforced with fiberglass!

Should work. As for the fabric, most options suck. You’d need a high-strength nylon that stays thin enough to keep the mass down.

Here is some info on lift (check the aerodynamics section further down; fluids are higher up). We can dive into that once we decide whether to actually build the bicycle submarine (or sub, doesn't have to stay in the ocean).

jadehound5 said:Alright, that settles it. It’s time to get building.

Wise move. You might as well spend it all now before you kick the bucket.😁

Why leave anything behind for the rest of them?🤣

this jadehound5 is a true Renaissance man 😁

Just one question—back when that Zeppelin first got hit by lightning, it caught fire and went down. I've heard people claim planes still crash today because of that, which gets me thinking... what actually happens when lightning strikes a vehicle that’s already supercharged? You've got all that metal, friction in the bearings, maybe even someone wearing cotton clothes, all while being pulled along by some lightning-attracted object. What's the physics there?

Or, you know, what if a chicken flies straight into a propeller?
And regarding the permits—what kind of license are we even talking about here? Is it for a plane, a helicopter, a glider, or just some weird hybrid of everything?

ruggedharbor77 said:- what happens when lightning hits an electrified vehicle

Don't bother overthinking it; it’s never actually going to take off.

Oh, they’re just messing around; there is absolutely no way it’s actually going to take off.

-Nosonja

Dana Reyes5 said:Don't sweat it. It’s never actually going to take off anyway.

loneviper15 said:He's just messing with you. There's no way it's taking flight.

-Nosonja

Look, flying isn't the issue—getting airborne is easy enough. You find a tall skyscraper and just jump...

The real problem is when you're just minding your own business, eating a banana a thousand feet up, and suddenly lightning decides to fry your ass.

ruggedharbor77 said:The issue is when you're minding your own business, eating a snack, and then—BAM—lightning strikes you out of nowhere.

Look, it’s common sense: don't go flying if there's a storm brewing. Just don't.
If you get caught mid-air when the weather turns, you drop down immediately—before the actual storm hits—and you should be fine. 🙂

Anyway, hit me up once you land—I'm dying to hear how that whole ordeal actually went 🙂