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The Puffin personal flying "suit"

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  • The Puffin personal flying "suit"



    NY Times story ....

    NASA Announces Designs for Personal Flying Suit

    Forget the Segway. Leave that jet pack behind. NASA is working on a personal flying suit.


    Conceptual designs for the experimental vehicle, called Puffin, were introduced by Mark D. Moore, an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center, at a meeting of the American Helicopter Society on Jan. 20 in San Francisco. The Puffin is designed to be 12 feet in length, with a total wingspan of 14 and a half feet; it would weigh in at 300 pounds (without a pilot).

    Two major elements distinguish the Puffin suit from the jet packs of ’50s-era sci-fi flicks. First, it is completely self-contained: the pilot would actually step into the suit, which has a cockpit-like area and helicopter-style blades, allowing for high-altitude flying (unlike those sci-fi jet packs).

    Second, it is designed to be powered by electric motors, making it relatively quiet, lightweight and more reliable (electric motors have fewer moving parts than conventional ones), and with a low environmental impact.

    Of course, the Puffin is just a theory at the moment. It might be best used for covert military missions or rescue operations. But if it does emerge as an option for conventional flight, traffic jams might take on a whole new meaning.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

  • #2
    I presume they will have a twin version for rescue operations..
    We have enough youth - What we need is a fountain of smart!


    i7-920, 6GB DDR3-1600, HD4870X2, Dell 27" LCD

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    • #3
      Where do you stick your feet out to land
      Yeah, well I'm gonna build my own lunar space lander! With blackjack aaaaannd Hookers! Actually, forget the space lander, and the blackjack. Ahhhh forget the whole thing!

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      • #4
        If it lands on its tail, like the first vtol aircraft prototypes, it is bound to have severe issues. This is too complex an operation (transition from horzitonal position to vertical, downward movement with limited vision of the ground, ...).

        I do wonder where they get these designs: it looks like some late 50s science fiction design in a modern jacket.
        pixar
        Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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