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Inventor is building his own flying saucer


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Retired engineer Duan Phillips has spent the last 15 years constructing a saucer-shaped flying vehicle.

The 86-year-old has been building his 5. 5m "lift activator disc" inside a hangar at the Rutherford Aerodrome in Maitland, Australia and believes that once completed it will have the potential to revolutionize air travel all across the world.

Read More: http://www.unexplain...n-flying-saucer

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Yes well good luck with that crackpot idea! There's a reason none of the worlds civilian or military aircraft use disc shaped craft...

They cant fly :lol: Far too unstable.. (and yes they did try)

.

Edited by seeder
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I was expecting only blurry, distant pictures of his vehicle.

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'has spent the last 15 years', '86-year-old retired engineer'

Time is not on his side... It looks extremely crude as well.

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I like how he has recycled abandoned shopping trolleys to construct the landing gear :lol:

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It won't fly. Has been tried before by professionals.

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I would guess there are a few dozen of those things under construction in various garages around the world, not all with the same purpose though.

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Did he back engineer that from something he saw when he worked at Area 51?

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I am unsure how this differs from hovercraft or ground effect vehicles, such as the Russian Lun Ekranoplan. I suppose the "unexplained mystery" is why the saucer shape.

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Yeah, revolutionize. That's the word I would use to describe what that would do to aviation. Discs have been tried and they can fly but are not terribly efficient aerodynamically or in terms of internal space. When this guy dies, someone will start a story about how he was killed for getting too close to the truth.

Edited by sinewave
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The theory for disk shape craft is sound. I think his idea of spinning the outer disk to provide stability is inpired. But one of the biggest problems he'll face is engine weight to thrust ratio. He's going to have to move A LOT of air down that frame to create the lift he needs and spin that outer hull fast enough to be stable. I don't know how comfortable I'd feel sitting on top of a home-made turbine generating that much force.

Edited by Calibeliever
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The theory for disk shape craft is sound. I think his idea of spinning the outer disk to provide stability is inpired. But one of the biggest problems he'll face is engine weight to thrust ratio. He's going to have to move A LOT of air down that frame to create the lift he needs and spin that outer hull fast enough to be stable. I don't know how comfortable I'd feel sitting on top of a home-made turbine generating that much force.

I'd be nervous operating it remotely much less being in it. It seems to me similar ideas have been tried or at least designed.

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Not much of an invention, surely using the same principle for flight that Rene Couzinet tried in the 1950s?

EDIT: See Couzinet RC360 Aerodyne - first read about this in an issue of RAF Flying Review dated from the late 50s

Edited by Oppono Astos
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Fifty years ago:

post-55116-0-70112600-1401223459_thumb.j

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Fifty years ago:

That's a great picture. I love stuff like that.

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Fifty years ago:

I can actually do better: 55 years ago. When i said it was tried by professionals I wasn't kidding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Canada_VZ-9_Avrocar

The conclusion;

It is known so far that the disk flying shape is unstable and not capable of reaching higher speeds if ever flying. I bet some of the tests done 50 years ago has sparked the UFO enthusiasts imagination giving birth to a myth.

In my opinion 99.99% of all ufo sightings are earth in origins. However there is a genuine concern of 0.1% that is unexplained.

Edited by qxcontinuum
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Not much of an invention, surely using the same principle for flight that Rene Couzinet tried in the 1950s?

EDIT: See Couzinet RC360 Aerodyne - first read about this in an issue of RAF Flying Review dated from the late 50s

I was thinking the very same thing. I was discussing these vehicles with Admiral Rhubarb a while back. Same principal exactly isn't it?

It is zany and I absolutely love it, go Aussie. I hope it flies.

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I can actually do better: 55 years ago. When i said it was tried by professionals I wasn't kidding.

http://en.wikipedia....da_VZ-9_Avrocar

The conclusion;

It is known so far that the disk flying shape is unstable and not capable of reaching higher speeds if ever flying. I bet some of the tests done 50 years ago has sparked the UFO enthusiasts imagination giving birth to a myth.

In my opinion 99.99% of all ufo sightings are earth in origins. However there is a genuine concern of 0.1% that is unexplained.

Entirely different concept, the one Oppono Astos mentioned is the principal he is using. It never flew at all due to budget constraints.

couzinet_03.jpg

The photograp above, taken during an engine-running test, show the Aerodyne as it will look just before verticale take-off - with its contra-rotating vanes merging into a blur.

From the OP Link:

Mr Phillips, an 86-year-old retired engineer, admitted yesterday the engine needed "a bit" of an upgrade to get his aircraft off the ground, but he said that a scale model (which sadly crashed into the hangar soon after its maiden takeoff) proved the concept could work.

Edited by psyche101
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It won't fly. Has been tried before by professionals.

I guess the Wright Bros were told the same thing.
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Fifty years ago:

Looks like the Jupiter II
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That's a great picture. I love stuff like that.

Then you should look into this Russian one then :lol:

http://www.ekip-aviation-concern.com/eng-b/1.shtml

3.1.jpg

[media=]

[/media] Edited by seeder
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I can actually do better: 55 years ago. When i said it was tried by professionals I wasn't kidding.

http://en.wikipedia....da_VZ-9_Avrocar

The conclusion;

It is known so far that the disk flying shape is unstable and not capable of reaching higher speeds if ever flying. I bet some of the tests done 50 years ago has sparked the UFO enthusiasts imagination giving birth to a myth.

In my opinion 99.99% of all ufo sightings are earth in origins. However there is a genuine concern of 0.1% that is unexplained.

The Avro Car was an ambitious project but it failed to meet expectations of speed and altitude. It had way too many practical problem that I doubt even today would make much sense to solve. The design was supposed to evolve into a high-altitude fighter but stability and thrust issues made the USAF look at more conventional designs. In the end, it was never much more than a hovering ground vehicle.

The USAF seldom if ever works with ideas from a only one design team. There may well have been other disc designs from other builders.

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