This real-life 'flying saucer' actually works

[UM-Bot]

Engineers in Romania have invented a genuine disc-shaped flying machine that can move in any direction.

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/329558/this-real-life-flying-saucer-actually-works

[Seti42]

Yeah, the video doesn't show it using anything other than quad copter style propulsion.
I call BS on all its other claimed 'abilities'.

[Kaikou]

36 minutes ago, Seti42 said:

Yeah, the video doesn't show it using anything other than quad copter style propulsion.
I call BS on all its other claimed 'abilities'.

Exactly, Judging by the flight it just looks like a flying saucer shapped quadcopter.
Surely if you're going to make a video like this promoting your new product, you would show off all of these cool things it can do.

[moonman]

They probably need to build a full size one before they can test the supersonic capabilities. Can model jet engines even provide enough thrust to go supersonic? Not to mention control range once the thing starts going 400 mph.

Edited August 8, 2019 by moonman

[Golden Duck]

I'm sure I've seen this story on this site before.

[the13bats]

my saucer made in the 70s flys

[ChrLzs]

So it's a quadcopter in a half-shell.  With two main engines that can only drive it in one direction, and lateral thrusters that turn it quickly?  Woopdedoo.  I've gotta ask why they didn't just mount the main engines on a turntable (I bags that patent...).

Being a flying saucer shape does not, I repeat NOT make the craft particularly special in regard to sonic booms and hypersonic speeds.  To address the specific and VERY vague and unexplained claims - my comments in italics...

HIGH LIFT/DRAG RATIO -  How high and what axis/axes?  Why is this signifcant?

WIDE RANGE OF USEFUL INCIDENCE ANGLES (EVEN OVER 60 DEGREES) - Huh?  What the heck does that mean?

UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION OF AERODYNAMIC LOAD - Again, what does that mean?

NO STAGNATION POINT Say what?  Stagnation generally refers to the point at which fluid flow is zero, ie right at the surface of the wing/craft - so what does that mean / imply?

NO SHOCK WAVE ON THE SURFACE DURING THE TRANSONIC FLIGHT - You can't just make that claim - it almost certainly will have a shock wave to contend with.

NO SONIC BOOM - As above, Why/how does this craft avoid sonic boom, other than by staying under the speed of sound..?

LOW VIBRATIONS - Why lower than a conventional design?  I'd actually expect more problems in this area from a disc than a streamlined, wind-tunnel tested design.

LOW AERODYNAMIC NOISE - Why?

LOW HEATING - Again, how does it avoid leading edge effects?  And again, I'd expect it to be worse than a well-designed jet.

REDUCED DRAG IN THE TRANSONIC FLIGHT - Prove it.  Again, I'd expect it to be worse than a well-designed jet.

HIGH FUEL ECONOMY AT HIGH SPEEDS - Prove it.  Again, I'd expect it to be worse than a well-designed jet.

NO JUMP OF PITCHING MOMENT AND NO LIFT FLUCTUATIONS AT TRANSONIC SPEEDS - Word salad.

SMOOTH TRANSITION FROM SUBSONIC TO SUPERSONIC FLIGHT - Prove it

 

Yes, I'm a parade-rainer-upon.  As this seems to be all part of attracting investors, my spider senses are tingling.  Hey, they should ring Tom DeLonge!!! 

[the13bats]

delonge is broke from what i hear

[stereologist]

I modern jet has swept back wings for supersonic speed. This shape should increase drag since it cannot address that issue.

Here is info on the Concorde and how it dealt with travel at supersonic speeds.

https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/concorde3.htm

Here is an issue that is not addressed in the saucer design.

Quote

The heat encountered by the Concorde caused the airframe to expand 7 inches (17.8 cm) in flight. To minimize the stress on the aircraft, the Concorde was made of a special aluminum alloy (AU2GN) that was lightweight and more heat-tolerant than titanium.

 

[Timothy]

@ChrLzs & @stereologist, we need to be given proof of concept.

This is more like an initial patent. 

A lot left lacking

Electric-cars were never seriously thought to contend with naturally aspirated powerful engines, but they have. However there’s a lot of extra unknown tech needed to satisfy our curiosity of this ‘flying saucer’. 

Maybe ‘storm Area 51’ will get it (I’M JOKING!!!!!!!). FFS I hope no idiots actually go through with it. Apparently hotels are booked out...

[stereologist]

37 minutes ago, Timothy said:

@ChrLzs & @stereologist, we need to be given proof of concept.

This is more like an initial patent. 

A lot left lacking

Electric-cars were never seriously thought to contend with naturally aspirated powerful engines, but they have. However there’s a lot of extra unknown tech needed to satisfy our curiosity of this ‘flying saucer’. 

Maybe ‘storm Area 51’ will get it (I’M JOKING!!!!!!!). FFS I hope no idiots actually go through with it. Apparently hotels are booked out...

It should be of interest to note that electric cars were common early in the development of cars.

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/223/electric-car-timeline.html

Quote

The electric automobile is in its heyday. Of the 4,192 cars produced in the United States 28 percent are powered by electricity, and electric autos represent about one-third of all cars found on the roads of New York City, Boston, and Chicago.

 

[Timothy]

18 minutes ago, stereologist said:

It should be of interest to note that electric cars were common early in the development of cars.

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/223/electric-car-timeline.html

 

They were, but only recently viable and amazing performance!

[Timothy]

@stereologist, if you win the lotto, please pay for twin turbo for my car, so it’s a bit of a sleeper. Or buy me a Nissan GTR Nismo 2020.

That’ll keep me satisfied for a bit! Haha! I’m an idiot, I know!

[Jon the frog]

My son have a 30$ airhog millennium falcon doing the same moves than the drone flying on this video...

Edited August 10, 2019 by Jon the frog

[highdesert50]

Reminiscent of the 1950s Avro Canada VZ-9 that the military abandoned around 1960.

[Free99]

They put allot a BS into a video that only shows a small drone in the shape of a saucer. This technology is nothing new. Build it to full scale and then prove all of the BS. My guess would be if it did anything it would be refueling every mile or two.

[ChrLzs]

As a slightly flippant, but entirely valid, aside - the saucer shape is great for frisbees, plates and hubcaps, as the spin gives them some gyroscopic stability and at lowish speeds their shape gives them some lift (but not much..).

Amusingly, that's pretty much why frisbees, plates and hubcaps were the weapons of choice for the hoaxsters of the past.

Oh, except Antonio Urzi, who was such a cheapskate he used buttons on top of glass..

 

Once you have a powered craft, get to higher speeds and want to put in a pilot and weapon systems - as they realised in the 50's & 60's - the saucer shape is horribly flawed, inefficient and difficult to control.

 

[truthseeker68]

Basically an average Drone copter with a pretty shell around it to make it look like a UFO....pathetic really.

[Aye_Yer_Ma]

So.....it's a drone with an 'aerodynamic' shell...wow

[brian100]

Very nice! So humans invent the UFO, go out into space with it, and come back a monster forever banned by humanity based on the ugliness. They get so advanced that they have to clone themselves and turn into child sized aliens.  They never really forgot where home was but now miss it.