A while back, there was a fellow who made long tubes of black plastic. Once filled with air and put in the sun, the heated air inside created a good deal of lift, enough so that he had to tie them down to keep them from flying away. His main issue was gluing the plastic together. He found the best method to use the double-sided tape that comes in devices like the ones that you apply white-out tape over typing errors. I bought some to play with, and it sticks very well. It is so thin that I thought it wasn't working the first time I used it.
@@adrianinvents I dug around in my shop and found it. It is called Telexsun glue tape. It comes in a device with 10m of 8mm wide glue tape. I got it on Amazon, I hope that helps.
do a chem reaction rocket in the bottle for the rocket, just think of the old style fire extinguishers that inverted to work leave your money on the fridge
I remember V shaped logging balloons used in the 1970s that worked on a similar principle. My first though was how this glider would work if the "Cones" were inflated with Helium.
@@roypounds7704 Logging balloons? I've never heard of this. My neighbor just threw away helium balloons, so I might transfer the helium over to the wing. The wing may still be too heavy.
@@adrianinvents Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding any images of the V shaped logging balloons used in the 1970s up in the Oregon and Washington areas. The practice is still going on using more "Standard" looking, globular balloons.
@@roypounds7704 I found one picture, if you search on Google for "From aerologger to balloondoggle" there is a pic of it. Very cool! Thank you for the knowledge.
@@BiglyWeenis Airships are definitely one of my other loves. Maybe I'll do a video about some of my airship ideas. Good to know there are like minds out there.
@@adrianinvents I'd definitely watch that! There aren't many airship vids and even fewer hybrid ones. I haven't tried to build one yet since I want to put together a hydrogen generator first.
A very cool inflatable aircraft is the solarship. Its inflated with helium, enough to make it lmsemi lifting but still heavier than air. (Avoiding all the complexities of a bouyant lighter than air craft) then its covered in solar panel and has an electric engine. Cannland on a ver short strip! So they can fly to places that its not possible to truck fuel to!
Very inspiring. The main disadvantage is off course that it is difficult to get precise control of the shapes (such as un-creasing the foil in this case) but I am totally convinced non rigid aeroelastic constructions are the future.
@@adrianinvents Flexible control surfaces will already be a big breakthrough. And they have been built. Ever heard of NASA’s MAW (Mission Adaptive Wing) project? Since then composite technology has been developed even much further. So the knowledge exists! 😀
You may be able to tape strips of cloth or paper across the insides to provide tension between upper and lower surfaces; paper/cloth is permeable to air so it doesnt interfere with inflation and long strips are a lot easier to assemble than strings.
@@adrianinvents also, the reason you have not observed anyone prototyping with inflated aluminum foil is because most people generally just use foam board folded over itself and then taped/hot glued to create a KF airfoil. Such foam boards are commonly available in craft stores for use as posters, billboards, or backing for artwork/prints.
@@adrianinvents More things! 1) Make it out of sheet metal and make it BIG. 2) Fill it with hydrogen. 3) Cover in solar panels and put some electric fans on it. 4) Roll it into a burrito, then inflate it to deploy.
@@mikegrace8814 I want to see the rolled version. I'm going to need more patrons if I'm going to make it big or afford hydrogen/helium. It would be so cool to fly around Miami in this thing.
This is so amazing! You have so much dedication, it’s so wow. Good job mate. I love this concept and you made it work. I’m just so impressed. Man keep it up, I wanna see what other innovations you’ll come up with!
Impressive. I'm thinking maybe use silicone rubber, make 2 flat sheets, glue the edges together (leaving a hole for air intake) then inflate. I make my own silicone sheets for doing resin crafting on and i can make them 0.5mm thick but i'm sure they could be made even thinner, and all you need is a flat surface and a perimeter to hold the shape while it cures. It wouldn't be as light as alumium but may be light enough if thin enough ? And it'd be a much smoother surface so aerodynamically superior in that regard. Liked and subbed :)
This is a great concept I have often pondered. (Think portable mylar or plastic structure) @2:36. You state it is balanced, and I am sure you can get to a balanced plane... However what you launched was still a bit tail-heavy as evident by the porpoising. Keep at it!
The design of your wing creates far too much drag to fly any real distance, with that inflatable section at the leading edge. The choice of foil looks like the very uneven skin will produce excessive turbulence, increasing drag even more. IMO.
@@maxhugen You are correct. This wing was mainly meant to explore the aluminum foil construction technique as a prototyping tool. Long term this would not be the most efficient wing design.
@@adrianinvents I'd suggest using cheap rigid foam (eg Polystyrene), as it can easily be carved/shaped to your own design. Maybe look at NACA airfoil sections too. 😎
I wonder if there is some opportunity for using a coating on the inside of the airtight envelope which would become catalyzed by the gas used to inflate it. In other words, if you had a coating inside that became rigid when being exposed to say, oxygen, and it was "doped" onto that envelope in an anoxic environment and then inflated, exposing it to oxygen and quickly hardening, it could both inflate and rigidify the envelope. For example, let's say you were using paper with a waxed coating for the envelope (thus being at least nominally air-tight), and it was coated on the inside with cyanoacrylate (CA) glue. Pump air into it to inflate it, and (in theory) the CA glue would cure by exposure to air, and become rigid (probably not, but hopefully you get the principle I'm trying to describe). Just trying to think outside of the box about what might be able to form the shape you seek while _also_ providing it with durable structural integrity even if it loses its pressurization. Good luck to you!
@@bricology This is a great idea. From my experience with industrial knitting I know there is heat rigidified yarn. You knit it along with other materials and then expose it to heat after the shoe has been put on a form. And thus you get a semi-soft/semi-rigid material. I like this idea of doping rigidity in with a spray. Keep thinking out of the box! It's the best type of thinking.
I work with honeycomb so my brain went straight to that. Doesn't meet you design criteria though. Interesting puzzle. I'm not satisfied with the airfoil you ended up with. I also don't have a better solution. Yeah, this is going to bug me for a while. How big does it have to be to lift the weight of the foil is a big piece of the puzzle.Hmmmmm.
@@adrianinvents Planes get most of their lift from angle of attack. You can take a flat sheet and angle it slightly. As you move it forwards, you get lift from air being forced under it. Too much angle and it stalls, too little and there's little or no lift. Airfoil is more of an efficiency tweak - it's not essential, it just gives you a bit more lift for the same amount of power. For the soda bottle rocket, add some water. It gives more thrust as the mass of the water is ejected (F=m.a) and helps regulate the flow of air a little, by providing a partial obstruction, like a valve. It still tends to be a brief burst of thrust though, so I'd expect the inflatable wing to fold. I used to make water rockets with a very similar design to the one you showed, when I was a teenager - with the tyre valve in the nose to pump the air in. Anything up to 1/3 water tends to work quite well, but it's a lot more weight than you might want. Any amount works better than none.
If you had bought a welder just for this it would gave been hell. Your first time welding should never be creating a water proof container of sheet metal.
wouldn't it have been better to invest some time learning a CAD tool that has aerospace modelling features? it would saved you a lot of time, effort, frustration and been more environmentally friendly.
@@PerriPaprikash I have done a lot of computer aided analysis for wings, but sometimes I enjoy making the physical things. I find they can give you some information that simulation can't. Though simulation gets better and better by the day.
Cool. Looks fun. But after all that effort, your video is really missing a shot of it flying more than 3 meters 😂... And, put that shot near the beginning, then repeat it once where relevant. Good luck.
A survival blanket, in French "une couverture de survie" instead of aluminium foil. This is what paramedics or firefighters use on people.
@@aceathor To my knowledge survival blankets are made of mylar. But I don't want my survival blanket to fly away. :)
The cool thing about foil or sheet metal here is that it docent have to be under pressure to maintain shape.
@@adrianinventsI don't want my aluminum foil to fly away but you built a plane.
@@mikegrace8814Little pressure is enough for a frame like that.
I had the same idea, so I may try this. After all survival blankets are cheap.
Sweet, thanks.
Love to see stuff made with cheap household materials. This was right up my alley.
@@AdamBechtol Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
A while back, there was a fellow who made long tubes of black plastic. Once filled with air and put in the sun, the heated air inside created a good deal of lift, enough so that he had to tie them down to keep them from flying away.
His main issue was gluing the plastic together. He found the best method to use the double-sided tape that comes in devices like the ones that you apply white-out tape over typing errors. I bought some to play with, and it sticks very well. It is so thin that I thought it wasn't working the first time I used it.
@@samTollefson I'll dig around for that tape. It sounds really convenient. And solar balloons are fantastic. I once made solar tetroons.
@@adrianinvents I dug around in my shop and found it. It is called Telexsun glue tape. It comes in a device with 10m of 8mm wide glue tape. I got it on Amazon, I hope that helps.
Nighthawkinlight channel
I like that your projects have catchy/anthropomorphic names. The personal touch. They're also attainable for the home hobbyist.
Thanks. The names are, in part, so that I can easily remember them.
idk why this popped up in my recommend. but this is super cool! keep it going❤
@@bombie5549 Thanks for the encouragement.
Great project to do if you’re science teacher or any other teacher in their class.
@@anitaperez3546 Thanks. That's a great point. I hope someone tries this in the classroom.
do a chem reaction rocket in the bottle for the rocket, just think of the old style fire extinguishers that inverted to work
leave your money on the fridge
I might do an alcohol vapor jet. We shall see.
I remember V shaped logging balloons used in the 1970s that worked on a similar principle. My first though was how this glider would work if the "Cones" were inflated with Helium.
@@roypounds7704 Logging balloons? I've never heard of this. My neighbor just threw away helium balloons, so I might transfer the helium over to the wing. The wing may still be too heavy.
@@adrianinvents Unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding any images of the V shaped logging balloons used in the 1970s up in the Oregon and Washington areas. The practice is still going on using more "Standard" looking, globular balloons.
@@roypounds7704 I found one picture, if you search on Google for "From aerologger to balloondoggle" there is a pic of it. Very cool! Thank you for the knowledge.
This phrase came to me in a dream while I was working on my own diy project.
Matter's matters matter.
I hope you find this helpful.
Cool project can’t wait to see the next video on it. Big fan of flying wings.
@@MichaelMcFearin Thanks for the encouragement :)
Brilliant, great idea and great presentation.
@@milolouis Thank you so much.
Kites for kite surfing and foiling have inflatable leading edges these days too.
@@myperspective5091 There was a similar comment earlier. I really have to check out kite surfing.
Fantastic stuff!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks.
Interesting people in this world and you sir are one of them. Cool
@@dougg1075 thanks :)
Inflatable paddle boards and floorboards for RIB boats are two current examples of the interior strand structures.
@@olsonspeed I wish RIB boats were cheaper.
Cool idea
Thank you :)
It might be worth considering heat sealing mylar/plastic rather than using aluminum foil? I daydream about building a hybrid airship in that style
@@BiglyWeenis Airships are definitely one of my other loves. Maybe I'll do a video about some of my airship ideas. Good to know there are like minds out there.
@@adrianinvents I'd definitely watch that! There aren't many airship vids and even fewer hybrid ones. I haven't tried to build one yet since I want to put together a hydrogen generator first.
Congrats on making Hackaday!
Oh wow! Thanks.
In Thailand. This is going to be a nice scarecrow. We lose ~50% to birds. The light reflecting off this is going to mess them up.
Please make a video of the big aluminum scarecrow :)
fascinating little wing and an excellent video
@@markifi Thank you on both counts.
Love it! You are having too much fun :)
@@zeropain9319 Thank you. These have all been so much fun.
A very cool inflatable aircraft is the solarship. Its inflated with helium, enough to make it lmsemi lifting but still heavier than air. (Avoiding all the complexities of a bouyant lighter than air craft) then its covered in solar panel and has an electric engine. Cannland on a ver short strip! So they can fly to places that its not possible to truck fuel to!
@@dominictarrsailing I would love to see that happen. And to see how it compares to a bushplane.
@@adrianinvents it's like a bushplane if it was a truck! it's not clear if they are still in business but their channel is still up @SolarShipMedia
Nice! Good work!
@@butterflyfpv Thank you so much. I am glad you liked it.
Very inspiring. The main disadvantage is off course that it is difficult to get precise control of the shapes (such as un-creasing the foil in this case) but I am totally convinced non rigid aeroelastic constructions are the future.
@@marcbrasse747 Thank you. Non rigid elastic wings would be great to see at full scale.
@@adrianinvents Flexible control surfaces will already be a big breakthrough. And they have been built. Ever heard of NASA’s MAW (Mission Adaptive Wing) project? Since then composite technology has been developed even much further. So the knowledge exists! 😀
Love it my friend! Oh! I have so many ideas for this kind of stuff! Can't wait to see more of your creations!
@@averagefpv9449Thank you. Like what? If you ever make videos of foil structures, I would love to see your creations too.
Hundreds of them create a great radar pattern in confusing air defense systems
@@claudesilverio677 Good idea. Might be expensive compared to modern chaff?
You may be able to tape strips of cloth or paper across the insides to provide tension between upper and lower surfaces; paper/cloth is permeable to air so it doesnt interfere with inflation and long strips are a lot easier to assemble than strings.
@@PixlRainbow You are right. That is definitely the way to control the shape the best.
@@adrianinvents also, the reason you have not observed anyone prototyping with inflated aluminum foil is because most people generally just use foam board folded over itself and then taped/hot glued to create a KF airfoil. Such foam boards are commonly available in craft stores for use as posters, billboards, or backing for artwork/prints.
the nice thing about using aluminum, if the plane don't work, you can use the aluminum to wrap up left over dinner.
@@spankyharland9845 I did that. I should have put that in as a joke!
Very interesting stuff
@@whitejtw Thank you. Much appreciated.
Oh my god! Its the thing!
@@mikegrace8814 You helped bring this to fruition :)
@@adrianinvents More things! 1) Make it out of sheet metal and make it BIG. 2) Fill it with hydrogen. 3) Cover in solar panels and put some electric fans on it. 4) Roll it into a burrito, then inflate it to deploy.
@@mikegrace8814 I want to see the rolled version. I'm going to need more patrons if I'm going to make it big or afford hydrogen/helium. It would be so cool to fly around Miami in this thing.
@@adrianinvents hydrogen is dirt cheap. You can make it yourself I have complete confidence!
@@natosaichek Thanks. :)
This is so amazing! You have so much dedication, it’s so wow. Good job mate. I love this concept and you made it work. I’m just so impressed. Man keep it up, I wanna see what other innovations you’ll come up with!
@@_BL4CKB1RD_ I plan on a lot more. Thank you for the encouragement.
No idea what else you do but subbing because I found this interesting.
@@Alan_Hans__ Thanks for the sub.
I would expect that you could use parafoil/paraglider patterns to help you design flying wings.
@@RichardBetel Maybe for a future version.
Impressive. I'm thinking maybe use silicone rubber, make 2 flat sheets, glue the edges together (leaving a hole for air intake) then inflate. I make my own silicone sheets for doing resin crafting on and i can make them 0.5mm thick but i'm sure they could be made even thinner, and all you need is a flat surface and a perimeter to hold the shape while it cures. It wouldn't be as light as alumium but may be light enough if thin enough ? And it'd be a much smoother surface so aerodynamically superior in that regard. Liked and subbed :)
Nice Video and thanks for the message at the end 😄
Aw thanks. :)
This is a great concept I have often pondered. (Think portable mylar or plastic structure)
@2:36. You state it is balanced, and I am sure you can get to a balanced plane... However what you launched was still a bit tail-heavy as evident by the porpoising. Keep at it!
@@matthewallen3375 I will move the center of gravity even further up. Thanks for the advice.
The design of your wing creates far too much drag to fly any real distance, with that inflatable section at the leading edge. The choice of foil looks like the very uneven skin will produce excessive turbulence, increasing drag even more. IMO.
@@maxhugen You are correct. This wing was mainly meant to explore the aluminum foil construction technique as a prototyping tool. Long term this would not be the most efficient wing design.
@@adrianinvents I'd suggest using cheap rigid foam (eg Polystyrene), as it can easily be carved/shaped to your own design. Maybe look at NACA airfoil sections too. 😎
Sweet🤘🏼..look up ripstop by the roll and ask Kyle for some and DCF and some PSA for seaming … super low strain should keep things straight and light
@@scooterdon8365 Thanks for the recommendation.
Mylar heat sealer. What kind of glue?
@@metalbotron For this aluminum foil I just used double sided tape. For mylar I would just heat bond.
that is so cool.... the mylar version would be awesome
@@toamaori Thank you. Maybe in version 2. :)
Why not weld or glue it together, instead of double-stick tape?
I thought of using super glue and I might in the future, but I ran out of time when getting the video out.
I wonder if there is some opportunity for using a coating on the inside of the airtight envelope which would become catalyzed by the gas used to inflate it. In other words, if you had a coating inside that became rigid when being exposed to say, oxygen, and it was "doped" onto that envelope in an anoxic environment and then inflated, exposing it to oxygen and quickly hardening, it could both inflate and rigidify the envelope.
For example, let's say you were using paper with a waxed coating for the envelope (thus being at least nominally air-tight), and it was coated on the inside with cyanoacrylate (CA) glue. Pump air into it to inflate it, and (in theory) the CA glue would cure by exposure to air, and become rigid (probably not, but hopefully you get the principle I'm trying to describe).
Just trying to think outside of the box about what might be able to form the shape you seek while _also_ providing it with durable structural integrity even if it loses its pressurization.
Good luck to you!
@@bricology This is a great idea. From my experience with industrial knitting I know there is heat rigidified yarn. You knit it along with other materials and then expose it to heat after the shoe has been put on a form. And thus you get a semi-soft/semi-rigid material. I like this idea of doping rigidity in with a spray. Keep thinking out of the box! It's the best type of thinking.
Unconventional, on really large scales explosion forming could also work (~10 meters). Keep it up man!!!
Explosion forming would be so cool! Thanks for the encouragement. It means a lot.
That's the future. The time isnt right now though.
Mylar and a hot knife!
@@ollierobin One day soon. :)
Looks a lot like an inflatable wind-surfing wing sail.
@@tench745 I don't know much about those. Are they inflated ahead of time? Or are they pushed open by the wind?
@@adrianinvents I have only seen them in passing. I believe they are inflated ahead of time. Maybe worth a gander.
@@tench745 I will check these out. Thank you. :)
Do a circle?
@@collierweiner4794 I didn't put it in the video, but I did do a kinda circular pillow. Do you mean a full disc, or like a donut?
And Ali foil messes up the local airport radar 😄
helium balloon with shape. it just floats. optionally. two foils and spot welding. solar winged blimp.
@@gsestream I would love to fill one with helium at some point.
@@adrianinvents shaped party balloon diy at home
Takes a lot of patience to build out of aluminum foil.
interesting experiement; the channel "Tom Stanton" has some pressurized plastic bottle driven aircraft experiements
@@someguydino6770 He has so many cool projects. Thanks for the recommendation.
This glider does not appear to glide (well).
@@my_dear_friend_ I'm okay with poor gliding because I really wanted to test how far I could push aluminum foil structures.
@@adrianinvents - Ah, that makes sense. Looking forward to the model that glides!
I work with honeycomb so my brain went straight to that. Doesn't meet you design criteria though. Interesting puzzle. I'm not satisfied with the airfoil you ended up with. I also don't have a better solution. Yeah, this is going to bug me for a while. How big does it have to be to lift the weight of the foil is a big piece of the puzzle.Hmmmmm.
@@Rembrant65 I'm not satisfied with the airfoil either. The plane ended up being 16 grams. And the foil sheet started at a meter across.
@@adrianinvents Planes get most of their lift from angle of attack. You can take a flat sheet and angle it slightly. As you move it forwards, you get lift from air being forced under it. Too much angle and it stalls, too little and there's little or no lift. Airfoil is more of an efficiency tweak - it's not essential, it just gives you a bit more lift for the same amount of power.
For the soda bottle rocket, add some water. It gives more thrust as the mass of the water is ejected (F=m.a) and helps regulate the flow of air a little, by providing a partial obstruction, like a valve. It still tends to be a brief burst of thrust though, so I'd expect the inflatable wing to fold. I used to make water rockets with a very similar design to the one you showed, when I was a teenager - with the tyre valve in the nose to pump the air in. Anything up to 1/3 water tends to work quite well, but it's a lot more weight than you might want. Any amount works better than none.
@@TooSlowTube I wouldn't have guessed 1/3 water. Seems like a lot. Thanks for the advice. My other thought was to use a small amount of alcohol vapor.
Shouldn't it be called Aluma?
Aluma is what her mom calls her when she's angry. Luma is the name she prefers.
If you had bought a welder just for this it would gave been hell. Your first time welding should never be creating a water proof container of sheet metal.
@@NobodiesBusinessimo I'll take try to make my welding buy be for a more moderate project. :)
😮😮
Fire pineapple shirt.
@@AFMR0420 Aw thanks.
wouldn't it have been better to invest some time learning a CAD tool that has aerospace modelling features? it would saved you a lot of time, effort, frustration and been more environmentally friendly.
@@PerriPaprikash I have done a lot of computer aided analysis for wings, but sometimes I enjoy making the physical things. I find they can give you some information that simulation can't. Though simulation gets better and better by the day.
Subbed,
@@ptonpc Thank you for the sub. I hope future videos earn your sub. :)
Cool. Looks fun. But after all that effort, your video is really missing a shot of it flying more than 3 meters 😂... And, put that shot near the beginning, then repeat it once where relevant. Good luck.
@@xamishia That would have made it better for sure.
waiting for jet power on that...
Zoom zoom
Goodyear inflate o plane !
@@redtandem8483 Such a cool plane.
Look at inflatable kitesurfing riggs. The engineering prob is solved
@@808bigisland I'll definitely check it out. The less work I have to do, the more I can focus on other parts of the engineering.
Come on, fill it with hydrogen.
@@Deontjie Boom boom boom :)
@@adrianinvents Thousands of primary school boys did it at home, mostly without any consequences.
This guy found an old kids science experiment book and he is suddenly an inventor because he combined three of the activities
I think he's doing a great job of making quality content as far as this video goes
Annoying music is not necessary.
@@chuckcts-v3460 I find that some people like the music. Maybe at half its current volume?