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Ewan McGreggor's flying motorcycle?

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 8:08 pm
by Ames
Don't know much about this movie, but the flying motorcycle in the preview looks pretty damn cool! Gotta love that German engineering! :lol: http://www.dreamworks.com/trailers/isla ... qt_480.mov

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 9:17 pm
by DerGolgo
From the few frames showing the bike, the design doesn't really make that much sense......the "wings" are obviously control surfaces, mounted to far from the center of gravity to be stable and likely much too small to provide any lift......there are what appear to be additional thrusters to the left and right of the main engine, but these do not aim downwards as they should to provide lift.
Anyway, if one were so inclined, one could probably construct a smaller version of the Rolls Royce Pegasus engine to propel such a craft.
Image
However, due to the increased need for low-lever flight manouverability, the vectored thrusters would need to be designed so as to be mobile around two rather than just one axis. Also, to increase manouverability further, a fifth thruster should be added and dedicated exclusively to forward motion. This way, the response time of the four vertical thrusters, which would also provide roll, yaw, etc. control, as in how long the thrusters take to change the direction of thrust, could be minimzed. That would certainly come in a might handy for flying through those skyscraper canyons. Essentially, the technology exists, even the control surfaces wouldn't really be necessary, research for VTOL space carrier systems already provides the groundwork to make do without them. The major problem would be that such a device would not only open up entirely new fields of dangerous accidents and be cheifly involved in the decimation of the Northern American Redwood, it would definitely drink like a Swedish tourist at the Oktoberfest, thus coming with a severly limited range.
But still, damn, it would be just so fucking cool......

The film's premise does seriously remind me of one episode of Outer Limits, not to mention the Matrix, but it surely looks like it has the potential to be a whole lot better.

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 10:09 pm
by Ames
Having worked on a flight deck with Harrier B Jumpjets I can attest to the deafening amount of noise those engines put out just landing (hovering is a whole other range of "WHAT???") so I can imagine that these "bikes" would become environmental hazards bases on that alone.

Doesn't really deter me from wanting one though. :mrgreen: