[HN Gopher] One-Man Amphibious 'Copter' [video] (1955)
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One-Man Amphibious 'Copter' [video] (1955)
Author : killittosaveit
Score : 43 points
Date : 2022-01-31 15:56 UTC (2 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.youtube.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.youtube.com)
| bigodbiel wrote:
| The dream is definitely alive, as per this recent viral video
|
| https://youtu.be/Pv5JQnmD1Yk
|
| Apparently it's from the inventor himself, with more info.
| dang wrote:
| Can anybody figure out the year?
| tantalor wrote:
| 1954
| dang wrote:
| How do you know that?
| pvg wrote:
| Wikipedia has the first tethered test flight in late '54.
| It didn't fly untethered until 55, in 56 the US Army took
| over testing but this vehicle has no Army markings and is
| untethered. 1955 seems fairly likely.
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Lackner_HZ-1_Aerocycle#Tes
| t...
| thangalin wrote:
| The DH-4 was made in 1954, followed by the HZ-1 in 1956.
| The video shows N64N in the video, but the N64N-1 didn't
| have water applications.
|
| Sources:
|
| https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1140732
|
| > It is the only surviving HZ-1. The prototype, designated
| DH-4 ...
|
| https://transportation.army.mil/museum/coldwar/index.html
|
| > The HZ-1 was tested at Fort Eustis in 1956.
|
| https://archive.org/stream/ArmedForcesFilms1956/ArmedForces
| F...
|
| > IESM-543 . Released July 1956 ... The Aerocycle is an
| experimental one man flying machine.
|
| http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/lockner_helicovecto
| r...
|
| > DH-4 first flew in January 1955.
|
| https://asc.army.mil/docs/magazine2/armyalt-oct-dec-15.pdf
|
| > In 1954, he proposed that if the rotors of a helicopter
| were on the bottom, a pilot could use his own weight to
| steer the vehicle using kinesthetic control, similar to
| riding a bicycle.
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Lackner_HZ-1_Aerocycle
|
| > First flight 22 November 1954
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyBHM1vZLzc
|
| > The De Lackner DH-4 "Aerocycle", later renamed the HZ-1
| Aerocycle
| [deleted]
| monkeycantype wrote:
| A friend of mine (miles van dorssen) built one of these and flew
| it in the park. I'd possibly been a little dubious until he found
| the old 80s handicam he filmed on, and I got to watch the tape
| through the viewfinder. In that tiny window I saw miles in a bike
| helmet hovering two feet in the on a violently shaking lawnmower
| quadcopter. I don't know how google able miles is but he builds
| great things
| hindsightbias wrote:
| Hiller VZ-1, see it at the San Carlos Airport:
|
| https://www.hiller.org/event/flying-platform/
| mdturnerphys wrote:
| Oh, wow, that brings back some nostalgia. There's a picture of
| this in one of Richard Scarry's non-Busytown books that I had as
| a child.
| echelon wrote:
| Imagine losing your balance and falling off.
|
| With guard rails and fully enclosed rotor blades, it might've
| worked. I can't think of anywhere to deploy it where it would
| have advantages over other modes of transportation. Desert,
| coastlines, ... but then what for? Landmine detection? It's also
| really loud, so no public or residential deployment.
|
| And even if it had been hardened and dummy proofed, disruption of
| the blades would not have had many safe failure modes.
| jcun4128 wrote:
| Sensor that detects something about hit the rotors, detaches
| the blades via explosive bolts, takes out not one person but
| more.
| echelon wrote:
| The world doesn't deserve such a marvel of engineering.
| marginalia_nu wrote:
| > Imagine losing your balance and falling off.
|
| He seems to be fastened both at the feet and at the hip with
| some sort of wire, so I don't think he actually can fall off.
| But still.
| berkes wrote:
| > Imagine losing your balance and falling off.
|
| Or a sudden dog running across the field. Or checking your
| insta-feed and overlooking that group at the wedding crossing
| the park.
| interroboink wrote:
| More information here:
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Lackner_HZ-1_Aerocycle
|
| Originally developed by the US Army for reconnaissance.
| mrow84 wrote:
| From the "see also" on that page, this looks pretty incredible
| (to my untrained eye):
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williams_X-Jet
| cdiamand wrote:
| My palms are sweating after watching that. Risk incarnate.
|
| That being said, I wish modern news and video had more of the
| magic from this time period when it comes to composition. Love
| the music and the narrative voice.
| KentGeek wrote:
| The music was originally created for the Paramount Superman
| cartoons of the 40s. https://youtu.be/_djxH-q0e48
| _joel wrote:
| I wonder why it never caught on?
| jcun4128 wrote:
| People like their legs
| dvh wrote:
| Do you want your neighbors to have flying cars?
| littlestymaar wrote:
| Such a flying "car"? Best way to have ground meat everywhere
| in your garden if said neighbor makes the smallest mistake...
| robofanatic wrote:
| I'd call it Flying Segway
| dangerboysteve wrote:
| That is the equivalent of flying a food processor.
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(page generated 2022-02-02 23:01 UTC)