Flying Animals, Airliners, and Other Indoor Ultralights

[Alpha]

This is why I need a huge hangar... so I could fly these things in it all day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTIqV1AloOI

I can't imagine they do very well in an outdoor environment in anything more than 1mph winds or less. Nevertheless I would still love to own at least one. Ultralights always captivate me. Do any of us here own RC dirigibles?

[Capt. Crunch]

That's pretty crazy. How are the dolphins propelled?

[Alpha]

Scratch that, these can be flown outdoors if conditions are right. As in, dead calm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ybKE0kSI9Q

Capt. Crunch, I'm uncertain how the dolphins are propelled. At first I wondered if it was a shifting CG on a moving pulley system, but then I saw at one point the model climb too quickly from a near stop. This indicated there is some sort of propulsion going on. If the video's music was left out, we could listen for an EDF or prop. I'll have to zoom in to see if a prop in on the fluke (?). In any case, it's neat engineering.

[OV10]

This is why I need a huge hangar... so I could fly these things in it all day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTIqV1AloOI

Do any of us here own RC dirigibles?

I don't but one of my club members who is also one of the founding fathers of our 60+ year old club flies his RC dirigible during some of our local AHL hockey events with promo info lit up on it's sides.

[farmflyer]

If you look close on the bottom of the dolphins there is a small opening or flap. That may be where the propulsion comes from.

[xviper]

The way the Ray flies is obvious (wing flap and tail movement). The dolphins are slightly different. If you look very closely, you'll see a small propeller in the nose. As for up and down, there is likely a small weight made of putty that is in a container inside at the CG. The container is on a slider which is controlled by a servo. Not sure how left/right is controlled. I have a shark of a similar concept. It's filled with helium and the putty weight just makes it buoyant. They also sell a "Nemo". These fish are propelled by the rear fin being moved left/right.

[Alpha]

Good eyes, gentlemen. Xviper2, I've seen the ones you're talking about. A clownfish (Nemo) and a shark. They use an external sliding weighted system.

[xviper]

Yes, that's what it had. I still have my shark and my daughter got Nemo. The novelty wears off pretty quickly. You need a big space with no air currents. I flew mine in a huge atrium of a seniors home and the roof was 3 stories high with fans hanging from the ceiling. Even the wind currents off those fans played havoc with the shark. Also, once the little party tank of helium runs out, I didn't feel like going to the effort of getting another one. It was a great concept and I'll bet they sold a whack of them in the beginning but like most novelties, interest subsides.
I really enjoy the novelty airplanes. I had the HobbyKing Pterodactyl ornithopter, a foamboard Pterosaur, a balsa Pterodactyl twin engine, the flying girl and man and the Mad Bird.

[StormyDog1962]

We sold a Ton of those at Hobbytown USA for about 2 years then the novelty wore off and the cost of buying Helium begins to become an issue. Very Cool and Innovative though.