We all know that manpower hydrofoils can fly over calm water. here
So is the manpower aircraft in the link below feasible?
I think this kind of manned aircraft is feasible, as long as the area and lift center are well controlled.
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1$\begingroup$ Can you add more information to your question? Please don't just post links for others to follow; add images or more descriptive text to your question so that all needed information is here in one place. $\endgroup$– hazzey ♦Commented Mar 27, 2019 at 12:32
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$\begingroup$ @hazzey I'm thinking of adding some information. $\endgroup$– enbinCommented Mar 27, 2019 at 22:38
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$\begingroup$ Don't waste your time adding more information. There is no reason to think about a manpowered aicraft. They work but are pretty much useless. They are just like any other unpowered aircraft but just with a tiny amount of extra power ... $\endgroup$– Daniel H.Commented Mar 28, 2019 at 15:36
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$\begingroup$ @DanielH. So why are people still studying paper airplanes? $\endgroup$– enbinCommented Mar 28, 2019 at 18:25
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$\begingroup$ @enbin zhang people are still trying to build perpetual motion machines even though it's nonsense. Just build that thing and reinvent the wheel. $\endgroup$– Daniel H.Commented Mar 29, 2019 at 11:00
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2 Answers
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The video shows a human bean on a hydrofoil wake board or small surfboard using inertia to propel the board and passenger forward. The mass of the board is small compared to the human and the viscosity of the water is high compared to that of air. The foils are substantially smaller in proportion to those of an aircraft.
The aircraft mass will be substantially greater than the human if it is capable of flight with such a payload.
Consider also the plight of the wind-up flying toy bird. It's much lighter than a person and has a greater power-to-weight ratio (rubber band versus muscle) than a person. It does fly, but only barely.
answered Mar 27, 2019 at 13:45
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$\begingroup$ "a human bean" - +1 for typo. I'm not sure whether surfers are wannabeans or hasbeans, though. $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 27, 2019 at 14:27
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2$\begingroup$ not a typo. I like the expression. $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 27, 2019 at 20:06
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$\begingroup$ @fred_dot_u ，This person also exerted force to push himself forward. $\endgroup$– enbinCommented Feb 29, 2020 at 8:14
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Unpowered heavier-than-air machines for human flight have been around for a long time.
Official endurance records for gliders (sailplanes) were abandoned long ago, since the only thing being measured was the ability of the pilot to stay awake and still be in a fit mental state to make a controlled landing at the end of the flight. The last official record, a flight of just over 71 hours (almost 3 days), was made over 60 years ago.
Just throw away the "surfboard," and redesign the rest of the structure to make it more aerodynamic!
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$\begingroup$ This aircraft is not powerless, but powered by human power. $\endgroup$– enbinCommented Mar 28, 2019 at 1:16