Bring on the laser!

Since the crude little paper-loop version, I have taken huge strides forward. I thought it would be fun to show the very latest development with the design, that is, the Mykro-Skyaak. I have taken the manufacturing process to a very exciting level with this, as the components are created with a computer-assisted laser beam. Now that's what I call progress! Check out these cool pix:

I have always had unshakable faith in this family of ideas. I believe that everything will eventually fall into place and circumstances will allow the project to graduate to the NEXT LEVEL. That is, to be accepted and embraced as a very cool new configuration that is fun to build and fly, but challenging to master!

Later, Michael.

In the beginning...

Early Skyaak

One of the things I like most about the Skyaak project is its longevity. Ever since I was first shown a crude paper airplane that consisted simply of two rings of paper taped into loops with a drinking straw fastened to their inside base, and a bit of gum stuck in the front ( that all-important ballast) that looked basically like this...





... I was hooked. It was ‘love at first flight’. If I had only known what would evolve from this first exposure to the wonderful world of ring-wing flight, I would likely have run away screaming. Or not. It has been quite a creative adventure over the past 25 years or so. As you may have gathered by now, the idea has taken flight in my imagination, and has in fact become ‘my muse’. I derive a lot of personal satisfaction from developing the idea further and further. One of the most remarkable things about this whole thing, or so I am told, is the fundamental fact that I have persevered with this for so long without any visible means of support. It is just so easy to blurt out seemingly brilliant ideas in a flash of inspiration ( haven’t we all had those?) only to have the idea fizzle out to that Netherland of unrealized dreams.

On the other hand, it takes a certain spirit of ‘stick-to-itiveness’ to actually get off one’s cerebral butt to make meaningful advances with a pet idea. Especially when there is a substantial financial and time/energy investment at stake. A person has got to decide what their priorities are in their limited time on Earth. Not to sound overly philosophical, but in reality we all are given ONLY a certain amount of that precious gift of TIME. So, will we squander it or actually put it to use in the pursuit of personal happiness and a deep feeling of fulfilment? I think that is the big benefit of hobbies, obsessions and pastimes. As long as they’re reasonably wholesome and productive. But most important, ya gotta get a kick out of it. The bigger the better! Let me tell you, it has been a huge rush to see Skyaak slooooowly come to life over the years. I feel totally blessed that I have had the good fortune to be able to follow my dreams.

And that’s good enough for me.

ADVANCES:

Here is a little collection of working drawings that I put together in 2000, based on a 3-D model that I built:

The "Hoopskirt" Flyer

For a real eye-stopper, build ‘Hoopskirt’*
By Roy L. Clough, Jr.*

Flying barrels have been in the air since Bleriot, but this model proves they can still turn in a top performance...

* I found this article in an old project book...sorry can’t quote the name of the publication, it was from the late 60's I think. Michael.

TROT THIS MODEL out on the field at your next meet and watch the eyes bug. If anybody snickers, put ‘em in their place by reminding them that the annular wing is a very old aeronautical principle. Then launch your Hoopskirt. If the tradition hasn’t impressed them, its performance is certain to!
At least a half-dozen full-scale planes ( plus innumerable kites and gliders ) have been guilt on the "Flying Barrel" design. One of the initial aircraft made by Ellehammer - the first Dane to fly- took this form. Louis Bleriot, the daring Frenchman who was the first to fly the English Channel, perched one on floats and tried, with indifferent success, to get it off the water. The French are still at it; their latest attempt at an annular aircraft is a tail sitting jet.

One of the big advantages of this design is its propulsive efficiency. Efficiency in a flying system is highest when the velocity of the discharged air is almost as great as the forward speed of the plane. This means that it’s better to move a lot of air relatively slowly than a small amount at high speed. (It’s rather like matching impedances: the total resistance of an electric circuit to the flow of alternating current.) The annular wing with a propeller ahead of it functions as an effective aspirator to increase the amount of air thrust backward.

Such a wing has more lift than you might think. The closed-circuit of the airfoil eliminates wing-tip vortices. Theoretically, a hoop-wing plane shouldn’t have to bank in order to turn. This model does, however, because of the vertical stabilizing fin at the top of the wing. This was added to produce an affect comparable to dihedral.

The Hoopskirt is an extremely stable flying machine. It’ll teach you a lot about this off-beat configuration. Don’t let the circular wing scare you- it’s quite easy to build. Any cylinder with a diameter of about 10" ( a half inch either way won’t hurt) can serve as a mold for the two spars. I used a straight-sided cake pan. The spars can be of any light wood that bends easily when soaked in hot water. Bind these around the mold with a strip of rag. When dry, trim the ends in long, matching bevels to form the lap shown in the sketch, cement and bind with sewing thread.
You can trace the wing-rib pattern directly onto your balsa, stacking blanks to cut as many at once as you can manage. The slots in each end are 3/32 in. Wide and 1/4 in. Deep. The width should provide a snug fit over the spars. When these hoops are in their notches, their outer edges will protrude 1/16 in. For rounding off.

An easy way to space the ribs accurately is to set the spar-mold cylinder on a piece of cardboard and scribe around it to produce a circle the same diameter as the spars. Mark off sixteen rib positions by means of radius lines and assemble the wing vertically over this pattern.
Cover the frame one section at a time with light model-plane tissue. Sections into which the strut, fin or booms will pass can be left uncovered until assembly is completed- or you can cover the entire wing and then slit the paper of these sections when you install parts that must be cemented to the ribs. Water-shrink the paper; when dry, give it a coat of clear dope.

Careful alignment of all balsa parts pays off in good performance. Don’t diminish the strength of the rock-hard-balsa booms by sanding off the corners- leave them square.
The tail plane has a deeply-notched trailing edge, backed up with parallel pieces of soft wire cemented to the wood. These wires- which can be snipped from a paper clip-will hold any flight-adjustment bends you may give the two elevator sections after trial runs. An annular wing operates at zero incidence, so you’ll have to bend the elevators up two or three degrees to get an angle of attack for climb. Bending one elevator up more than the other makes the model turn in that direction. The rudders have no adjustments, and are simply cemented to the sides of the booms after the tail plane is in place.

The engine-pilot nacelle is given a coat of pigmented dope after the motor is fastened onto its plywood mount. The color scheme of the model shown is: red nacelle, rudders and fin: natural white wing, silver booms, strut and tail plane- a highly visible combination against a blue sky.
For best performance, be sure the model balances about 1 1/4 in. Ahead of the trailing edge of the wing. An easy way to balance the plane is to stick straight pins into both booms 1 1/4 in. Ahead of the trailing edges. Support the plane on these pins between two stacks of books, and add weight- in the form of bits of clay, small pieces of lead, etc.-to either the nose or the tail until the plane is suspended between the books in a level flight position.

Hand launch the model over tall grass until, by bending the elevators up a bit at a time, you get a flat glide. As a check on these adjustments try a flight with the motor running rich, then lean it out and watch your model zoom.

This is a free-flying model, and has not been adapted for control-line operation. It is a stable flyer, and when out of fuel, it will glide gracefully to a landing if you balanced it carefully.

If you’re flying it in a limited space, it’s a good idea to burn off some of the fuel before turning it loose, because the model travels at a good clip.

In any event, you’ll draw a good many curious glances- and perhaps a few snorts of derision- when you take Hoopskirt out for its first flight. Any snickers in your direction, though, will quickly change to whistles of admiration when onlookers see the stability of the "flying barrel", one of the earliest of all aircraft designs.

###

Shape Power

Is the Ring-Wing an anti-gravity machine?

As previously stated, my long-term goal with the Skyaak project is to demonstrate that the ring-wing design has little understood aerodynamic properties that may have certain advantages over the conventional airfoil. My friend Tony Sorenson, who is a self-professed weird-science nut, says that he thinks the Skyaak wing creates its own vortex as it flies, when spinning on its axis. He goes on to say that this vortex creates a low-pressure area inside the conical wings that provide a lift that is quite independent of the airfoil itself. Tony alluded to the mysterious ‘shape power’ of the ring-wing that creates an internal vortex, and goes on to say that the rapidly-spinning vortex inside a twister ( as in a tornado) has been demonstrated to affect the gravitational field. Apparently, the gravity inside the space where there is a rapidly spinning vortex has been shown to be reduced. I imagine that this may be the most notable property of the ring-wing design, if it is ever proven to be so. Much food for thought.

Shape Power

Tony read the book 'Shape Power' by Dan Davidson. The basic premise of the book is that certain shapes generate energy fields. This applies to two-dimensional shapes ( as in drawings) but even more so to three-dimensional shapes. The pyramid is a famous and well-documented example of this phenomenon. Drawing from this excellent source, he explained to me, "Aether is actually the energy of the universe, that is the same amount everywhere. It’s uniform. The existence of aether was commonly accepted by physicists in the nineteenth century. "

"The idea fell from favor in academic circles in the twentieth century when it was ‘dis-proven’ by the Michaelson-Morley experiment. Their experiment was flawed, yet the results won the support of their peers for a time. The ‘zero point energy’ (ZPE) field has become popularized in the past twenty years or so. In many ways it parallels the ‘aether theory’. Aether was believed to be an omnipresent energy field that occupies every square inch of the universe in equal density everywhere. It’s difficult to detect aether energy because of this universal continuity. There’s no differential, no vantage point from which to comprehend its presence."

"From the stand-point of physicists, atoms come out of nowhere. But they come out of the aether. E=Mc2. If you rework the equation to put the light on the other side, you slow down the speed of light. Basically, matter equals condensed light. If you slow light down, you get matter. If you speed matter up, you get light. Think of a nuclear explosion. That first blinding flash is pure white light."

He continued, "An Austrian scientist named Viktor Schauberger developed machines that accumulated aether energy and he was able to do interesting things like levitate huge chunks of steel, or make them much heavier! He knew how to manipulate gravity, among other things! Viktor discovered that when water or any other fluid is spun in a vortex, it tends to pick up an energy charge. Voltages up to 10,000 volts have been measured at the center of water that has been spinning in a vortex for several minutes. In a tornado, that is a natural vortex, huge electrostatic energy is created that has been calculated to be several millions of volts! By 1930, he had developed anti-gravity machines that could fly much faster and higher than any other known aircraft of the day. The key here is this: Viktor Schauberger developed FREE ENERGY DEVICES that achieved remarkably higher output power than input power ! You can imagine that the powers to be in the energy business were not that excited about the prospect of some Joe Blow coming up with a system to tap into FREE PERPETUAL ENERGY!"

" Viktor’ s invention was quietly bought up by big oil money and then a few months later he died a broken man. He discovered that when he forced fluids to move in a spiral pattern with special vortex guides he could cause the fluid to be charged with diamagnetism, or the aether. When he placed matter within this vortex of charged atoms, it would lose weight and levitate. This effect was the basic physical principle that caused his disc-shaped flying machines to achieve such amazing aerodynamic feats!"

Futuristic Skyaak Models

Futuristic Skyaak Models

Now that we have successfully illustrated with the Model 3 that the basic configuration has viable aerodynamic properties, it is only natural that we would carry on to develop the design into more sophisticated applications. I have discussed the engineering of a fully three-dimensional airfoil with Cam Tetrault, master model-maker, and he has speculated on how to create this tricky configuration. I have fabricated large mock-ups of three-dimensional ring-wings out of laminated layers of high-density foam, to work out some of the bugs.

The most difficult and challenging thing about the development of the Model 3 was finding all of the correct materials to perform adequately under the fairly extreme stress-bearing rigors that the design demands. I went through about seven or eight different types and weights of plastic before I hit on the one that works best. It was only through trial and error, and some educated guesses that this was accomplished. As the Model 3 went through its final development stages, I realized that the materials being used had taken over the design process. The materials started to dictate what was possible and how to proceed with the fine details. Not the other way around. I know now that the initial challenge with the proceeding generations of Skyaak designs will be to identify and source out the ultimate materials. Not to mention all of the other engineering hurdles such as power plant, mode of propulsion, onboard sensors and of course directional control.

Skyaak Schematics

This picture gives a good idea of what the assembled Skyaak looks like from different angles, and shows the flat-manufactured ring-wing.

I am still trying to logically explain why this configuration flies the way it does. Does anybody have any ideas on this? I'd certainly enjoy hearing about it.

I am on a quest to find out as much as I can to explain the aerodynamic properties of the ring-wing. I am sure there is something exciting going on with the aerodynamics of the configuration, but can't quite put my finger on it. The more I know, the happier I'll be.

Michael.

From Scissors to Laser Beam

The technological advancement of the manufacturing process :)

The first Skyaak prototypes were simply cut out of stiff paper with scissors. Hey, it worked! Then I graduated to cutting out plastic containers with a utility knife. What an advance. It worked better. So I made several hundred, trying out different angles, figuring out the best way to make it easier to build. I started to run out of room in my studio so I made the studio bigger, with higher ceilings and better light. I found that cutting out conical surfaces was very difficult so I then tried to figure out a way to start flat, so the cut-out shapes could be more controlled and uniform. Many attempts later, I was getting closer to figuring out what worked best. I needed to flesh it out with physical prototypes, as I am a hands-on developer.

The ‘aha!’ moment came when I was informed that my flat design could be converted to a ‘vector file’ that could be fed into a computer-assisted router, and also a computer-assisted laser-cutter. Fancy! Imagine my delight when I witnessed the first prototype being created via my drawing cum vector-file on a high-tech router table! My access to fabrication technology and a working budget had finally coincided with my artistic vision.

Michael

Zenon Dragan: Skyaak Mentor

Dallas at the secret development
lab of world-famous DraganFly Innovations Inc. posing with an early Skyaak prototype along with its package.


About three years ago, I approached Zenon Dragan, president of world-famous Draganfly Innovations Inc. with a very crude but promising Skyaak prototype. This early effort was fabricated out of hand-cut margarine containers and a folded plastic shaft. As rudimentary as it was, Zenon recognized the potential of the configuration and offered encouragement to me to persevere with the prototype development. One of his first golden nuggets of advice was to carry on with the design process on the cheap. He asked me, ( I paraphrase) "Why spend money on fancy adhesives when a rubber band will do the trick?" And then advised, "Don’t over-invest in early prototypes. Just make it better with your ingenuity!"

I made a series of personal presentations to Zenon over a period of two years. Each time I showed up at his secret development lab with a progressively advanced version, albeit in fits and starts. It’s not the easiest thing to develop a new flying device that has the potential to be mass-manufactured, not to mention mass-marketed! There were a LOT of technical challenges to overcome, and I was working with a fairly restricted budget. I can only imagine what Zenon must have thought when I proudly presented some of those early prototypes. To his eternal credit though, he continued to humor me and shared my excitement as the thing slowly evolved. It wasn’t until after I penned the words to ‘I Believe’ and the seven ‘Angel Investors’ came forward that I was finally able to truly accelerate the whole thing to the next level, big time.

In retrospect, I realize now that I was ready at that moment, with designs in hand, to contract with a plastics manufacturing firm to have my concept rendered into a vector-file and to feed this file into a computer-assisted router. So the timing of the investment was spot on!

Zenon was witness to the rapid development of the prototype after this, and he initiated the idea of creating a video to capture the excitement of Skyaak in flight. I owe a real debt of gratitude to this gentleman for his patience and sage advice in many areas of our industry. Thank you Zenon!

With gratitude,

Michael

Motorized Skyaak

More Power!

This is still in the experimental phase. We will take this puppy out for field tests this weekend. We still have to work out the specs on the power plant. This electric motor needs 6 volts to operate at full capacity. And we have the option of cramming as much as 60 grams worth of battery into the nose of the Skyaak shaft. This weight would effectively replace the existing ballast. So it’s off to Battery Boys to see what they can do for us.

I anticipate that this will need a lot of tweaking to get it to work. We’ll probably need a more powerful motor and sourcing out batteries will likely take some doing. Nothing unusual there. Everything always takes three or four ( or many more) attempts before we get any progress. But hey, ya gotta start somewhere, and we’ll never know if we don’t try. We always learn a lot more through our great big messy failures than we do with modest success. In any event, we want to nudge our way closer to a rocket-powered launch. I designed the Skyaak in the first place with the idea in mind that it would use all standard dimensional materials whenever possible so that we could just plug in ‘off-the-shelf’ technology. So, for example, I have gone out and purchased model rocket-engines with motor-mounts that conform perfectly with the inside diameter of the Skyaak shaft. I discussed the launch with rocket-master Cam Tetrault recently and we are in the brainstorming mode.




































Michael

Dylan on 'Why does Skyaak Fly?'

Regarding the Skyaak's flight... I think what makes it most interesting is the way the Skyaak seems to soar of it's own accord when launched properly. Mark may not be giving it the last little 'flick' that's needed, or perhaps might not be using the proper trajectory... because when I use a sidearm throw, and give it that last little 'flick' with my fingers, it sends the Skyaak soaring about 60-70 feet (or more if I really wind up), and halfway through the flight the Skyaak seems to take on a mind of it's own, self-correcting it's flight path until it reaches it's destination.I believe this is because of the ring-wing's correcting the flight of the Skyaak. They keep the shaft from flipping end over end, as well as from going out of control and hitting the ground. Also, a simple shaft would be harder to catch than something with wings on either end, which make the 'landing' (into the receiving partner's hand) safer and more controlled.These are a couple reasons why I feel the ring-wings are important, and why I believe the Skyaak flies as good as it does.

Dylan Cooke

The Skyaak 'Consortium'.

A lot of companies have been sought out and pressed into service in order to breathe life into Skyaak. This is a more or less complete list:

1) Laser Impressions Ltd,.- Saskatoon, SK.(computer-assisted router and laser cut ring-wings)
2) Imagine That- Saskatoon, SK. (custom-printed clear decals, business cards )
3) GE Polymershapes- Calgary, AB (specialized plastic suppliers: wings and shafts)
4) J. Hemle Inc.- Montreal PQ. (ballast weights )
5) Eezer Products Inc.- Tampa, FLA (weighted foam hand-grips)
6) Care Printing and Publishing,- Manitou Beach, SK (instructions and labels)
8) Art Affects Design,- Watrous, SK. (web-page development)
10) Cosmopolitan Industries Inc.,- Saskatoon, SK. (shrink-wrapping)
12) Saskatchewan Research Council,- Saskatoon, SK. (technical assistance on plastic specs)
13) Draganfly Innovations Inc.,- Saskatoon, SK. (product development mentor)
14) Craig A. Zawada with Wallace Mechisnik Clayton Zawada, -Saskatoon, SK. ( legal)
15) Sharon Gibson and Tom Alcock, Accounting
16) Ilara Stefaniuk-Gaudet, Product Development
17) Jesse and Dylan Cooke, Pioneer Skyaak Champions at Large
18) Cam Tetrault, Videography and Technical Consultant, -
19-26) Inclusive, The Seven Angel Investors
27) Skyaak Enterprises- Manitou Beach, SK. (product development, promotion and marketing)

It’s taken us about 18 months of trawling around the Yellow Pages, my list of contacts and the ‘net to line up all the ducks in a row to come up with the Model 3. There’s a lot more here than meets the eye, folks! It has been a rapid learning curve. I am very happy with the resulting product. Not only does it employ the most advanced and suitable materials available for the stringent demands of the Skyaak configuration, the Model 3 complies with my original vision of introducing the dynamic design as a flat-manufactured apparatus that may be assembled without adhesives.

My rationale falls in step with Alvin Toffler’s vision of a highly specialized manufacturing methodology that he introduces in ‘The Third Wave’, where he speculates on the idea of creating a product in very small quantities at first. This may be followed by expansion in an agile response to market demand. In other words, the co-ordinator of manufacturing does not over-invest in a huge inventory and be forced to warehouse it during the marketing phase.

As well, the opportunity exists to constantly improve and upgrade the basic concept, as the company builds a loyal customer base.


An inside glimpse of the Skyaak assembly process:

Shrink-wrapping Skyaak units at Cosmo Industries in Saskatoon, SK.





















Almost finished shrink-wrapping 50 units of Model 3 at Cosmo Industries



Later, Michael.

P.S. OK, I'll admit it. What was once a fun little hobby has mushroomed into a full-blown obsession. Oh well, I guess it's a case of 'follow your heart'. Damn the Torpedoes. Just do it. Make it work. I'm lovin' every minute of it, so who's complaining?

The 'G Force Pods'

The 'G-Force Pods' are coming into their own as light transmitters. Me and Dylan are looking at each other and saying, "Wow. Those pods look so cool!" This surprising property is evident in this photo:




Michael.

Skyaak gets a Glow-On!

Glow-in-the-Dark Skyaak!

Jesse and Dylan Cooke dropped over last night. Dylan was brimming over with excitement. He has created the first Skyaak hack-in kit, and it is a doozer! A little while ago, Dylan and I were playing around with the idea of building a glow-in-the-dark kit that could just be plugged into the existing Skyaak chassis. Well folks, our brilliant young engineer has done it! All ya gotta do is insert the pre-built unit into the rear-end of your Skyaak shaft. It replaces the end-cap. And then you have an outside on-off switch that lets you convert your Skyaak to an awesome glow-in-the-dark unit that you can play around with in sheer darkness.

Dylan has built a sweet little unit that incorporates a switch, the retrofitted end-cap, a little power-plant, a tiny resistor, and a black-light LED. When you switch it on, the rear ring-wing glows like crazy, and the G-Force pods do too. The first pod looks like a little free-floating full-moon in the shaft, and it transmits its bright glow to its neighbor, and that pod passes a diminished light signal along to its neighbor. The effect is just stunning. When the lit-up pods fly through the glow-in-the-dark tape circles that we made to stick each side of the foam hand-grips, the tape circles pulse with a bright light that is supplied by the pods passing through! And when the pods rush to the front, their light transfers an ethereal glow to the front ring-wing. WOW! It is a very dynamic action that shows a direct cause and effect visual treat. But hey, don’t take my word for it. Check out the photo montage that shows the glow-in-the-dark Skyaak from different angles:

These photos are so cool that I can't resist posting another one. A close up so you see how stunning it looks:

Bet you've never seen anything like THIS before!

How about this?

Dylan said that he really enjoyed figuring this out, but more importantly, he emphasized how excited he was to dig in and get the thing engineered. He said that it was like a concrete example of coming up with an idea and then doing something about it that he could be proud of. We just talked about this about two weeks ago and he has now followed through with the inspiration. He told me that he got a lot of satisfaction out of taking the concrete steps toward accomplishing this very cool hack-in project:

Canada Space Agency gets Skyaak-ed

Dr. Virendra Jah,
Acting President of
Canada Space Agency,
receives Skyaak Package

This is the letter I got from the Canada Space Agency after they received the package containing two pre-assembled Skyaak Model 3 units. The letter is transcribed below so it's readable.

I will go into some more detail about the ozone replenishing idea at a later date. Suffice it to say, it was a real morale booster to get a letter on CSA stationary in the mail. The letter has a very positive tone, as you will read:

Mr. Michael Gaudet
President
Skyaak Enterprises
Box 94, R.R. #1
309 Evenson Avenue
Watrous SK S0K 4T0

February 1, 2006

Dear Mr. Gaudet:

The acting President of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Dr. Virendra Jha, has asked me to reply to your letter dated January 12, 2006, concerning the advanced versions of the Skyaak.
Thank you for the models you send to CSA.

We have read your website and find the concept interesting. However, the challenges of launching into orbit, adding propulsion and control to your existing system are significant. When thinking about replenishing the ozone layer, one needs to consider the environmental cost of building and launching such a system to evaluate if there is a net benefit. Current propulsion systems generate pollutants themselves.

We thank you for your interest in the Canadian Space Program and we wish you the best in your ventures.

Yours sincerely,


Savi Sachdev
Acting Vice-President
Science, Technology and Programs

c.c.: Virendra Jha
Paul Engel
Andre Vigneault

Skyaak Video

As I have explained to anyone that will listen, the reason I decided to start Skyaak Enterprises with a model-kit that could be sold to enthusiasts around the world ( at least that’s the plan) is to get out and raise the capital that will be needed to advance the design to more sophisticated applications. For instance, Cam Tetrault has said that he will give us a hand as technical advisor to get it powered up and operated by radio-control. We have developed the Model 3 kit to prove beyond any doubt that the configuration actually has some merit. Dylan has scaled back the resolution of the demo video that Cam produced for us last year, so you oughta be able to check it out by clicking HERE.

I bring up the point of raising R&D capital to make my intentions clear. Seeing as how there’s not that much funding available out there for innovative aeronautical design development ( unless you’re working out of NASA, or Boeing, etc., etc.) I decided a long time ago that Skyaak would just have to pay for it’s own R&D through funds generated by sales. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. It’s not that easy to get a project like this up and running and viable. If anybody out there has any ideas about what concrete steps we can take to achieve this (formidable) task, we would be oh so happy to hear from you!

In the meantime, we’re having a blast with this project, but I won’t quit my day-job any time soon! I work pretty much full-time as a professional artist. I specialize in large historic murals and high-end portraiture. You can see selected examples of my work by clicking on Gallery Gaudet at www.ArtAffectsDesign.com . This might sound a bit unusual, but I’ve had the good fortune in the past couple of years to be commissioned to design and paint some huge murals, and I’ve been able to basically subsidize the R&D of the Skyaak project with my own funds. But it’s been a bit painful. So we have to start selling these puppies to launch the whole enterprise to the next level.

I believe the universe is a fertile and abundant place and also that this idea will be appreciated by the people that really matter.

Later, Michael.

Why does Skyaak Fly?

Why does Skyaak fly?

I asked the eminent Aerospace Engineer Dr. David Simpson, Head of the Institute for Aerospace Research at the National Research Council in Ottawa this question. He wrote me back a very thoughtful response which said in part, "The overall advantage of this aerodynamic approach ( using two ring-wings riding in tandem on an inner shaft: my insertion ) will be to gain structural weight savings without sacrificing aero efficiency and of course reducing the vortex induced drag." You can read his entire letter by clicking HERE.

OK. I get the part about gaining structural weight savings. The ring-wings are really lightweight and have tensile ( spring) strength that is partly thanks to the amazing plastic as well as the design. :)

I also understand the part about reducing ‘vortex induced drag’. Reducing drag is good is aeronautic design. The thing is, after flying the Skyaak around for many many hours and seeing how well it works with a really good throw, I can’t help but think that there’s something more going on.

First of all, look how much wing surface there is before they get rolled up:

That’s quite a bit of wing. About 114 square inches each, or 228 square inches in total. 228 square inches of wing surface for a 24" long flyer is a decent ratio. So there’s no lack of wing. When it’s rolled into its trademark ring-wing shape, it still has the large surface, only now it starts doing weird things in the air when it’s thrown properly. It spins on its axis, for one thing. And it seems to create its own vortex that is rides on, if that’s possible. We’ve seen the thing falter a bit and then correct itself in flight, as if it is riding along on a dynamic stream of air. I would sure like to get this thing into a wind-tunnel to find out more about its aerodynamic properties.

I’m certainly no aerospace engineer. I’m just going by first-hand experience here. I can tell you though that the Skyaak does some very interesting things in flight that I have not really had explained clearly by anyone I’ve asked to date. Why exactly does this configuration work so well? Why does it fly in such a stable trajectory? What are the actual physics of the thing? Does anybody know? I asked my buddy Cam Tetrault ( respected R/C airplane-model builder and video artist) this very question and he thinks the Skyaak is basically a pimped up biplane, only the gap is closed between the two wings to form a ring. And there’s two of them. I guess that’s a beginning, but it still doesn’t explain the whole dynamic. I’m determined to find out in more detail why this configuration works. While it’s great fun to simply enjoy tossing it around to the oohs and aahs of witnesses, the chronic tinker-er in me wants to know more. The more clearly I understand the aerodynamic features, the better I can make it work.

Later, Michael.

Getting Skyaak off the Ground

Considering that the idea for the Skyaak wing got put down on paper for the first time way back in 1984, it sure took a long time to finally take on a life of its own beyond a drawing. It wasn’t until 2005, 21 years later, that the long-incubating idea got a hand up to the next level. That is, the realization that the ring-wing could be manufactured flat. It’s amazing how a little spark of an idea can make all the difference in the world as long as you’re willing to make the commitment to follow through with some action. Implement the action plan.

A great friend of ours dropped over a while back. He was so pumped. He’d heard about a radical new theory. He told us that he believed that pretty much everybody has a circle of friends/colleagues/contacts that could pool their resources, or expertise, together to accomplish nearly anything. As long as they had a coherent plan. A vision. -This idea really caught fire in our hearts and we said ‘ Yes! We can do this!’ Then we started to look around and ask our friends about how to start. We were eventually steered towards a plastics manufacturing firm in Saskatoon who have some state-of-the-art equipment.

My drawing that I’d worked out for the flat ring-wing ended up being meticulously converted to a vector file that could be fed into software that in turn controlled an uber-router machine. Talk about letting go. My original drawing became a catalyst that would end up being reproduced, tweaked and perfected at arm’s length via the evolving vector file. The file continues to evolve to this day in fact as I try out different ideas.

Check out the sliding crane-style computer-operated router head on this big boy:

Sharon holding one of the very first batches of router-cut ring-wings. They look like giant blue macaroni noodles to me.
















You can see the ring-wing rolled into a 3-dimensional conical shape.
















My friend Austin King told me that success is imminent with this project. He has heard lots more of the story of our long-term plans, and all of the interesting connections that we've made so far.

In a way. I can't help but feel that it's a success already. After all, the latest Skyaak flies great, which is exactly what we set out to accomplish in the first place!

Later,
Michael.

Stacked Skyaak Packages

Over time, with a concentrated effort, the whole packaging concept was refined and developed to result in a third-generation advance: Series 1 Model 3. The plastic components were all revisited and the materials were upgraded to tougher, professional-quality plastics that could withstand the rigors of life as a Skyaak component. Thanks to Steve Kosteniuk of the Plastics Lab at Saskatchewan Research Council for his sage advice on material upgrades. Steve’s input allowed the project to surge ahead to the next level. Right on the correct trajectory. Another huge frustration overcome, thanks to some timely help.
With the great new materials we were able to jump on packaging. By this time all the details of the box design had been worked out, not to mention the illustrated assembly instructions and Flight Performance Tips. The literature itself involved lots of very labor-intensive work.
Every time we pulled together and got organized to package a certain number of Skyaaks, we got more streamlined and efficient:


















later y'all. Michael.

LIVING LOGO

When we were just starting to think about the design of the label for the early Skyaak prototypes about a year ago, I went through probably about ten or more different ideas. Nothing clicked. We were inventing and designing the whole thing from the ground up. I have quite a bit of experience in a bunch of different areas of design, so I felt pretty confident that once I had a grip on the actual working prototype, everything else would basically fall into place. Was I ever wrong about that. EVERY step of the process was mind-bending. Thanks to a series of extra-juicy mural contracts last year, I was able to take some fair chunks of time off to try to wrap my head around all the different design aspects. Once I had a fairly good idea of how to proceed with the package design (ie: the flat card-board box that does triple-duty as a) a display unit, b) a self-contained shipping container, and c) a method to clamp all the components into position on the box floor for uniformity) it still took five or six tries to get that right. At first I went out dumpster-diving to find big enough pieces of clean material that I could mock-up to make trial versions. So the first dozen or so Skyaak packages were made out of recycled cardboard sporting some slightly embarrassing logos, such as ‘Pampers’, ‘Kotex’, ‘Ensure’ and any other box that I dug up that would be big enough.

It wasn’t until a couple of months later that we managed to get new cardboard pre-cut to my specs that allowed us to just make a couple of slight modifications, a few creases and folds, and then it just did was it was supposed to. Became a lightweight, functioning Skyaak package!

Meanwhile the label design remained unresolved. My wife Sharon came up with a brilliant idea that would’ve never occurred to me. She suggested that I should pose with a Skyaak and the photo could be used as a basis for the logo. She even offered to take the photo. So I agreed. Well! I honestly never thought I would personally become a living logo. What a weird feeling. Now that the logo has been used over and over again, and has been reproduced as a label, a clear decal, on business cards and letterhead, on our first two promo videos, license plates, promotional signs, on the web-page, etc. I must admit that the novelty is starting to wear off. But it is still a weird feeling. And we’re only just firing this thing up. It’s only gonna get weirder as this project continues to gain traction.

I must admit it is kinda cool to have my stylized image stuck in the form of a clear decal (made by ‘Imagine That’ (new window) in Saskatoon, SK.) on the Skyaak shaft, considering that the Skyaak has now been flown around in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Tokyo. It’s almost like I’ve been along for the ride... vicariously. Adds to the conceptual experience.

Here’s the original photograph that Sharon took of me posing with an early prototype. Since then the image has been totally transmorphisized about ten generations away from the source.














This is what one of the incarnations of the image looks like. The thing has also become an 'animated gif' on the Skyaak home-page.












And here's one of the early displays using the 'logoman':

Here's one of the more developed label designs:

Later, the 'Living Logo', Michael.

SKYAAK Lands in San Francisco

After I sent the Skyaak package off to Bill Gurstelle of ‘Adventures from the Technology Underground’ fame, and he’d had a chance to fly them around with his buddies at the local gym between basketball games, he told me I oughta send some samples off to his friend Mark Frauenfelder, Editor-in-Chief of Make Magazine in San Francisco. Bill is a regular contributor to Make Magazine. I just got my first copy and it is packed with great articles on inventors and inventions. Man, there is some way cool stuff out there! And Make seems to have their editorial fingers right on the pulse of it.

Every time I open up my copy of Make, I find an article or feature that never fails to impress. There’s a picture and story of a gal from Denmark who has created a wee little self-contained, totally portable house. It rolls around like a giant donut. How cool is that?

There’s a complete illustrated plan for a residential wind-powered generator. My wife and I have been dreaming about this forever. Now we can sink our teeth into it with plans on hand.

Anyway, I did send Mark a package quite a while back and he has now informed me that he has it in his hands. Yesterday he dropped me a line to let me know that a) he had it, and b) he was going to watch the demo DVD that I included in his pkg to get insights into how to maximize his Skyaak experience. I am so thrilled that Mark has expressed an interest in my invention, and also pretty pumped that Bill likes it so much that he has turned me on to this amazing connection.

On another front, I sent an e-mail yesterday to of the producer of CKOM am radio to share some links with her that would help he understand the story behind Skyaak and the CD single ‘I Believe’. She has already e-mailed me back with a very positive-sounding response, says she will tell her host all about it, and then expressed an interest in sitting down for a coffee ASAP. Hmmm.. This is all good. Then there’s the guy from Global TV. He’s calling in the next couple of days for an update with an eye towards producing a ‘feature length’ TV article.
Should be fun, exciting and highly stimulating times.
Later,
Michael

Skyaak ColoRINGS

SKYAAK ColoRINGS

Over the past couple of months we have been experimenting with designing graphics for the Skyaak ring-wings, while they’re still flat, before they are assembled. We used permanent markers for this and the results were quite stunning. I love the way the colors glow in this format. Kind of like stained-glass. We found that the colors were most intense when they were applied on both sides of the plastic. When held up in front of a light source, the richness of the hues is just dazzling. If you go for that sort of thing. The great thing about ColoRING your Skyaak is that it gives you a chance to personalize the flying toy so that yours is absolutely unique. There are a few things to bear in mind while you’re doing it. We found that the designs look best when they are fairly simple and bold. Maybe even a repeating pattern that matches up where the ring-wing gets joined, so that you create the effect of an endless pattern. This makes sense because the thing tends to spin on its axis in flight, so this approach takes advantage of this and almost creates a sort of animated motion.

We also found that when you place a colored model ( Mykro-Skyaak works best for this) right in the path of a beam of sunlight, it casts really interesting full-color projections into the room. This idea probably has no practical applications whatsoever, other than it looks great and adds a splash of color and an extra fun activity to the Skyaak experience.



What's this weird image you ask? It's a detail of a Skyaak ColoRING casting its projected colors in a beam of sunlight. As a life-long artist and overall visual kind of guy, I enjoy this slightly bizzare, unexpected visual treat. An interesting sidebar is that the light/color created by the ColoRING in this photo has somehow twisted and distorted to conjure up a little vortex that seems to hang suspended in mid-air. Things that make you go hmm..

Later, Michael

' I Believe' and Skyaak debut on CKOM AM Radio!

Andy McAnally, Quantum Bio-Feedback Expert, poses with his Skyaak.












Radio interview with Andy McAnally, quantum bio-feedback specialist. on CKOM am radio with host Erin Berger on Saturday April 30th, 2006 quantum biofeedback specialist, hosted by Erin Berger.

Sequence starts with excerpt from the CD Single ‘I Believe’.

" I believe in my own powers of decision and of making up my own mind. I believe in my ideas..."

NOTE: This is the first time we know of that the song has hit the mainstream airwaves, so this is a milestone moment for the project(s). The first public debut of the song took place on May 1st, 2005, almost exactly a year ago to the day. Synchronicity at its best.

Erin Berger: Andy McAnally, bio-feedback specialist, is with us here today on ‘ Talk to the Experts’. I am your host Erin Berger. Today we are going to learn so much about this system, the ‘quantum bio-feedback therapy. Ancient healing meets modern technology is the motto.
Tell us a little about the inspirational thoughts that we are hearing in the music, what is this CD that I am holding here?

Andy McAnally: This CD I came across from a client of mine, she handed me this, down at Manitou Beach. I listened to it and I knew right away that this was something that I had to get into people’s hands. So I usually give this to people that really need it. Clients that have degenerative diseases like cancer or people that are depressed. I just find it inspirational. Iit only lasts four minutes, but it’s four minutes of positive affirmations. There’s a really interesting story about it. This inventor from Manitou Beach that invented this flying device called the Skyaak and he sat up all night, he felt he couldn’t get anywhere and he just came out with the words and then he got his friend to put music to it.

The end of the interview features another excerpt of the song:
" I believe in my ideas and I will not be discouraged by cynics. I believe in friends who believe in me. I believe, I believe, I believe..."

Cool. They got the chorus in there. Big time. It is also great that Andy elected to mention Skyaak by name, and he pronounced it ve-ery clearly.

Hang on for the ride, folks. It starting to really feel like this project is on a certain trajectory...

Michael.

Hack yer Skyaak

Dylan holding his chrome-decalled Skyaak. See the G-Force Pods?








I visited my friends Jesse and Dylan Cooke in Saskatoon last week and Dylan mentioned that he had a really cool idea to retrofit his Skyaak. ( ie: hack) He had previously painted a bit of glow-in-the dark paint on a wooden box and after some time the paint had lost its luminescence. He discovered that he could restore the glowing property at least temporarily by shining a black light on the area. This lead him to want to try out a black light on his Skyaak. So he removed the back end-cap and shone the light up the Skyaak's butt. We went into a pitch black bathroom and were delighted to see that the rear ring-wing lit up like crazy. The particular plastic that we're using for the wings has a sort of opalescent ( pearly) finish to it and this tends to capture and evenly disperse the light when its inside the rear of the central shaft. The three inner struts of the ring-wing act as light conductors when the light is at the center. Not only that, but we also saw that when the ' g-force pods' travel along their path inside the shaft, they carry the light with them, so that the rear pod appears to be internally lit. The succeeding balls also carry the light but to a lesser degree. The effect fades out as the light migrates from ball to ball.

The effect is quite visually amazing. Each time the balls travel ahead in the shaft, as they do every time it is thrown ( can't deny the gravitational force), they pass quickly through the inside of the foam hand-grip. This action shows where the hand grip is in the dark. Next we will be placing strips of glow-in-the-dark paint at each side of the hand-grip to make it show up even better.

Now Dylan tells me he has trawled around on EBay and found a whole whack of LED lights of various colors as well as wee little batteries and switches so we can offer a hack-in option for all those happy Skyaak-ers out there who might wanna pimp their ride.

We're having way too much fun!



























Dylan poses with his Skyaak pimped out with a ' VIP'
hand-grip and chrome wing decals. Cool!


Dylan gets a lot of credit in my books for maintaining his enthusiasm for this fledgling enterprise. He was one of the very first people to really turn on to the possibilities.

Later, Michael.