My good buddy Dylan Cooke and his girlfriend Cassie dropped in yesterday afternoon for a visit. I've been telling Dylan about the DIY 'deuce' and he was pretty excited to see it.
We tossed it around for a while and concluded that YES it replicates the flight characteristics of the Model 3 exactly!
When you give it that last-second flick it cuts a nice clean trajectory and executes that cool spinning motion. We noticed that the nose of the little unit almost always stays up above the horizon in flight...that 'positive incidence' thing.
Dylan is heading off to Vegas next week with his company 1-800-GOTLITE? which is a custom-design LED sign company making big waves on the Saskatoon scene as well as on the national stage here in Canada. Evidently, they are breaking into the States as we speak!
This is all very good for Skyaak, because Dylan is an original enthusiast who is just as determined as ever that he will help find a way to advance the Skyaak cause as inspiration strikes.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
7000 words about Skyaak
Someone once said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's 7000 words about the DIY 'deuce'...
Remember that I am 1st and foremost an artist...a visual artist...so I am showing you these images because I think they are pretty neat just as images. The Skyaak DIY 'deuce' design is actually quite intricate and complex, considering it starts off as two sheets of flat paper.
Don't you think it has a cool sculptural look? Not to mention that this little unit glides through the air like a dream...call it 'kinetic art'.
I built a new DIY 'deuce' last night, shown above.
I used 'Canada flag' celophane tape to cover the wings and shaft with to give it extra strength. Also looks kinda cool. The good ol' patriotic look!
It glides really well, but I have found now (no big surprise really) that when I put a bit more ballast weight (along w the 3 large paper-clips) in the nose it glides quite a bit further and also tracks a much neater trajectory. I actually just stuck a stick of gum in its paper wrapper right into the front of the 3-sided shaft. Probably weighs about .05 of a gram or so.
Basically, I'd suggest as heavy a ballast as possible in the nose to maximize the performance...keep adding extra weight until just before it starts to nose-dive and you will get a much better glide.The Skyaak design really likes carrying some extra weight in its nose. A harbinger of a future power-pack?
Friday, April 25, 2008
Still Working on the DIY 'deuce'
Work (read: play) progresses very nicely on the Skyaak DIY ‘deuce’ front.
Fred Schechter and I are plugging away at all the various details to pull this baby together on a daily basis. It is very cool to be working with a guy of Fred’s caliber. You know the old expression “you learn something new every day”? Well my friends, it fits, big time!
Working with Fred has been an amazing journey of discovery as we get deeper and deeper into this project.
I actually feel honored and privileged to be teamed up with such a talented guy.
I haven’t dropped in to post a blog entry for quite some time now, simply because every spare minute has been gobbled up with the DIY ‘deuce’ project.
And I am just lovin' it!
Thought I would post one of my current favorite photos of the DIY unit:
Fred Schechter and I are plugging away at all the various details to pull this baby together on a daily basis. It is very cool to be working with a guy of Fred’s caliber. You know the old expression “you learn something new every day”? Well my friends, it fits, big time!
Working with Fred has been an amazing journey of discovery as we get deeper and deeper into this project.
I actually feel honored and privileged to be teamed up with such a talented guy.
I haven’t dropped in to post a blog entry for quite some time now, simply because every spare minute has been gobbled up with the DIY ‘deuce’ project.
And I am just lovin' it!
Thought I would post one of my current favorite photos of the DIY unit:
Monday, April 21, 2008
Working on the Skyaak DIY 'deuce'
Picture shows scale of the Skyaak DIY 'deuce' ready to be hand-launched using the 'Finger-Flicker'... This launching technique is mechanically similar to the 'atlatl' concept and adds real zest to the power of your toss.
The closed (ring) wing system creates amazing stability, allowing a precise throw that will surprise you with its accuracy. The DIY 'deuce' is a true feather-weight glider. Basically, you are tossing the weight of four paper-clips and a sheet of paper!
The DIY 'deuce' can handle very high scale speeds with ease, remaining extremely stable throughout its trajectory. This makes it ideal for co-ordinated target practice. And because it's so lightweight, you can toss it around safely in-doors.
When you reinforce the paper parts with a layer of cellophane tape, the DIY'deuce' becomes a rugged little model that will stand up to endless throws. Whatever, you can always photocopy the download and make another one ... or a whole fleet if you want!
Skyaak DIY 'deuce'... NEW for the glider model enthusiast.
How does Skyaak fly?
Early Mock-Up of Affiliate Banner for the Skyaak DIY 'deuce'. Coming soon to a website near you!This unlikely-looking flying craft seems to create its own vortex as it glides through the air. It self-corrects its trajectory, especially when it spins on its axis in flight. With a certain amount of expertise, you can create an energetic spinning motion when you throw it that increases both the stability and velocity of your flight.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Order Skyaak Online
Order your very own Skyaak Model 3 today at the cool online Inventor's Boutique based out of Long Island, NY called NewDaVincis.com
NewDaVincis...Great People, Great Ideas, Great Products, Great Service!
Monday, April 07, 2008
Virtual Skyaak soon to be a Reality
The concept of a down-loadable Skyaak model (‘deuce’) is really taking shape and form. I have started designing a mini-series of customized graphics for the shaft and wings and that is crystalizing as we speak.
I’ve been shunting design ideas back and forth to Oakland CA for about the past week or so and Fred’s been coming up with brilliant suggestions. Man, this guy has a real knack of shooting straight from the hip and getting right to the crux of the issue(s) around putting this idea together piece by piece in a very dynamic way.
Right now we are trying to figure out a way to get the Skyaak to tell people how to build itself, just like every good model kit ought to. We don’t want separate instruction sheets (for assembly and flight tips)...we want the download to be as economical as possible. Economical in the sense of efficient and elegant vs. one less sheet of paper. We’re thinking of including a sort of ‘prompter’ schematic that will graphically assist you in building the shaft and wings. I visualize this system of symbols to be a skeletal overlay that is positioned at all the dynamic points ( eg: the parts that get folded or rolled or inserted or taped or clipped or cut...) so your Skyaak ‘deuce’ literally tells you how it wants to get built.
Fred’s idea.
Pretty neat, eh?
The Skyaak ‘deuce’ will be interactive on two levels:
1) after you print your model it will tell you how to build itself,
2) after you build it you get to toss it around to witness the cool spinning motion and see how it glides in a nice gentle arc-shaped trajectory.
My vision has always been to share the unique ‘Ring-Wing’ aeronautical design with as many people as possible and we all have Fred Schechter to thank for first suggesting this delivery technology. For 2 bucks everybody can try it out. Now our job is to pack a positive, interactive experience into this little bundle and then deliver it to you!
I’ve been shunting design ideas back and forth to Oakland CA for about the past week or so and Fred’s been coming up with brilliant suggestions. Man, this guy has a real knack of shooting straight from the hip and getting right to the crux of the issue(s) around putting this idea together piece by piece in a very dynamic way.
Right now we are trying to figure out a way to get the Skyaak to tell people how to build itself, just like every good model kit ought to. We don’t want separate instruction sheets (for assembly and flight tips)...we want the download to be as economical as possible. Economical in the sense of efficient and elegant vs. one less sheet of paper. We’re thinking of including a sort of ‘prompter’ schematic that will graphically assist you in building the shaft and wings. I visualize this system of symbols to be a skeletal overlay that is positioned at all the dynamic points ( eg: the parts that get folded or rolled or inserted or taped or clipped or cut...) so your Skyaak ‘deuce’ literally tells you how it wants to get built.
Fred’s idea.
Pretty neat, eh?
The Skyaak ‘deuce’ will be interactive on two levels:
1) after you print your model it will tell you how to build itself,
2) after you build it you get to toss it around to witness the cool spinning motion and see how it glides in a nice gentle arc-shaped trajectory.
My vision has always been to share the unique ‘Ring-Wing’ aeronautical design with as many people as possible and we all have Fred Schechter to thank for first suggesting this delivery technology. For 2 bucks everybody can try it out. Now our job is to pack a positive, interactive experience into this little bundle and then deliver it to you!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
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