Sep 23, 2005, 9:59 PM
Post #126 of 546
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Re: [Paulipod] Wind Tunnel in Colorado
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Check out the UK's website as their are some better photos of the vanes for you to see http://www.airkix.com - their tunnel is the same design as Colorado
The caption doesn't say, but I think that is standing under the flight chamber, looking up through the chamber to the spot where the air that has just left the chamber turns horizontally (in two directions) to go through the fans again. The turnvanes appear as several horizontal slats - almost like a Venetian blind - in this picture. That makes more sense to me than just a solid wall.
Looking back at davedlg's "turnvane1" picture, I can pick out the slats a little better now. In the picture, all the air from the flight chamber would be coming vertically out of the ground into the box section in the center, then about half of it would go through the visible turnvanes and towards the camera. The other half would go the other way - away from the camera.
I think it'll be interesting for experienced flyers to compare the recirculating and open tunnels. This may have been asked before, but if it's the middle of January in the UK and the tunnel is on full recirculation to keep the heat in, and somebody goes flying after having really spicy curry for breakfast, does it gas everyone else out for the rest of the day? :)
Sep 23, 2005, 10:10 PM
Post #127 of 546
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Re: [Bodyflight.Net] Wind Tunnel in Colorado
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the new net has a cable wrapped around it (each strand).. reminds me of the thread on a screw..
Newer cars (say 2000 and up) that have vertical, non-retracting radio antennae often have this design. The main shaft of the antenna is straight as usual, but there is a somewhat thinner wire wound around it all the way to the tip. The windings are fairly widely spaced, like one an inch (2.5 cm) or so. The wire is bonded to the antenna at manufacture and then the whole thing is painted, so it looks like one unit. I understand that this is done for the same reason - to reduce noise. The wrap on a car antenna is probably tuned to 70 mph (110 km/h) or less; it'll be interesting to see what the windings for 120+ mph (200+ km/h) look like.
I sort of thought they might try making the net out of airfoil-shaped metal tubing. Just like you can buy round tubing or square tubing, you can buy tubing that has kind of a teardrop shape, like a wing. As far as I know, though, this only goes down to the equivalent of 0.5" (12 mm) or so round tubing. You could probably manufacture it in smaller sizes, but crisscrossing lengths of this tubing to make a net would be extremely interesting. The pointy trailing edges would tend to cut into the round leading edges, I would think.
In other net news... have you guys got your new net out there in North Carolina yet?
Eule, you are VERY observant!!!! And you nailed it exactly, it's not really new technology, but it does make a big difference.
No new net yet, we're contemplating waiting until after the Halloween boogie on the 29th.. all those costumes ya know.. hey.. btw Rebecca is coming for the boogie!
Sep 26, 2005, 11:47 PM
Post #129 of 546
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Re: [Bodyflight.Net] Wind Tunnel in Colorado
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hey.. btw Rebecca is coming for the boogie!
I am aware of this. So is everybody who was at the dropzone this weekend. :) I got there fairly late on Saturday and she told me she was thinking of going and asked about some details of the tunnel. She bought her airplane ticket on Sunday morning and then came to the DZ and was telling everyone about her upcoming "wind tunnel vacation". There are a couple of other semi-local folks considering going out there as well.
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No new net yet, we're contemplating waiting until after the Halloween boogie on the 29th.. all those costumes ya know..
Yeah... Rebecca and I bounced a few ideas around about her costume and how to keep things from going flying on their own. Edited to add: I also told her about Barbie.
How about the new (one piece) fan?
Eule
(This post was edited by Eule on Sep 27, 2005, 12:31 AM)
I was out at the site today and took a few more pics. They are getting ready to get it all put together! Norm said that they may be able to test the fans within 3-4 weeks
front.jpg - the site as of today (10/7/05)
VFD.jpg - the Variable Frequency Drives sit ready to be installed as work continues in the basement to get ready to install the turning vanes.
diffuser&turn1.jpg - the assembled diffuser sits next to the turn 1 assembly. The diffuser (which is upside-down in the picture) will be installed on top of the flight chamber and the turn 1 assembly will sit atop the diffuser
turnvane.jpg - A closeup of what one of the turning vanes looks like. You can see the curve and characteristic airfoil shape in the picture.
(This post was edited by davedlg on Oct 7, 2005, 3:56 PM)
Oct 19, 2005, 8:50 AM
Post #141 of 546
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Re: [GQ_jumper] Wind Tunnel in Colorado
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No doubt about it... I just saw it last night and almost drove off 470 LOL. I told my one year old daughther Ryan about it, she is stoked... She said watch out for the up and coming rattttt...
Oct 24, 2005, 6:32 AM
Post #143 of 546
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Re: [GQ_jumper] Wind Tunnel in Colorado
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Anyone been up there recently? I haven;t made it in about a month now. Is the flight chamber installed yet?
Drove by yesterday... The top of the structure and roof covering the fans has been installed, and the curved staircase is in place. The flight chamber (less the glass part) is all bolted together looking ready to lift in place, and the turn veins have been moved closer... Conduits are installed and the electrical equipment is in place too....
The progress what not as visible as the first two months were big things happened quickly, but these little time consuming details seem to be the "pre-work" that will make it come together quickly once it is time to lift the components into place.
Funny story... My good friend, Craig, a wuffo, works near by. He asked me, since my dad is in real estate, "do you know what they are building by the movie theatres... It says out front retail space available, but the building looks wierd and has the biggest HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) fans I have ever seen." I said, "ya, I hear the new building code requires the HVAC system to blow the air at 150 MPH to keep the dust off the shelves of merchandise."
Travis
(This post was edited by tdog on Oct 24, 2005, 6:35 AM)
So I was hanging out with my cousin and her family who just moved to Littleton and was telling them I was jealous that they are only like 15 minutes from the wind tunnel. Her husband insisted that it's going to be in a bar....I told him I didn't think so, but I'm all up for getting trashed while watching people try to fly for the first time there.
Oct 24, 2005, 2:03 PM
Post #145 of 546
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Re: [skycat] Wind Tunnel in Colorado
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There is a bar right next to the tunnel. Brewery Bar III, famous for it's green chili and mexican food is literally in the shadow of the tunnel. It is the building with the terra cotta roof behind the tunnel in this picture
(This post was edited by davedlg on Oct 24, 2005, 2:07 PM)
Oct 24, 2005, 2:14 PM
Post #146 of 546
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Re: [davedlg] Wind Tunnel in Colorado
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[mini hijack] from my post above, go to the Brewery Bar III website and compare the dancing chilis at the bottom of their page to the Rodriguez Brothers logo. hmm....
...Now back to your regularly scheduled Skyventure Colorado Thread..... [/mini hijack]
front.jpg
