Wingsuit concept feedback

[Steven.albert]

Hello everyone!....so I decided to join this forum to get some feedback from experienced wingsuit flyers.
I've been looking at the design of wingsuits and love the basic principle. Best described as fast and effective lol.
The concept I've been considering would (if effective) create a longer jump, more control, and the option of having
Speed or sustained gliding for a slower decent. I've researched and examined flight stability in birds and bats and have
Come up with an idea that I would say is best decried as a combination of a wing suit and a hang glider...parachute would function as normal. Essentially it would be wingsuit with an extended more sturdy tail section and the option of opening and closing the enlarged wings for either higher speeds or a sustained glide....any info or feed back would be great .... And if people would even be interested in something like this.

Thx for your time

[roostnureye]

good luck man, I know a few people have ventured in that direction, only to drop the idea...
find lurch on here or dz.com and pm him, hes done done stuff with the exoskeleton design on both
the leg and arm wing. came to the conclusion that the pressures put on the human body were too extreme
and once you get all the support to the body for the exoskeleton, you effectivly lose control inputs by the
skeleton being too rigid.....but if you have some new ideas by all means share...I've dreamed up some
crazy ideas and wanted to pursue them to no avail

[adrenalinehigh]

Sounds interesting, how would you go about the process of allowing the wings to either open or close while the individual is in mid flight? You would definitely have to consider that the person needs to continued paying attention to their surroundings and you would want to have a fatality because the individual wanted to alter wing span performance Are you still pursuing this idea?

[speedphreak]

Something like this?:

[adrenalinehigh]

Not like that, wingsuits use the flying squirrel concept with little pouches to catch air and allow one to float. I gotta say though that video is awesome a lot of work to take off and get into the air but it looks fun. I wonder how it would work at higher altitudes?

[nicknitro71]

wingsuits use the flying squirrel concept with little pouches to catch air and allow one to float

Best quote ever! You must be some sort of aerodynamic genius!

[Para_Frog]

I wonder how it would work at higher altitudes?

Depends on how good your movie editing software is.

snopes.com: Human Bird Wings

Exoskeletons have been tried. Do a little research dude. They're impractical for our uses. Suits approaching 4/5:1 are about as awesome as you'll get without propulsion. Visa Pervainen achieved lift with rocket boots...no exoskeleton needed.

[airdog07]

[airdog07]

Fly Like a Bird
Northrop Grumman SensorCraft flexible wing model The Tao Systems sensor array, seen here on the leading edge of a Northrop Grumman SensorCraft flexible wing model, could one day enable flexible wing aircraft that respond in real time to aerodynamic conditions, resulting in bird-like flight.

The next time you blow out a candle, watch how the smoke behaves. You will see that it rises first in an even stream. At a certain point, that stream begins to break up into swirls and eddies as the smoke disperses.

Air flowing over a wing acts in a similar way. The smooth, even movement of air over a wing is what allows aircraft to fly efficiently. Airflow that separates from the wing’s surface breaks up into turbulence, which is responsible not only for those moments of bumpy discomfort during flights but also increased drag, which reduces aircraft performance. Understanding and controlling the influence of these aerodynamic forces on a wing can lead to aircraft that fly more safely, use less fuel, and carry greater payloads.

Currently, the impact of aerodynamic forces on an aircraft is understood only after the fact; turbulence, for example, is only detected after the aircraft’s structure responds to it.

“Turbulence can be very fast acting, while the structure is slow acting,” says Siva Mangalam, former Langley Research Center aerodynamics researcher and founder of Tao of Systems Integration Inc., based in Hampton, Virginia. This means that not only do researchers not know the true aerodynamic conditions influencing an aircraft in flight, but neither do pilots. The ability to detect changes in aerodynamic forces before the aircraft’s structure responds can lead to better control systems and safer, more efficient, and more comfortable flight.

A Game-changing Concept

With the support of multiple NASA contracts and flight testing opportunities with Dryden Flight Research Center, Tao Systems began crafting sensors and other components with the ultimate goal of developing a first-of-its-kind system to detect, measure, and control aerodynamic forces in flight.

The system utilizes sensors that allows the real-time collection of aerodynamic data. These sensors are currently providing solutions for customers such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, BMW, and Rolls Royce, who have employed them for measuring airflow and temperature characteristics for vehicle design. Sandia National Laboratories are using the company’s technologies to explore ways of improving wind turbine operation. Tao Systems’ technologies are also employed for examining airflow in buildings to determine ways to save energy by optimizing air conditioning use.

“Wherever there is airflow, the opportunities are plenty,” says Mangalam. But he is quick to note the usefulness of his company’s technologies underwater as well, for developing and improving underwater turbines generating electricity from waves and tidal forces.

Perfecting Aviation

While Tao Systems’ customers continue to make use of its innovations, the company has its eye on the potential benefits a completed flight control system will offer. Once the system is available, engineers will be able to use it to develop advanced adaptive control systems and flexible wing structures, allowing an aircraft to respond to—and even take advantage of—aerodynamic conditions as they happen, improving flight safety and comfort and increasing fuel efficiency. Advancements like this would provide human aviation with capabilities closer to those of nature’s perfect aerodynamic creation.

“We could fly by feel,” Mangalam says, “like a bird.”

To learn more about this NASA spinoff, read the original article from Spinoff 2010.
NASA - Fly Like a Bird

[airdog07]

Wearable folding wings for soaring flight

Dec.2009 SlideShow - Human Wings