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Conference noted::bicycle

Title: Bicycling
Notice:Bicycling for Fun
Moderator:JAMIN::WASSER
Created:Mon Apr 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3214
Total number of notes:31946

366.0. "Bike powered oddities." by UGSUP6::MCDONALD () Mon Jun 29 1987 12:53

    
    From the Stranger-than-fiction file.
    
    I thought the "bicycle powered aircaft" and the various speed
    record bicycle machines were strange but...
    
    On a recent replaying (public tv) of a yearly man powered boat
    challenge, I saw a "boat???" that was mind boggling. This competition
    calls in engineers, amateur and otherwise, to design man powered
    water craft for racing. The winner was a standard racing bike that had
    flotation gear only so that the rider could start off. It was fitted below
    the water line with strange air (water?) foils front and back. When
    the rider began pedaling the foils lifted the floats completely
    out of the water and the rider cruised at land speeds supported
    only but the force of the water across the water-foils. The bike
    appeared to pierce the water only about 6 inches at full speed.It was 
    bizarre to see a bicycle passing all these fast boats like they were
    standing still. 
    
    Perhaps there is a new biking sport on the horizon!!
    
    							  * MAC *
             
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366.1Hydrofoil-cycleBUFFO::BUFFOMon Jun 29 1987 13:4613
    What you describe sounds like the bicycle powered hydrofoil
    designed by mechanical engineering professor David Gordon
    Wilson of MIT, a recumbent enthusiast.  He wrote an article
    for the December 1986 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN which illustrated
    the machine on its cover.  As I recall, the hydrofoil was
    roughly equivalent to a crew shell in speed.  As I think 
    about it, that seems remarkably fast, so my cycling-biased
    mind may be playing tricks on me.  The article was quite
    interesting.
    
    Regards,
    David Buffo
    
366.2Re: MIT designUGSUP6::MCDONALDMon Jun 29 1987 14:4315
    
    Re:.1 
    
    Thanks for the info, I'm going to try to find the issue. The team
    originally tried launching it from giant slingshot-type device bolted
    to a dock, rather than having any floats at all, but the sudden
    thrust accompanied by the sudden slow down when he hit water proved
    to be to rough on the rider. The bike had a large two-bladed prop
    behind it, not unlike a plane propeller in appearance and it rotated
    deceivingly slow. If this was the same vehicle as in the article
    I would not be surprised if a well trained bicycle racer couldn't
    easily match a crew shell. I couldn't believe the speed the competitor
    drove th crazy thing at.
    
    						   * MAC *
366.3Alan Abbot's 'Flying Fish'EUCLID::PAULHUSChris @ MLO 8-3/T13 dtn 223-6871Mon Jun 29 1987 15:208
    	The vehicle mentioned is Alan Abbot's 'Flying Fish'. It has
    been well described in 'Human Power, the Journal of the Human Powered
    Vehicle Association'.  Dave Wilson is the editor of HP. He may be
    the author of a SA article, but he is not the designer. 
    	This year's IHPVA Speed Championships will be held in October
    in Washington, D.C.  The waterborne part of the competition will
    be held in the Tidal Basin, just in front of the Jefferson Memorial.
    	- Chris
366.4Human Powered Helicopter?!DEBIT::FISHERP-B-P qualifiedTue Jun 30 1987 09:4914
    Excerpted from the April 17 issue of the International Randonneurs
    newsletter which excerpted a longer article from the January 1987
    issue of IHPVA:
    
    HUMAN POWERED HELICOPTER FLIGHT TESTED.  Michael Bruce, a manufacturing
    and design engineer for Reynolds and Taylor, Inc. of Santa Ana CA,
    has completed and flight tested a human powered helicopter. ...
    
    Four 14-foot crimson rotor blades dominate the craft. ...
    
    No attempts at actually free-flying the craft have been performed
    ... [that was last year, who knows what has happened by now]
    
    R&D costs in the neighborhood of $100,000.
366.5looking for more info on IHPVA in DC in OctTALLIS::EBARTHWed Sep 09 1987 17:467
    re: .3
    
    	Does anyone know the exact dates of the IHPVA Speed Championship
    in Washington DC? Are tickets required? I assume it is outdoors.
    Any additional info would be appreciated.
    
    Ed