Comments on: Fly Powered Aircraft

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:57:01 +0000

Do it, ted. Do it.

By: Kalel

Kalel — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:27:10 +0000

What a buzz kill.

By: ted

ted — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:51:45 +0000

I had the perfect comment, but I just couldn't say it.

By: Ajan

Ajan — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:39:01 +0000

next we're gonna have ultra light bio-chemical weapons on these things..

By: the monkey

the monkey — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:34:37 +0000

@cola...i totally agree.

By: shecky

shecky — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:28:31 +0000

It might be difficult to determine how much of the airplane is dead weight. Given that a fly can fly all by itself means that any airplane apparatus is nothing more than a payload. But it isn't impossible that the payload offers usable lift. As a younger man, I was a glider-making fiend, and one of the obsessions was to make tiny gliders. I can tell you that gliders that small are certainly possible, though most of my most successful designs were canards. So the question is, how much pure payload can a fly accomodate? And how much of that payload can be compensated for if it exhibits appreciable lift?

By: Ronald L.

Ronald L. — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:27:54 +0000

Fly and Machine... Power...Xtreme!

By: Foreigner1

Foreigner1 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:48:53 +0000

Skipweasel has a point- If you make some contraption out of cigarette-paper- Is that contraption an airplane, or just dead-lightweight...? I mean- Can the housefly take on more payload when it uses that airplane? Can it use less energy to stay aloft by using the wing-capacity of the airplane? ...I seriously doubt...

By: Daniel Kim

Daniel Kim — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:49:00 +0000

I recall an article in the Journal of Irreproducible Results on this subject.

By: Christophe

Christophe — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:59:37 +0000

we used to glue a hair to a litle piece of paper with flags drawn on it, and glue it to the fly's butt : WW2 reenactments, Pacific scenarios, battle for England, etc, you name it.

How cruel kids can be

By: Cola

Cola — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:58:04 +0000

This reminds me of that Ren and Stimpy episode where they pulled the wings off of flies in gruesome detail.

I know he releases them, and I'd just as soon swat a fly to death, but I still can't help but feel weird about playing with them like that.

By: Skipweasel

Skipweasel — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:46:34 +0000

How much is it just being dragged along by the fly, and how much is it actually lifting and doing anything aerodynamically "useful"?

By: Binc

Binc — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:19:51 +0000

I never imagined that I could feel pity for a fly - Way to go Humans !

By: xryptic

xryptic — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:53:53 +0000

Now President Obama can put that fly-catcher PETA sent him to good use!

By: VonSkippy

VonSkippy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:44:18 +0000

It's easier after you catch the fly and have it in the baggie to put it in the freezer (or use a canning jar to catch them - bait it with any sliced piece of fruit). Wait 5-10 minutes and you'll have a nice comatose fly - way easier to glue it onto the power stick. Of course timing depends alot on the freezer temp, the size of the fly, etc so you need to experiment before you find the right time to knock them out yet still be able to revive them once warm. Rolling papers pretty much suck as a plane - use thin 3x5 note cards cut to shape and wooden toothpicks (like the top photo). We had tons of fly races in the summer when I was a kid.

By: LisaL

LisaL — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:18:11 +0000

That video is just too funny, watching the flies take off.