About the Skyaak DIY deuce ‘finger flicker’ advantage

You can just throw your Skyaak DIY deuce exactly like a dart and get pretty good results, or you can introduce the ‘finger flicker’ advantage that increases your torque with less exertion. It’s true. When you place your index finger behind the finger flicker, and flick the unit with your finger just as you toss it you will notice a turbo-boost in the power of the flight. Your deuce will rocket ahead at fast scale-speed. Remember to hold the nose up a bit-about 10 to 15 degrees- above level when you are launching it.

The cool thing is that the more thrust you give it (w the catapult power of your index finger…a built-in atlatl!) the happier it is and the better it flies. You will see that the ring-wing configuration of your Skyaak deuce produces surprising stability. When it spins naturally on its axis, as it is bound to do, the stability is further enhanced.

Which leads one to ponder: does the ring-wing design create its own vortex as it flies that it tends to ride on like a cushion of air, or maybe a lifting energy?

You will witness this phenomenon by experimenting with the DIY deuce. Watch how it flies as you gain expertise.

Any theories or insights into the aerodynamic properties of the Skyaak design that you may have through your hands-on observations would be welcome. Let me know if you have any thoughts about this.

Grab the Skyaak DIY ‘deuce’ model that you can print on regular 8.5″ x 11″ paper, dope with clear tape, customize, cut-out, build and fly for the one-time cost of $2.00. Make a master copy of your download before you cut it out so you can go on to build a whole fleet if you want!

Open letter to Skyaak Dream Team

I have no shortage of enthusiasm re: skyaak. I know for sure it’s not 1st and foremost about the money, it’s about the passion and the bliss. I know 100% that the skyaak design works.  We’ve proven that time after time. The challenge now, as we all understand only too well, is simply to maximize the design and the materials so we get the best performance possible out of the configuration.

We’ve all seen how the skyaak design seems to correct itself in mid-flight and how it appears to ride on its own self-generated vortex. So we know without a shadow of doubt that we are on to something here that has not yet been fully explored or exploited. A tweak here, a tweak there and we will see more quantum leaps forward in aerodynamic performance.

The reason I can say this is that we’ve already seen it happen, for instance with the addition of the weighted hand-grip for the Model 3. The before and after was a real show. With the addition of the secondary ballast (we’ll call it) the thing snapped to attention, created a much crisper and more muscular trajectory. The same thing happened on a larger scale with the invention of both the spinning throw and more important, the ‘finger flicker’ or atlatl throw.  That was huge. What we have here is a craft that likes speed. The more the better. It is happy to fly in a nice regular arc no matter how fast the scale speed. Its stability is its big strength.

So I feel pretty comfortable predicting that we will see more of these breakthroughs as we carry on w R&D until the hand-thrown model peaks. And then of course it will be time to introduce some power assist so we get to see SUSTAINED flight. With some extra thrust the arc will get longer, and it will obviously stay airborne as long as it has the thrust. That will be a great day!

I guess you all realize that the whole point of current R&D is to create a proof positive that the configuration works, and then future improvements will depend entirely upon our ingenuity!  That’s why it’s so much fun, knowing that we will see the project leapfrog ahead as we continue to think laterally about advancing it.

In the meantime, from what I gather, you all feel this thing has ‘legs’ and is poised to hit the ground running, once it gets the right quality of exposure and is, of course, shepherded along by intelligent marketing/publicity strategies.

There.  That was fun, being a tad philosophical. It’s a natural inclination I guess. I’ve been comfortably co-habitating with skyaak in my cranium for quite some time now, so it’s bound to occasionally spill over as extrapolation, if that makes any sense!

You can grab a Skyaak Model 3, the Canadian ring-wing glider at NewdaVincis.com for just $29.99.

Why does Skyaak fly?

Front of Skyaak Model 3 w two ring-wings in tandem on a central shaft.

“Why does Skyaak fly?”

I asked Aerospace Engineer Dr. David Simpson, Head of the Institute for Aerospace Research at the National Research Council in Ottawa this question. He wrote me back a very thoughtful response which said in part, “The overall advantage of this aerodynamic approach (using two ring-wings riding in tandem on an inner shaft: my insertion) will be to gain structural weight savings without sacrificing aero efficiency and of course reducing the vortex induced drag.”

OK. I get the part about gaining structural weight savings. The ring-wings are really lightweight and have tensile (spring) strength that is partly thanks to the material as well as the design.

I also understand the part about reducing ‘vortex induced drag’. Reducing drag is good aeronautic design. The thing is, after flying the Skyaak around for a gazillion hours and seeing how well it works with a really good throw, I can’t help but think that there’s something more going on.

First of all, look how much wing surface there is before they get rolled up:

Skyaak ring-wings in their flat form

That’s quite a bit of wing. About 114 square inches each, or 228 square inches in total. 228 square inches of wing surface for a 24″ long flier is a decent ratio. So there’s no lack of wing. When it’s rolled into its proprietary ring-wing shape, it still has the large surface, only now it starts doing weird things in the air when it’s thrown properly. It spins on its axis, for one thing. And it seems to create its own vortex that it rides on, if that’s possible. We’ve seen the thing falter a bit and then correct itself in flight, as if it is riding along on a dynamic stream of air. I would sure like to get this thing into a wind-tunnel to find out more about its aerodynamic properties.

I’m certainly no aerospace engineer. I’m just going by first-hand experience here. I can tell you though that the Skyaak does some very interesting things in flight that I have not really had explained clearly by anyone I’ve asked to date. Why exactly does this configuration work so well? Why does it fly in such a stable trajectory? What are the actual physics of the thing? Does anybody know? I asked my buddy Cam Tetrault (Saskatoon-based R/C airplane-model builder and video artist) this very question and he thinks the Skyaak is basically a pimped up biplane, only the gap is closed between the two wings to form a ring. And there’s two of them. I guess that’s a beginning, but it still doesn’t explain the whole dynamic. I’m determined to find out in more detail why this configuration works. While it’s great fun to simply enjoy tossing it around to the oohs and aahs of witnesses, the chronic tinker-er in me wants to know more. The more clearly I understand the aerodynamic features, the better I can make it.

Side-view of Skyaak Model 3

Italian model-maker extraordinaire Patrizio Bronze created two CAD studies of wind-tunnel effects using the Skyaak and Esotec head Phillip Carter’s Hummingbird designs to conclude that both designs induce ‘positive incidence’ , better known as lift, when in forward motion. Lift is a good thing. If anybody out there has any more insights into why the Skyaak design behaves the way it does I would be very happy to hear from you.

CAD study of wind-tunnel effect on Hummingbird and Skyaak ring-wings.

Patrizio Bronze's second CAD study

If you wish to experience the sensation of Skyaak ring-wing flight before your very eyes, you can right now.

Grab the Skyaak DIY ‘deuce’ model that you can print on regular 8.5″ x 11″ paper, dope with clear tape, customize, cut-out, build and fly for the one-time cost of $2.00. Just remember to make a copy of your download before you cut it out so you can go on to build a whole fleet if you want!

Skyaak DIY deuce customized with Canada flag tape for a patriotic look.