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.

Messing around with our Skyaak Model 3

Just a quick couple of clips from last summer that show me and a few friends noodling around with our Skyaak Model 3.

You can get your hands on the ‘trainer’ model, the DIY deuce, right now if you want to see how this aerodynamic design works.

For just a couple of bucks you can download, cut out and build the DIY deuce right now.

Skyaak Model 3 an Athletic Device

I’ve been working out with a guy named Evan Reiffersheid here who has proven to be an exceptionally great Skyaak enthusiast. I have been quizzing him quite extensively and here is what I am finding out. More accurately, he is simply confirming what I already know after all my experience with Skyaak.

Evan says, first of all, that he was easily able to figure out ALL BY HIMSELF five or six different throwing techniques for the Skyaak. This is thanks to the fact that he has a background in sports and is keenly interested in the skill set that enables him to excel with his Skyaak.

He went on to say that he loves Skyaak ( he rates it above Frisbee for excitement ) for many reasons. He claims that the Skyaak is valuable, stimulating and exciting to him because it functions as a TRAINER in these areas:

1) ambidextrous work-out

2) reflex builder

3) agility trainer

4) hand-to-eye coordination

5) muscle memory builder

This is an impressive list, and all of these areas get a solid, useful work-out whether you’re conscious of it or not. Evan also says that since he has independently developed five distinctly different throwing techniques, he finds the Skyaak to have long-lasting appeal. In fact, he says Skyaak has become one of his favorite leisure-time activities!

On a scale of 1-10, Evan rates Skyaak at a 8.5 or higher for overall excitement, interest, and training benefit.

Skyaak caught in mid-flight approx. air-speed 45 kph

You can grab a Skyaak DIY ‘deuce’ right now for just two bucks to experience the rush of ring-wing flight in a few easy steps!

Skyaak, Canadian Ring-Wing Glider Demo Video

After I posted the video that shows the “Ultra-Glow” model in Dylan’s hands, I realized that you might actually like to see the Skyaak in action, being thrown and caught between real people in real live action.  It’s pretty difficult to imagine a glider gliding without seeing it…airborne.

This video was produced about three years ago now. Although in the grand scheme of things that is obviously not that long of a time-span, somehow it seems like forever ago.  High on my wish-list at this moment is a totally fresh new look for the Skyaak demo video. Don’t get me wrong, this video shows some pretty good footage of what the Skyaak is capable of.  It’s just that I’ve been spoiled since it was made by watching some of my more athletically-inclined friends SMOKE their Skyaak Model 3…exceeding 45 kph airspeed and executing some real power-house throws that nearly knocked me off my feet at the receiving end!  I am not kidding about this. Brother, catching this unit barreling in on you is like airborne bull-fighting!  You better have quick enough reflexes to step aside and grab it out of the air. Not that you will get hurt…no-one has yet…but it looks (and feels) SO much better if you have the hutzpah to pull it off!

There are a couple of clips in this video here that give you a lasting impression of the potentially explosive energy that can be channeled through a good clean, well-executed throw. Remember, it’s not really about brute force, it’s about finesse. The occasional person that can combine both effectively is where things get scary…I mean exciting.  Just you wait, I will be tabling some footage of high-performance Skyaak rumbles when I have the opportunity as it gets out to the right people. It will knock yer socks off when you see what kind of speed, accuracy and inertia can be coaxed out of the Model 3 in the right hands.

Speaking of which, maybe that person is YOU, or somebody you know…