Flying Humanoid

WOW!! developed in the 1960's! What does everyone think of this has anyone seen any thing like this in modern times or was this just abandoned? in the late 60's?

Here is the video

[edit on 15-11-2007 by kdial1]

That looks like the Mexican flying witches!! But it also looks like Magneto or it Charles Xavier?

Very cool find... and possibly still in use, maybe private technology and it being tested in Mexico?

Well the Williams plateform has been dead a long time it was much to noisy for the stealth troop moving vehicle that they where looking for.

The Williams X-Jet, created by Williams International, was a small, light-weight Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) system powered by a modified Williams F107 turbofan aircraft engine. It was designed to be operated by and carry one person and controlled by leaning in the direction of desired travel and adjusting the power. It could move in any direction, accelerate rapidly, hover, and rotate on its axis, staying aloft for up to 45 minutes and traveling at speeds up to 60 miles per hour (100 km/h). It was evaluated by the U.S. Army in the 1980s, and was deemed inferior to the capabilities of helicopters and small unmanned aircraft.

en.wikipedia.org...

There was also the The Hiller VZ-1 Pawnee

Due to aerodynamic effects in the duct within which the propellers rotate, the platform was dynamically stable even though the pilot and center of gravity of the platform were fairly high up. In testing, the prototypes flew well enough but the US Army judged them to be impractical as combat vehicles as they were small, limited in speed and only barely flew out of the ground cushion effect.

en.wikipedia.org...

The newest and most famous today use of the concept is the Trek Aerospace SoloTrek XFV. The idea is based off of the Hiller plateform but uses the 2 ducts and mounts them about the pilots head this time. check out their website here.
www.trekaerospace.com...

Personally I think with a bit more money and research their current idea could be the starting point for this tech to take off. Here is what they have to say about it.

The Springtail EFV-4A is a fourth generation single engine powered-lift research vehicle. This craft was built for the express purpose of testing and proving our core technology. This was accomplished on November 5, 2003 when transition to forward flight was achieved. This vehicle is still in service and is being employed as a test bed for further enhancements and refinements to the technology. We are currently using this vehicle for expansion of the flight envelope.

They also have a video online as well here.
www.trekaerospace.com...

I can't imagine how loud that thing must be. Maybe after more years of development, though, they could have made it quieter and get more range. This kind of thing always makes me wonder what the point of it would be. It's not high or fast enough to avoid being easily shot. It's a lot cheaper for soldiers to just walk to where they're going, rather than fly on a platform. It's not big enough to carry any significant supplies. The things the government spends money on...

reply to post by Nohup


rapid inflitration was the main idea. Attacking key strong points and taking control of them. Some of the platforms where fast and if you can't her it till its past you its too late. Now if it could of done that role there would be some demand but alas it never really filled out the needs of some reduction in noise and increase speeds and ease of handling.

I've got that video on one of those cheesy military technology DVD's. The technology is very old now. I was amazed first time I saw it too. Makes you think of what R&D could be happening right now.