Recent content by loftus

I strongly recommend you look at one of the 360 cameras like the Insta360 X3 or X4. Allows you to choose your field of view whether it's a selfie or any other perspective. Quality is now close to what you can get with cameras like GoPros. Once you get your head around the concept, the software...

Yes, I have a trip to Alaska planned. Main objective was as a second starting battery. I also tested it while running, switching from 1 to 2 quickly, and there was no power loss noted. So also in the unlikely event of loss of a battery in flight it would seem to work.

So I finally got around to installing a second backup battery with a boat switch.

I think there's just no free lunch. If one looks at FW Monohull seaplanes the engines are always high as these aircraft by design the passengers and cargo sit low in the water and the hull doubles as a flotation component and the actual fuselage of the aircraft. I'm sceptical that your rear...

Not sure about that, larger planing area of the stub wings means more drag in the water. The smaller the planing area the less drag, the quicker off the water. At least that's the way I understand it. If the stub wings could act as foils and lift the boat part out of the water, that might be...

There are pros and cons of floats vs flying boat. Generally in flying boats the engine has to be placed higher relative to the aircraft as flying boats sit lower in the water and in a gyro I imagine that might make the thrust line too high. I think a flying boat gyro would have to be a...

I think the most attractive part of the multicopter design is the simplicity of control with the electronic control unit doing all the work. The effectiveness of this approach is quite apparent for small drones that have transformed many aerial jobs like photography, search and rescue etc...

Well it does fly. I saw the demonstration of the Lift Hexa at Sun n' Fun yesterday. Definitely some cool technology, though the demo was pretty much restricted to some low and slow flying and hovering. Limited to only 15 minutes of flight, so still a toy at this point.. Classified as an...

Thanks for that update. Wow. One thing to see debris on landing, but another on takeoff. Not related to this accident but as Waspair said amphibs do introduce an additional point of caution. A gear up landing on land is embarrassing and will maybe damage the floats, but a gear down on water will...

Gear look retracted to me; do you think this was a gear down accident?

Looks like it may have hit something in the water?

Even though many, if not most, small fixed wing tricycle gear aircraft actually do have hard coupled nose wheels and also with a forward rake, one only hears of the problem of the airplane darting to the side on landing with the accompanying mishaps when the nose is not aligned with the...

Love it! Would be good to see a video of the full takeoff run, or at least get an idea of the time to get off the water. Looks like it really maneuvers well. What are they selling for in the US?

Pretty sure I saw that aircraft flying along the beach on Friday evening, I was in Islamorada, Fl, just South of Tavernier.

Looks interesting I'll give it a read. One line in the intro on Amazon that caught my attention, that probably applies to far more in life than just gyroplanes "It’s a fine line between rapture and tragedy"