Just to inform all..the Jetpod has crashed and kill its inventor in an incident happened at Assam Kumbang Taiping Perak Malaysia airport just recently..
Just looking at the configuration, as an engineer with 20+years at this, I would not get in it...I can see a lot of problems with it. It is NOT advanced anything...just a bad concept that is crying out for a well engineered scale model...that would have saved the life of the pilot...for less than 10k. I also would guess the airfoil was all wrong, the CM vs CL was unstable in 1 or more axises... I would bet 10k that I could find at least 5 things that would not pass FAR 23. Junk...
It's probably just me but it seems the project was ill advised. And not seeking permission to fly from the Authorities as indicated by the press was - well wrong if that truely was the case.
Permissions from "authorities" huh? In the USA nobody needs "permission" to get in a car...or airplane (if not in controlled airspace). Are you a control freak? Government knows best kind of guy? Get a life. Government is clueless most of time.
The design is...terrible...won't change anything... Jets for short distances...not so much...
STOL is 50-100 ft, NOT 400-500 ft. Is this a joke? Please...stop the insanity... The guy should have done RC scale models, then wind tunnel test, then 1/2 scale, then full. Down right poor engineering. Stop the marketing bull before you have a products. It make it hard for real engineers to get a start. Wake up people. This is just "hope and change"...crashed and...may he RIP...Suicide? hmmm
RC scale models are meaningless unless thexy are matched with power and inertia. Then they are still operating at totally the wrong reynolds number. An R/C modfel wouldnt have helped.
I have done a scaled models, and know when Reynolds number changes occur...and if you know what you are doing, they are VERY valuable...you account for the changes...like any good engineer does... if you don't know...then they, as you say, are meaningless. Making a good model is not easy and takes high skill levels. Even the F-22, which missed ground effect issues (resulting in first flight crash), missed it because they did not do their engineering correctly...There is a lot to this...
RIP Dude. But anyway, as far as I understand it, the design was simply incapable of flight? I thought modern aircraft/CAD design and wind tunnel testing would have eliminated any uncertainty? It's a pity, as it was a neat idea. But pretty crazy if he just built it without knowing how well (or if at all) it would fly first.
This did NOT need to end this way! For sure. You don't engineer a new airplane this way. There is a correct and SAFE way to do this. All the the risk should have been taken out long before any full sized craft was built. I see this over and over and over. My heart goes out to you and yours...but this did NOT need to end this way.
This story happens all the time. Change and hope...then crash and burn...sad...that we fall for it. Sound familiar? The Jetpod design is a big "O" just like someone else we all know...
The incident was witnessed by many residents, including retired soldier, Halim Hamid, 50...
He said he was scooping shrimps to feed his pet fish at a disused pond about 50 metres from where the jet had crashed.
Earlier, I saw it going down the runaway three times but it could not take off.
However, on the fourth run, the jet took off into the air but at about 200 metres high, it shot vertically to the sky before veering to its left and then falling to the ground, he said.
Newly-assembled aircraft Jetpod, by British-based Avcen, crash landed during a test flight from Tekah airstrip near here, killing pilot Michael Robert Dacre, 53, who is also Avcen's managing director.
The crash happened at 12.30pm Sunday. The Jetpod is owned by Avcen's Malaysian subsidiary.
Taiping deputy police chief Supt Syed Abdul Wahab Abdul Majid said Dacre suffered severe burns and injuries and died at the scene.-The Star 16/08
The idea is that 'park and ride' ports will be dotted around major cities with links to the centre. The concept has not been designed to get you to your door. As for comparing it to a small two seat helicopter, the Jetpod will carry around 10 people at a time and when operational will take thousands of cars off our roads each day. I should also add that you should have used the word 'which' - not 'witch' in that context of the sentence. :)
andreartdotnet - In response to your posting, I should add the following: With regards to crashes, how many small aircraft and helicopters currently fly over our cities each day? The answer is many. How many crashes do we hear of? Answer - hardly any. Small airplanes need long runways, this is designed to take off and land in a very short distance. The aircraft will also have low noise and travels quite fast.
STOL need to be 50-100 ft, NOT 400-500 ft (good luck, btw),. Once you introduce a taxi driver (pilot) as opposed to you driving it, the costs go up insanely. Anything successful will be you as the pilot, not some Joe making the rounds... A jet engine is NOT the right engine for this...
there will be new generation crashes in the air too. the most dangerous will be street wires... and i think that there will no difference between this Jetpod and small airplanes. for both we need a place to fly up and get down. and idea of taxi witch cant drive you to home's door is ridiculous. compare ir to small 1-2 seat helicopter.
the aircraft fAILED IN HIS 1ST FLIGHT...AND KILLED HIS INVENTOR
SO JETPOD S DEAD
ThierryLouis 2 years ago 2
Aren't helicopters designed for this purpose?
HPUgrad1 2 years ago 2
Just to inform all..the Jetpod has crashed and kill its inventor in an incident happened at Assam Kumbang Taiping Perak Malaysia airport just recently..
kanr2007 2 years ago 5
Just looking at the configuration, as an engineer with 20+years at this, I would not get in it...I can see a lot of problems with it. It is NOT advanced anything...just a bad concept that is crying out for a well engineered scale model...that would have saved the life of the pilot...for less than 10k. I also would guess the airfoil was all wrong, the CM vs CL was unstable in 1 or more axises... I would bet 10k that I could find at least 5 things that would not pass FAR 23. Junk...
seaplaneguy1 2 years ago 7
Always sad to see an aircraft go down.
It's probably just me but it seems the project was ill advised. And not seeking permission to fly from the Authorities as indicated by the press was - well wrong if that truely was the case.
DreadedEddy 2 years ago 5
I agree, very ill advised.
av8rdav 2 years ago 5
Permissions from "authorities" huh? In the USA nobody needs "permission" to get in a car...or airplane (if not in controlled airspace). Are you a control freak? Government knows best kind of guy? Get a life. Government is clueless most of time.
seaplaneguy1 2 years ago 5
And we have a new Darwin award nominee for 2009.
neocon6716 2 years ago 6
sorry for the lost of life,SEAPLANEGUY1,you aok on my bk God speed to all
pavelavietor1 2 years ago
A British pilot killed in a fiery crash in Malaysia was an aviation entrepreneur conducting a test flight of his Jetpod "flying taxi",
Michael Robert Dacre, 53, died Sunday Malaysian police said.
AAzmanacob 2 years ago 3
The design is...terrible...won't change anything... Jets for short distances...not so much...
STOL is 50-100 ft, NOT 400-500 ft. Is this a joke? Please...stop the insanity... The guy should have done RC scale models, then wind tunnel test, then 1/2 scale, then full. Down right poor engineering. Stop the marketing bull before you have a products. It make it hard for real engineers to get a start. Wake up people. This is just "hope and change"...crashed and...may he RIP...Suicide? hmmm
seaplaneguy1 2 years ago 2
RC scale models are meaningless unless thexy are matched with power and inertia. Then they are still operating at totally the wrong reynolds number. An R/C modfel wouldnt have helped.
Sound advise from Industry would have
DreadedEddy 2 years ago 6
I have done a scaled models, and know when Reynolds number changes occur...and if you know what you are doing, they are VERY valuable...you account for the changes...like any good engineer does... if you don't know...then they, as you say, are meaningless. Making a good model is not easy and takes high skill levels. Even the F-22, which missed ground effect issues (resulting in first flight crash), missed it because they did not do their engineering correctly...There is a lot to this...
seaplaneguy1 2 years ago 6
Orrrrrrrrrr. . it can be used to create small, fiery craters in the ground
JayStarzz 2 years ago
I like this product and would like to invest in it. Does it come with crash insurance?
agrajag46 2 years ago
RIP Dude. But anyway, as far as I understand it, the design was simply incapable of flight? I thought modern aircraft/CAD design and wind tunnel testing would have eliminated any uncertainty? It's a pity, as it was a neat idea. But pretty crazy if he just built it without knowing how well (or if at all) it would fly first.
raid517 2 years ago 2
we love you uncle michael xxxxx kate xxxxx
johnandste 2 years ago
This did NOT need to end this way! For sure. You don't engineer a new airplane this way. There is a correct and SAFE way to do this. All the the risk should have been taken out long before any full sized craft was built. I see this over and over and over. My heart goes out to you and yours...but this did NOT need to end this way.
seaplaneguy1 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
So sorry for your loss
DreadedEddy 2 years ago
Rest in peace. Hopefully the dream won't die, I don't think the creator would have wanted that.
LPdreamcaster9 2 years ago
RIP Michael.
Marspyramids 2 years ago
Will this harm the future production of jetpods?
echonoid 2 years ago
This story happens all the time. Change and hope...then crash and burn...sad...that we fall for it. Sound familiar? The Jetpod design is a big "O" just like someone else we all know...
seaplaneguy1 2 years ago 2
THe design looked more like someone tried to stick wings on to Thunderbird 4
DreadedEddy 2 years ago 3
The incident was witnessed by many residents, including retired soldier, Halim Hamid, 50...
He said he was scooping shrimps to feed his pet fish at a disused pond about 50 metres from where the jet had crashed.
Earlier, I saw it going down the runaway three times but it could not take off.
However, on the fourth run, the jet took off into the air but at about 200 metres high, it shot vertically to the sky before veering to its left and then falling to the ground, he said.
HPUgrad1 2 years ago
Just in:
Newly-assembled aircraft Jetpod, by British-based Avcen, crash landed during a test flight from Tekah airstrip near here, killing pilot Michael Robert Dacre, 53, who is also Avcen's managing director.
The crash happened at 12.30pm Sunday. The Jetpod is owned by Avcen's Malaysian subsidiary.
Taiping deputy police chief Supt Syed Abdul Wahab Abdul Majid said Dacre suffered severe burns and injuries and died at the scene.-The Star 16/08
HPUgrad1 2 years ago
The idea is that 'park and ride' ports will be dotted around major cities with links to the centre. The concept has not been designed to get you to your door. As for comparing it to a small two seat helicopter, the Jetpod will carry around 10 people at a time and when operational will take thousands of cars off our roads each day. I should also add that you should have used the word 'which' - not 'witch' in that context of the sentence. :)
flipmodefly 3 years ago
andreartdotnet - In response to your posting, I should add the following: With regards to crashes, how many small aircraft and helicopters currently fly over our cities each day? The answer is many. How many crashes do we hear of? Answer - hardly any. Small airplanes need long runways, this is designed to take off and land in a very short distance. The aircraft will also have low noise and travels quite fast.
flipmodefly 3 years ago
STOL need to be 50-100 ft, NOT 400-500 ft (good luck, btw),. Once you introduce a taxi driver (pilot) as opposed to you driving it, the costs go up insanely. Anything successful will be you as the pilot, not some Joe making the rounds... A jet engine is NOT the right engine for this...
seaplaneguy1 2 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
what the fuck
jalikim 3 years ago
there will be new generation crashes in the air too. the most dangerous will be street wires... and i think that there will no difference between this Jetpod and small airplanes. for both we need a place to fly up and get down. and idea of taxi witch cant drive you to home's door is ridiculous. compare ir to small 1-2 seat helicopter.
andreartdotnet 3 years ago