hi..good work

Great stuff Snowbird!

Wow its hard enough to keep an unmanned ornithopter at a steady altitude little alone a manned one. Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for birdkind.

Id definitely like to keep posted.

I have a very similar proyect, but adding an hydrogen (or Helium) body to help the weigth value. Will be glad to share information. Greetings from Argentina!

I personally don't find it so easy to dismiss propulsion from those wings, as they seem to have their trailing edges evidently oscillate in a motion similar to that of swim fins. And once (assuming) this effect had the right magnitude to allow the aircraft to keep its cruising speed, lift from the very very long cambered airfoils would certainly keep it also up (at midair). It stays probably true that there's no significant lift from the difference in volume between air moved down and air mover up as a result of each flapping cycle.

Adler Schmid (Germany) did an ornithopter in the 1930's, with less than half of the wing span and about 1-1/2 heavier plane (62 + KG). He was also towed, but once airborne, he maintained level flight for 900 meters (2952 Ft.) at a height of 20 meters (65 Ft.) with just pure "human muscle power". Google "Adler Schmid, ornithopter" and you will find more about other ornithopters he did. I think he deserves more recognition for his work. You guys did also great. Congratulations!

I liked it!! see my flying man too ---------when you get a chance!

By any chance, do you have/would you be willing to post the... I can't remember what they're called... Diagrams? Um... the building plans, with all the measurements, materials, etc.

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on the other hand if you look at birds wings closely when they are flying you will notice that the motion of their wings is not simply beating up and down. it is very complex and it allows them to push air downwards and backwards which gives them both thrust and propulsion. your model of aircraft only has a false thrust (hypothetically due to up and down beating of the wings) but there is no propulsion. what force will keep it moving forwards once it is airborne???

i wont call this an achievement for following reasons:

1. most of the power that keeps the craft in air and moving forwards comes from the momentum that the car is imparting to it
2. rest of it is coming from the gliding phenomenon. a very minimal part of it may be due to the actual human power.
3. beating wings in up and down motion (like your aircraft is doing) will not result in a net downward movement of air current, which is what will keep it suspended in air. this type of flapping wing motion will only result in alternating upward and downward air currents that will cancel out each other. that is the reason why your plan is oscillating up an down when you are flapping its wings and there is no net upward thrust.