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Frame from BTD10: The 835kph Sailplane and Dynamic Soaring Plays via YouTube's privacy-enhanced embed

BTD10: The 835kph Sailplane and Dynamic Soaring

TNG Technology Consulting GmbH
Talks
YouTube
2 HN users recommended this talk2 months2022–2023 score 2
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026

Recommended as a detailed, wonderful explanation of the physics of dynamic soaring and record-speed RC gliders.

Spencer Lisenby explains dynamic soaring, a technique that lets unpowered radio-controlled gliders reach speeds above 835 kph. He covers the physics and the design, build and flying challenges.

“Here's a really wonderful talk by Spencer Lisenby about the basic physics” (HN, 2023)

2 recommendations · 1 citations · Talks · intermediate

3 Hacker News comments

From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.

@robomartin Sep 2022 Recommends
on HN thread Create an Inexpensive Flying Wing / Drone (2019)
Read more
Adding to that, here's slope soaring, which is really cool. I haven't really done a lot of this due to having to travel far to have access to this type of geography. Beautiful silent flight, no motors required. They do add motors to some of the planes just so you have backup in case you lose lift. Here's an excellent intro to the sport: [link] And then there's the absolutely crazy/demented --in a good way-- dynamic slope soaring. I have yet to experience this. This is the domain of sophisticated carbon fiber and top-quality components. You can find videos of planes exploding in flight due to loads. This is a long video with a detailed technical explanation of dynamic soaring: [this video] 548 mph (882 kph) run: [link]
Long, detailed technical explanation of dynamic soaring
@jessriedel Dec 2023 Recommends
on HN thread Dynamic Soaring
Here's a really wonderful talk by Spencer Lisenby about the basic physics and Lisenby's work on pushing the speed [this video] Some other interesting HN comments: [link] [link]
Talk on basic physics and pushing glider speed records

Citations, criticism and jokes

@chrisdalke Dec 2022 Cites it
on HN thread Dynamic soaring as a means to exceed the solar wind speed
Similar dynamic slope soaring has been researched and demonstrated to dramatic affect by Spencer Lisenby and others: [this video] . In the video I linked he describes how they engineered and flew a RC glider at a speed of 519mph. Makes a lot of sense that this could be applied on a larger atmospheric scale for spacecraft.
Engineering of an RC glider flown at 519mph

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