| The PDF pattern is here sciencetoymaker.org This video is about making and flying spinney big-mouth tumblewings, which can be made out of ordinary phone-book paper or even newspaper. Mysteriously flying or surfing them on invisible waves of air is sometimes called walkalong gliding. Tumblewings are the best way to start air surfing. It's how I started. Mind you, that doesn't mean it's easy. You have to follow instructions, then you'll have to experiment. Learning how to adjust and fly will be frustrating. You won't get skilled at this in just one day. But when you get it, It'll be worth your time and trouble. We live at the bottom of an ocean of air. Normally we can't see air, but when an object moves through, the air goes up and over. By deflecting air with something flat you create a wave of relative wind that goes up and over. Just as you can surf on the leading edge of a wave of water, so too you can surf lightweight gliders on the air wave. There are other forms of air surfing and you can use other materials, like foam. Some are so efficient that you can keep them up with only your hands—and lots of practice. But start with a tumblewing. It flies slowly so you have more time to react, you can fly in a living room, and all the practice you invest in learning to fly will directly help you fly other gliders. And if you wreck one, it's just paper and a minute of your time. I developed the Big Mouth, inspired by the experiments of a German Technik teacher, my friend ... |
