Project Das Fliewatüüt

[Urwumpe]

What does this convey? Or is just a matter of grammar?

yes, its the inflection as verb for "Tüüt", which is just an onomatopoeia.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

So I made some preliminary estimates and put them in my R-4 code to see how things worked out.

I assumed Tobbi was 45 kg, Robbi 90 kg (metal), and I assumed that Tobbi went down to the local salvage yard with her gas axe and scored a Ford Taunus V4 1.7 engine and fuel tank (45 L), bartering for it with some raspberry juice. The engine weighed 100 kg, and I assumed another 100 kg for the balance of the fuselage for a total dry mass of about 335 kg. I rounded up to 350 kg to include gear, bagged lunch, etc.. Assuming cod liver oil, the 45 L tank would weigh about 42 kg when full.

The engine produced 65 hp at 3000 rpm assuming a heating value of 46 MJ/kg for petrol, and my model matches that pretty well. Max rpm is 4800 rpm for about 100 hp on cod liver oil (40 MJ/kg). Using an overall vessel height of 2 m, I determined the rotor diameter to be about 2.5 m.

Using these numbers, it lifts off and flies very pleasantly, much like the R-4. It's a little sluggish with a full fuel load but not bad at all.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Some screenshots of the cockpit levers:





It seems that these are the three gauges at the top of the instrument panel, and there is a rectangular voltmeter/ohmmeter in the lower section of the panel, with lights on either side. The colored levers move in the vertical plane up down. The white knobs are the control yokes which pivot from the floor.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Evading Luftwaffe F-104s:

 

[Thunder Chicken]

@Urwumpe

Would this actually be more appropriate/consistent?:

[x] Fliegen
[x] Schwimmen
[x] Fahren

Fly, swim, or drive? It isn't evocative of the Fliewatüüt name, but describes the PTO modes accurately.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Some screenshots of the cockpit levers:

View attachment 43022
View attachment 43023
View attachment 43024

It seems that these are the three gauges at the top of the instrument panel, and there is a rectangular voltmeter/ohmmeter in the lower section of the panel, with lights on either side. The colored levers move in the vertical plane up down. The white knobs are the control yokes which pivot from the floor.

@Buck Rogers I am thinking that the location of the rectangular voltmeter/ohmmeter gauges at the bottom of the panel would be a good place to put a selection indicator of the engine output mode. Three mode placards, listed top to bottom, with a light on either side. General arrangement would be visually similar to the actual panel but also provide useful information.

 

[Buck Rogers]

[x] Luft
[x] Wasser
[x] Land

IMO this is best, also closest to english (I do live in Germany but that doesn't really help!).

I wish I could build as fast as you have ideas

I determined the rotor diameter to be about 2.5 m.

Will adjust accordingly. Any thoghts on thickness, or leave as is?

I would avoid Umlauts except only for discriptive text.

I am thinking that the location of the rectangular voltmeter/ohmmeter gauges at the bottom of the panel would be a good place to put a selection indicator of the engine output mode. Three mode placards, listed top to bottom, with a light on either side. General arrangement would be visually similar to the actual panel but also provide useful information.

Sounds good, note there are only 3 gauges, the R4 has more and the collective needs to be included too?

And this where it starts to get interesting, working from pictures as close as I can a lot is guesstimation and some things are going to be off.

I think the rotor shaft needs to be further aft, about where the little box starts, better COG and looks better.
The water propeller probably sits quite well, I imagine with the bouyancy of the fin stabilisers and front tyres it sits with an AOA of 15/20° in the water.
Bigger problem: note the difference in height from the ground between the front and rear wheels, trying to keep as close to the original as possible I will try to make the front smaller and lower the rear. The pictured model has a flat tyre wich helps! How much tolerance has a heli for leaning back? I think leaning forward would be better.

 

[Buck Rogers]

[x] Fliegen
[x] Schwimmen
[x] Fahren

Is also good.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

IMO this is best, also closest to english (I do live in Germany but that doesn't really help!).

I wish I could build as fast as you have ideas

I'm just trying to lay out the information before it is needed.

Will adjust accordingly. Any thoughts on thickness, or leave as is?

I think it looks great as is. Are the rotor blades separate mesh groups from their shafts? I can animate collective changes if so.

Sounds good, note there are only 3 gauges, the R4 has more and the collective needs to be included too?

I don't think we need a fuel gauge as that dispels some of the magic needed to run a machine on raspberry juice. Maybe just a low fuel light can be tucked someplace? I also don't think an artificial horizon is needed as this is primarily a VFR aircraft and should hover level with no control inputs. Maybe we can add another set of levers (maybe green) which can be animated to show collective instead of a gauge.

And this where it starts to get interesting, working from pictures as close as I can a lot is guesstimation and some things are going to be off.
View attachment 43041
I think the rotor shaft needs to be further aft, about where the little box starts, better COG and looks better.

Does the rotor shaft need to extend down into the cockpit at all? I don't recall seeing it in the videos, but I may have missed that. I wouldn't move the gears or external rotor at all. Mechanically it looks like the box represents a gearbox to drive the rear gear, which turns the rotor.

The water propeller probably sits quite well, I imagine with the bouyancy of the fin stabilisers and front tyres it sits with an AOA of 15/20° in the water.

I can make it float at any orientation without problem. The buoyancy model is pretty flexible.

Bigger problem: note the difference in height from the ground between the front and rear wheels, trying to keep as close to the original as possible I will try to make the front smaller and lower the rear. The pictured model has a flat tyre wich helps! How much tolerance has a heli for leaning back? I think leaning forward would be better.

It's a bit of a problem as the rotor thrust is in line with the rotor axis at neutral control input, so tilting either backwards or forwards is not great. If I can compress the struts the front wheels could be made to touch at the same level as the rear wheel when it is sitting on the ground. I might be able to animate the spring with a scaling transformation along its axis.

There is going to be a crazy amount of animation work needed.

 

[Buck Rogers]

Are the rotor blades separate mesh groups from their shafts? I can animate collective changes if so.

OK! I can make it so.

I don't think we need a fuel gauge as that dispels some of the magic needed to run a machine on raspberry juice. Maybe just a low fuel light can be tucked someplace? I also don't think an artificial horizon is needed as this is primarily a VFR aircraft and should hover level with no control inputs. Maybe we can add another set of levers (maybe green) which can be animated to show collective instead of a gauge.

roger

Does the rotor shaft need to extend down into the cockpit at all? I don't recall seeing it in the videos, but I may have missed that. I wouldn't move the gears or external rotor at all. Mechanically it looks like the box represents a gearbox to drive the rear gear, which turns the rotor.

In all shots I've seen it goes between the 2 seats. I added the box to cover up the the drive shaft, in the pictures there isn't one and it seems all to be further back? Considering the flimsy design it makes sense to have the main shaft go through the whole body for stability (Tourque etc.)?

It's a bit of a problem as the rotor thrust is in line with the rotor axis at neutral control input, so tilting either backwards or forwards is not great. If I can compress the struts the front wheels could be made to touch at the same level as the rear wheel when it is sitting on the ground. I might be able to animate the spring with a scaling transformation along its axis.

This is what I thought. How far should I go in evening out ground contact, I don't think your going to get much from the suspension, (angle and length)? I can make it even, it'll just look different.
"I might be able to animate the spring with a scaling transformation along its axis."- this how I made it.

There is going to be a crazy amount of animation work needed.

Yes!

 

[Thunder Chicken]

In all shots I've seen it goes between the 2 seats. I added the box to cover up the the drive shaft, in the pictures there isn't one and it seems all to be further back? Considering the flimsy design it makes sense to have the main shaft go through the whole body for stability (Tourque etc.)?

Is there any reason it can't still go between the two seats? Remember, judicious use of pixie dust can be employed.

This is what I thought. How far should I go in evening out ground contact, I don't think your going to get much from the suspension, (angle and length)? I can make it even, it'll just look different.

I would leave it as is. I will need to look at the geometry carefully and see what can be done.

 

[Buck Rogers]

Is there any reason it can't still go between the two seats? Remember, judicious use of pixie dust can be employed.

Yes, of course, just a little closer to the back wall.

I would leave it as is. I will need to look at the geometry carefully and see what can be done.

I will make a minor compensation. And start on the cockpit.
I can then send you a preview blender file so you can do a 3d analysis?

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Yes, of course, just a little closer to the back wall.

I will make a minor compensation. And start on the cockpit.
I can then send you a preview blender file so you can do a 3d analysis?

Ok. I will likely not be able to get into it until later this week, so you don't need to rush getting the mesh to me.

 

[Buck Rogers]

Minor adjustments made on both matters. I think it's actually closer to the original now.
With the adjustment it comes in at about 2.2m tall (can't set scale until the wheels are set), this very close to the estimate, I'm tempted to keep it (makes life easier), also there's play room with the ring height (included in the 2.2m). Should the ring rotate with the shaft?
There's now only a difference of ~5cm, this should be doable with the suspension.

 

[Buck Rogers]

Me thinks that's a lot of weight on one tiny rear wheel that's supposed to caster?

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Me thinks that's a lot of weight on one tiny rear wheel that's supposed to caster?

Remember that this is only about 900 lb total with the occupants. There are cart casters that can support such weights, and here there is plenty of room for a solid shaft and bearings to support it. I don't think it looks implausible.

It's going to be interesting to try to animate it, but I think I can do it by rotating it and changing the tail contact point.

 

[MaxBuzz]

I don't know much about cars, but this looks like a Fiat 500 or Mini

 

[MaxBuzz]

I don't know much about cars, but this looks like a Fiat 500 or Mini

or the robot was on the right side of history, all along Trabant

 

[Buck Rogers]

I don't know much about cars, but this looks like a Fiat 500 or Mini

It's not a bird, or a plane, and neither a car, nor a boat, it's a Fliewatüüt!

Started on the cockpit.

And made a prelimanary plan for the console.

Black switches, white lights.
3x lights for the 3 modes (blue?).
One for stowed (yellow).
Treibstoff, fuel low (red)
Raspberry hatch open light?
Do you want animated switches for the internal/external lights?
How would you like it?

Thinking about it, that the console is on the floor it might be better to have the text above or (as you mentioned) on the sides of the lights.

 

[MaxBuzz]

looks like a V-7 helicopter


By the way, the missing tail can be compensated by two rotors (KA-26)