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One man designed and built the ultimate bush plane

arstechnica.com

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Re: One man designed and built the ultimate bush plane

#2

Post by Hasz »

This is very cool. I had to look around a bit, but I found a link to DRACO taking off at at a competition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp3402SOk8A

Apparently this distance is about 100ft.

Stats are all over the place, but "DRACO will climb at 4,000 feet-per-minute (FPM) and cruise at 180 mph (290 km/h) at 16,000 feet." which apparently blows everyone else out of the water (and it should for a 1M+ plane)

Also, 5 months is a crazy timeline to build something that flies. I can't imagine the amount of skill (and confidence needed in your skill) to hop in a plane you tore apart and redid in less than 1/2 a year.

Re: One man designed and built the ultimate bush plane

#5

Post by ehnto »

I watch a few aviation YouTube channels and this plane has popped up a few times. I had no idea of the story behind it, that is super cool!

Minor article nitpick, bushplanes are more like the Land Rover Troopy or Enduro motorbike bike of the sky, and not at all like an SUV. SUVs are lumbering, fragile and impractically large people busses, often with all the luxuries you can think of. Bush Planes are nimble, barebones, and pragmatic vehicles of utility. Getting hot? Crack the window. Luggage? Not today sorry, the air is too thin.

Except this one, still a bush plane, just an incredibly powerful one!

Re: One man designed and built the ultimate bush plane

#6

Post by halbritt »

Hasz wrote: post #2

This is very cool. I had to look around a bit, but I found a link to DRACO taking off at at a competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp3402SOk8A Apparently this distance is about 100ft. Stats are all over the place, but "DRACO will climb at 4,000 feet-per-minute (FPM) and cruise at 180 mph (290 km/h) at 16,000 feet." which apparently blows everyone else out of the water (and it should for a 1M+ plane) Also, 5 m…

Go watch the build videos and you'll understand how he got it done in 5 months. The guy is definitely "special" in the sense that he's incredibly driven, very positive, and a bit scary.

Apparently, he only sleeps a few hours a day.

Re: One man designed and built the ultimate bush plane

#7

Post by DuskStar »

halbritt wrote: post #6
Hasz wrote: post #2

This is very cool. I had to look around a bit, but I found a link to DRACO taking off at at a competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp3402SOk8A Apparently this distance is about 100ft. Stats are all over the place, but "DRACO will climb at 4,000 feet-per-minute (FPM) and cruise at 180 mph (290 km/h) at 16,000 feet." which apparently blows everyone else out of the water (and it should for a 1M+ plane) Also, 5 m…

Go watch the build videos and you'll understand how he got it done in 5 months. The guy is definitely "special" in the sense that he's incredibly driven, very positive, and a bit scary. Apparently, he only sleeps a few hours a day.

The playlist is here [0], and it's definitely worth watching! The completed plane is just insane, and I was amazed at how much of it he made from carbon fiber.

0: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9OFkVHYEhoEfWmN0lQRZ...

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