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Build Your Own Flying Lawn Mower

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the lawn-ranger dept.

Ant writes "Ever seen a flying lawn mower (streaming; download 5.1 MB WMV file) before? I haven't. The WMV video file description says: 'FlyingThingZ Sky Cutter .40 V2 flying at Moon Lake's Annual Make a Wish Foundation Airshow for 2004'. More information can be found on the official Web site. Seen on Blue's News. My good friend, KaT, brought up a good question: 'Since lawns (also known as grass) live usually less than 6" from the ground, how would flying help them do their job better?'"

6 of 284 comments (clear)

  1. Mirror by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    in case of slashdotting on that site and to reduce slashdotting on my site (I get 25 GB per month... i'll use about 20 this month)... tack on the filename in the 5.1 MB file link to "http://www.calcgames.org/site/pub/" and it'll be there. Please, if you have bandwidth, mirror it to your site, and PLEASE do NOT post a linky to my site.

    1. Re:Mirror by Dr+Reducto · · Score: 4, Informative

      I have unlimited bandwidth at school, try me:

      Skycutter Vid Link

      I really want to piss off OIT, maybe even bring down the outbound router. Do your worst.

  2. Video File by Combuchan · · Score: 4, Informative

    The video file is likely to slashdot the server, so I've created a mirror at http://emvis.net/skycutter40-1.wmv. Enjoy.

    --sean

    --
    "[T]he single essential element on which all discoveries will be dependent is human freedom." -- Barry Goldwater
  3. Nothing that amazing by OverlordQ · · Score: 5, Informative

    Just a small model of a lawn mower made out of balsa and foam with an engine tacked on.

    --
    Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
  4. Re:how does this work? by Erioll · · Score: 5, Informative

    This thing (or a variant) has been around at LEAST 6 years (probably a lot longer, but that long at least I remember seeing a picture of it).

    The way it works is that the "deck" of the lawnmower itself is the wing. It is essentially a strange-shaped flying wing. The "bars" to the handle are the rudders, and there's elevons (combination aileron/elevator) behind the deck/wing. You can easily see the engine and propellor on the front as-is.

    Neat to see more pictures of it though, even if variants of it have been around for a while.

    Erioll

  5. Re:Seeing that video . . . . . by Daniel_Staal · · Score: 4, Informative

    Pound for pound, model airplane engines have the highest horsepower of any internal combustion engine. Realize they are basic in design, with high-quality tolerances, and the bare minimum of metal to contain and cool. All unnecessary weight is dropped: there is no battery, no starter. The throttle works directly on the airfeed, which pulls the fuel by suction. (Occasionally helped by pressurized tanks.)

    They are simple. But they only have to do a simple job, and they do it well.

    --
    'Sensible' is a curse word.