Filed under: Etc.
The Incredible Flying Lawnmower
We can't think of what this has to do with auto-related news besides the fact it has four wheels, a motor and was posted on Streetfire.net, a site that predominantly hosts auto-related videos. Regardless, it gets a post on Autoblog for causing painful fits of laughter and at least one documented case of soda evacuation from an olfactory orifice.
[Source: Streetfire.net]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ocnj179 7:08PM (8/08/2006)
WTF!?
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Dodge Caliber 7:12PM (8/08/2006)
I just have one question. Where can I buy one
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Takeo 7:18PM (8/08/2006)
Old news, anyone who hasn't been to an RC flying club, every single one has at least one maybe two flying lawnmowers.
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Shadyman 7:19PM (8/08/2006)
If anything, it's a paper look-alike of a lawnmower, mounted on a model airplane.
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Chivo 7:21PM (8/08/2006)
Ummm, ok. How does this create lift? No wings = no lift = no flying = fake.
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Tim 7:30PM (8/08/2006)
This video could only be funnier if that happened to be a Pinto Wagon..
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Nill 7:33PM (8/08/2006)
Chivo, it's real.
While looking flat, that green "lawnmower" body is actually sloped, making it a giant mono-wing.
The pushbar section acts as the stabilizer and you can see the propeller sticking out the front.
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Riker 7:34PM (8/08/2006)
Not a fake... this video is a couple years old, originally surfaced on a model airplane enthusiast forum, I believe.
This device was not a lawnmower rigged to fly... it was a model helicopter rigged to look like a lawnmower. The engineering challenge was substantial, I imagine. The 'blade' was a fan propeller which drew air from where the 'engine' sat. I don't recall if there were secondary fans to prevent rotation. The handle and body were made of very lightweight materials; the handle provided horizontal and vertical stabilization to some degree.
If you take a really good look, you can tell that the shapes are *not exactly* what they'd look like on a real lawnmower. It's just a very convincing mockup that they managed to make stable in flight.
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Riker 7:36PM (8/08/2006)
Oops, Nill beat me to it.
And it looks like I may have gotten some details confused. Oh well, point is simply that this thing does in fact exist.
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Chivo 7:36PM (8/08/2006)
Then kudos to whoever made this. Takes talent and skill, but please, put higher quality video!!!! I couldn't see the slopped surface, which makes one think that it is a fake.
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jk 7:38PM (8/08/2006)
The real issue is why was there no warning that they were playing Cotton Eye Joe in the background. I think my ears are bleeding.
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ZoomZoomin' 7:39PM (8/08/2006)
Not that amazing actually...definitely real, not fake. These are just R/C planes with interesting shapes. They've been around for years. Even when I was a kid, they had planes, the Red Baron doghouse (Snoopy), and various other shapes. It's quite easy to camouflage the flying surfaces.
I can't recall the company that actually sells these as kits now. I think they're based on the east coast or Florida. I've fallen out of touch with R/C planes. My last endeavors were with helis before I had to shelve the hobby for awhile.
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ZoomZoomin' 7:45PM (8/08/2006)
I meant to say "had lawnmowers, the Red Baron doghouse (Snoopy), and various other shapes."
Though it looks like quite a few people already beat me to the clarification by the time I submitted anyway.
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Jeff 8:31PM (8/08/2006)
Wow...
Here is a real "flying" lawnmower:
http://www.hovermower.com/hovermower.htm
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Jeff 8:33PM (8/08/2006)
But the best name is:
http://www.flymo.com/node506.aspx
Yes, Flymo...
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Yada 8:38PM (8/08/2006)
I wonder if I could cut my grass faster with that thing? http://importantblogposts.blogspot.com/
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Edsel 8:47PM (8/08/2006)
Ponder a full scale militarized interceptor fighter version of that thing!
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Jim 9:59PM (8/08/2006)
http://www.rc-airplane-world.com/flying-lawn-mower.html
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Babu 10:08PM (8/08/2006)
Neff, why is this funny? Cute, yes, but way too long except as an RC demo.
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Freddy 10:20PM (8/08/2006)
Hey Edsel: A nickname for a rather powerful fuel-air munition used in Vietnam to clear helicopter lzs was the "daisy-cutter". We just need to pair the flying lawnmower with the daisy cutter. Jungle to suburban idyll in one quick, coordinated air-strike. Charlie don't BBQ!
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