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Footlaunched sailplanes Archaeopteryx and canard 2fl

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Michealvalentinsmith

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2009
Messages
361
Location
Rainbow beach QLD Australia
I came across this video on the net. It shows the newly Archaeopteryx with traditional tail but at the end of the video has the only videos of the much older canard 2fl of Hans U Farner.

The 2fl was decades earlier than the Archae and reported 2 points better glide at 30:1. The weights were similar despite the fact that the 2fl used older glass and Styrofoam construction.

I tried to purchase a 2fl in the early 70s but by then it had already been withdrawn from sale. Apparently the rolling canard it used for yaw (pitch was weight shift) could in some circumstance, induce an unrecoverable spin - which killed one pilot. It seems the canard could, on reversing bank angles, strike the airflow at such an angle that it yawed the nose in the opposite direction inducing spin.

The was an easy solution, but the machine was withdrawn from sale, and later sold as a motorized ultralight with fixed canard and forward elevator. I can't understand the language but in the video they give the impression that the designer of both vehicles is the same so I'm sure he wouldn't have taken a hit in weight and glide if the concept was viable. But the 2fl sure seems to fly well in the video.

This is the direct link but it doesn't seem to work unless you go to the site first.
Schweizer Fernsehen: SF Videoportal - 10vor10 - Der Traum vom Fliegen.
So you can go to Schweizer Fernsehen: SF Videoportal (make sure you include the backslash) then past the direct link - or type archaeopteryx into search.

The also block any download of the video. I tried looking for it in the temp files but it doesn't show up, and downloader programs don't work either.
 
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