using the coanda effect is a far more efficient lift production than trying to counteract weight with sheer thrust. plus you have some type of wing for when it all goes wrong. i thought i was onto something when i thought of it as a kid. beaten. as usual
been done waaaaaay back.
VTOL has never really been a huge success
yes, helicopters and hawker harriers, etc... but one, its considered the most dangerous maneouvre to perform in an aircraft, and two, its the least efficient. a chopper uses a lot less fuel by taxiing and taking off like any other aircraft.
of course, as you use fuel, the payload decreases so you use slightly less...
i do admit though....now, what with GPS and fancy puters and all that...the idea of flying cars becomes semi feasible. restricted flight paths, all aspects of the flight being controlled by a computer, with absolutely NO operator intervention, other than to select destination.
otherwise...we would have people slamming into each other constantly. they say the road toll here of a mere 8 or so people annually is "horrific" and "avoidable" if people just did the speed limit
travelling at 600km/h, head on at someone else doing 600km/h... by the time you can tell if their ABOVE you, BELOW you, to the LEFT OR RIGHT... or directly in front...theres no time to react! at least when your on the ground, with a lane marker...theres really, most of the time, only one place a vehicle can be. they cant be above you. or below you. so, unless theyre asleep drunk or stupid, they must be to one side of you!
get into outer space, travelling at 100,000kmh+....well, all this star wars footage of flying through an asteroid field may look good on screen...reality you would be dematerialised instantly
every minute, youve basically travelled across australia, if not the world... every second is a few hundred kilometres... can you tell what way something 200km away is travelling? better be quick! be there in a second to find out! halve that if theyre heading directly at you!
oh, and at 100,000km/h... a brick would need as much power to stop or change direction as it would if say, the titanic was doing 100km/h... thats inertia for you.
those calculations they make for space flight have to be SPOT ON, you simply cant carry enough fuel to be able to correct course all the time.
everyone from uri gagarian to...um. ill say micheal collins cus everyone forgets about poor old mikey, but rants on about buzz and neil... were completely insane to have put their trust in those machines! but, it was worth it i guess.
dont get me wrong! i would LOVE some type of little "flivver" i could zip under the radar on! the nearest beach is 10km away in a straight line! its 70km away by road!
but this video is just another example of someone with a LOT of money throwing it away with no real concern about the final results...