Building a Flying Ship: Calculating Necessary Horsepower

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility and calculations necessary for building a flying ship, specifically focusing on the horsepower required to lift a certain weight. Participants explore various aspects of lift generation, engine design, and weight considerations, with a mix of technical and conceptual approaches.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in determining the horsepower needed to lift one pound, emphasizing the need for more information about the ship's design and framework.
  • Another participant points out that horsepower alone is not sufficient to lift an object, noting that lift must equal the weight of the ship and depends on airfoil design and propulsion efficiency.
  • A participant mentions working on an electric engine and seeks to know the minimum horsepower required to lift a pound, indicating a desire to account for additional weight.
  • One participant describes a conceptual design for the ship, likening it to a boat with engines positioned similarly to a plane, and mentions a total weight of 16 pounds without sails.
  • Another participant suggests that achieving flight would require either an extremely lightweight design or advanced engines with high horsepower-to-weight ratios.
  • One participant proposes the idea of adding a balloon or using heat expulsion to reduce weight, while also trying to keep the overall weight under 8 pounds for engine mounting purposes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying opinions on the feasibility of the flying ship concept, with some acknowledging the challenges while others propose creative solutions. There is no consensus on the specific horsepower requirements or the practicality of the design.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the complexity of calculating horsepower for lift, which depends on multiple factors such as airfoil design, drag coefficient, and propulsion efficiency. The discussion remains open-ended with unresolved technical details.

mcantu
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im working on a ship that can fly; simple yes . well having a little trubble tring to found out how mutch HP is needed to lift one pound in the air. I am making the engine my self i can't really give to mutch information at this point in time becouse I am still working on the frame work for the ship
 
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My car has 170HP and it can't lift anything in the air.
 
The horsepower required by your engine cannot be determined so simply; we cannot answer the question.

In order for your ship to fly, it needs to produce as much lift as its entire weight. In order to produce lift, it will need to use some kind of an airfoil, which will presumably require that the ship be moving through the air (like an airplane), or for the airfoil to be moving through the air (like a helicopter). In either case, you need to figure out how much power is required to push the airfoil through the air at the speed needed to generate the required lift. This depends upon the airfoil design, the drag coefficient of the ship, the efficiency of your means of propulsion, and all kinds of other factors which we cannot deduce from your post.

- Warren
 
for one thing I am not making a car fly lol would be cool to see one fly. I am working on an electric engine so i kinda need to know how mutch HP is needed to lift a pound in the air the least amount that way i have a extra HP needed for extra poundage
 
ok ill give a little more of a detail I am more of a fantasy guy that like to see something that would never be done it more like boat with four engine 2 on left and right side two more engines on the back like a plane would have in a front but in the back that will push it forword it would move up like a choper would let say the intire thing is 16 pounds and a standor sale boat no sales
 
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i think you need to slow down and formulate your thoughts a little better
 
Pretty little concept, but unless you are going to make the thing incredibly light or have some sort of advanced engines with EXTREMELY high hp to weight you are out of luck.

The flying boats I've seen are all ground effect aircraft or pontoon planes.

If you doubt me, look up the Moler flying car. Pretty much outlines the engine configuration you have, and then dang thing still doesn't work with today's technology.
 
there always a balloon i can add on top or have it shoot out the exzess heat from below to reduce it; making it less heavy. i was thinking about how mutch power would be needed for it i was also tring to keep it light. right now it's less then 5 ounce. it a small version right now. I am trying to make it less then 8 pounds that way the the engines can be mounted
 

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