Lift Body with Fans? An Exploration of Physics

[justsomeonenew]

Hello everybody,

I have a crazy idea in my mind, and I need help of someone who knows about physics !

I was wondering if it could be possible to lift a human body with fans on the ground. I know about vertical wind tunnel (indoor skydiving), but I thought more of a compact and homemade system. Not a system who could allow you to fly very high, or to do complex acrobatics, but just enough power and air to maintain a body 50cm high.

I saw videos of people creating flying vehicle (like a hoverbike), but if you do the contrary, and you put the motors and the propeller on the floor, will it be enough power to fly above?
I made some research, and I saw some paramotor engine with a thrust between 30 and 90kg. With 4 like that arrange in square, maybe it will be enough.

Or maybe a lot of little electric ducted fan with 5kg thrust (those used in modelism).
Or just one "big" motor with one "big" propeller.

The real issue is to know if it could be a "small" installation, and not a giant building with giant motor and huge amount of power. I saw some mobile vertical wind tunnel, but I would like to know if it's possible to do smaller. More like a podium.

Of course I'm not going to jump on a big propeller spinning very fast. I was just wondering if it may be possible!

Thanks for your help (And sorry for my english!)

 

[berkeman]

Hello everybody,

I have a crazy idea in my mind, and I need help of someone who knows about physics !

I was wondering if it could be possible to lift a human body with fans on the ground. I know about vertical wind tunnel (indoor skydiving), but I thought more of a compact and homemade system. Not a system who could allow you to fly very high, or to do complex acrobatics, but just enough power and air to maintain a body 50cm high.

I saw videos of people creating flying vehicle (like a hoverbike), but if you do the contrary, and you put the motors and the propeller on the floor, will it be enough power to fly above?
I made some research, and I saw some paramotor engine with a thrust between 30 and 90kg. With 4 like that arrange in square, maybe it will be enough.

Or maybe a lot of little electric ducted fan with 5kg thrust (those used in modelism).
Or just one "big" motor with one "big" propeller.

The real issue is to know if it could be a "small" installation, and not a giant building with giant motor and huge amount of power. I saw some mobile vertical wind tunnel, but I would like to know if it's possible to do smaller. More like a podium.

Of course I'm not going to jump on a big propeller spinning very fast. I was just wondering if it may be possible!

Thanks for your help (And sorry for my english!)

Welcome to the PF.

Sounds like a personal hovercraft, but with the motor and fan on the ground. Do you want the fan to follow you around under the skirt somehow? Or are you just going to stay in one place?

http://www.toxel.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/hovercraft05.jpg
http://www.toxel.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/hovercraft05.jpg

 

[justsomeonenew]

Welcome to the PF.

Sounds like a personal hovercraft, but with the motor and fan on the ground. Do you want the fan to follow you around under the skirt somehow? Or are you just going to stay in one place?

Not really an hovercraft. More like that :

 

[jedishrfu]

Checkout iFly, its does something like what you've described:

https://downunder.iflyworld.com/what-is-ifly/technology

and more discussion on vertical wind tunnel speeds:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_wind_tunnel

 

[berkeman]

Checkout iFly, its does something like what you've described:

https://downunder.iflyworld.com/what-is-ifly/technology

and more discussion on vertical wind tunnel speeds:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_wind_tunnel

Sounds like he wants a smaller, portable version of iFly. This is the smallest one I could find with a quick search, although if you wore a wingsuit, you could probably cut down the size some...

http://www.bodyflightconcepts.com/images/portable.jpg

 

[jedishrfu]

Here's something even cheaper:
http://c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/i/spin/image/spin_prod_943128812?hei=1000&wid=1000&op_sharpen=1

 

[boneh3ad]

Here's something even cheaper:
http://c.shld.net/rpx/i/s/i/spin/image/spin_prod_943128812?hei=1000&wid=1000&op_sharpen=1

Amazingly, that's actually more dangerous than the fan version, though.