Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisgerman1983
I just had a thought... would a wing mounted on a vehicle to create lift, reduce rolling resistance enough to overcome the drag it would create?
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Oddly enough, I once had similar thoughts when I was young, around Jr. High school age.
My idea was to have a wheeled hovercraft, or more accurately a hovercar.
The goal was to reduce friction and rolling resistance just to the point where the traction from the wheels was enough to propel it.
In addition I would need enough sideways resistance (traction) to prevent the craft from sliding into the gutter or road shoulder. The crown of the road designed for water drainage can send a conventional hovercraft sideways into the ditch or curb. A usable hovercar would of course have to avoid this.
Such plans from the mind of a 13 year old. Never thought of curves/turning, nor the implications of stopping or even heavy rain and snowfall. Life was so much simpler then, I didn't have to contend with anything real.
