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Old 04-29-2015, 05:48 PM   #4 (permalink)
freebeard
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What a happy day for me. <<does a little dance in chair>>

This is an excellent video for a number of reasons. For one, this is not Sir Norman Foster's replica of Dymaxion #3. This is the Ur-Dymaxion replicated. I love the canvas top and off-the-shelf spotlight tuned periscope.

On to the handling: Bucky wasn't building a car. He was building a test vehicle to test the ground handling characteristics of his real goal—the Omni-Directional Transport—which was to be VTOL. That's why it handles like a tail-dragger. There was also a complete redesign of the chassis in #2 and #3. [From memory] the '3-hinge' and '2-hinge' designs.

Here's a pre-#1 design:

I think ultimately 3-wheel drive and 3-wheel steering would be optimal, but differential braking in front might be sufficient. Especially when the plan is to fly the rear wheel preparatory to takeoff.

In short, the vehicle, and the fact that it exists, is excellent. He should park it in a chopped Butler grain elevator!
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