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DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:40 pm
by Jimustanguitar
Love this guy. Glad that he's still alive after this one, it could have gotten hairy pretty fast.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ToBgypNwL4[/youtube]


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soxxPyaAT1k[/youtube]

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 5:00 pm
by Windshadow
I agree amazing, but it looks like he may have weighed it off so it could not rise above the ground effect he kept it low to the ground

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 6:56 pm
by Captain Starfish
The guy is a feckin nutjob.

A glorious, skilled, well funded, charismatic, energetic and smart feckin nutjob. Love watching his stuff.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 3:35 am
by nebbian
Having built quite a few multirotors, and seeing how they fail, I'm amazed that he doesn't have more protection around his legs. If that thing throws a blade then his legs are gone.

Also having built multis, a control system wouldn't weigh much at all, and you'd get some pretty decent stabilisation. But hey it's his project, his legs, his amazingly successful glorious youtube channel.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 3:46 am
by Eaglezsoar
I agree that it was cool to watch but he is a nut job as Captain has already said!

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 7:29 am
by barry99705
nebbian wrote:Having built quite a few multirotors, and seeing how they fail, I'm amazed that he doesn't have more protection around his legs. If that thing throws a blade then his legs are gone.

Also having built multis, a control system wouldn't weigh much at all, and you'd get some pretty decent stabilisation. But hey it's his project, his legs, his amazingly successful glorious youtube channel.
I've seen a few try to make gas multirotors. The problem is gas engines don't adjust fast enough.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 7:58 am
by Mac The Knife
It slices, It dices,,,,,,

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 8:13 am
by geneb
The trick to a gas powered quadrotor would be variable pitch props. Using those, you could have a single motor driving three or four props.

g.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 8:34 am
by Jimustanguitar
geneb wrote:The trick to a gas powered quadrotor would be variable pitch props. Using those, you could have a single motor driving three or four props.

g.
I've thought about that more than once... My wife's lucky that I didn't start buying parts for that idea yet :)

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 8:50 am
by geneb
Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJDdpaHEZMs

You'd have to change the design in order to use on a gas engine as you couldn't pass the actuator through the crankshaft, but that shouldn't be a difficult problem to solve - just look at how full-size aircraft do it.

g.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 10:33 am
by Jimustanguitar

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 11:02 am
by barry99705
Holy crap! That's cool!

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 6:03 am
by teoman
How is he funded, that is what i want to know.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 8:07 am
by Captain Starfish
indeed!

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 10:32 am
by teoman
I had watched a few videos before but now i watched a few more...

It appears that he was a plumber, but then his youtube channel took off. And he found sponsors for some of his projects like the bunker.

I am inclined to say lucky guy out of jealousy but i will go with talented instead.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 10:49 am
by Eaglezsoar
teoman wrote:I had watched a few videos before but now i watched a few more...

It appears that he was a plumber, but then his youtube channel took off. And he found sponsors for some of his projects like the bunker.

I am inclined to say lucky guy out of jealousy but i will go with talented instead.
Talented - Yes.

Lucky - Extremely.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 8:03 pm
by Captain Starfish
I'm sure there are a few guys here with the skills and knowledge to do what he's doing.

Maybe not the drive to get projects finished quickly rather than pottering away at them.

Maybe not the continuing series of weirdo lightbulb moments for projects that are achievable but have appeal.

Maybe not the need, energy or looks to be a hyped up clown in front of a camera.

Certainly not all of these things, or we'd be looking at their youtube channels too.

Good on him, he's found the right mix to get the appeal to get the bucks to continue doing crazy stuff.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 8:51 pm
by Eric
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Furze
Certain projects he has undertaken have been funded by popular television and video game franchises for promotion, including a spring-loaded hidden blade and grappling hook from the Assassin's Creed franchise, and a concrete bunker underneath his backyard to promote Sky1's television series You, Me and the Apocalypse.
https://www.youtube.com/user/colinfurze/featured
His youtube channel makes it clear that Ford sponsored his hoverbike, and maybe more.

Youtube itself can provide a revenue stream for those with high view counts like he has.

I'm sure there have been/will be other sponsors so long as he remains interesting.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 4:05 pm
by teoman
Eric wrote:
I'm sure there have been/will be other sponsors so long as he remains interesting.
And all limbs intact.


It is a tragedy waiting to happen in my opinion which is a shame. But probably one of the reasons people watch him.

Maybe givi or sidi could sponsor him with a very cool looking motorcycle suit.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 7:43 am
by barry99705
teoman wrote:
Eric wrote:
I'm sure there have been/will be other sponsors so long as he remains interesting.
And all limbs intact.


It is a tragedy waiting to happen in my opinion which is a shame. But probably one of the reasons people watch him.

Maybe givi or sidi could sponsor him with a very cool looking motorcycle suit.
He's already blown himself up once. Got some wicked 2nd degree burns. I think it was the duct taped turbin that did that one. Fuel leak.

Re: DIY HoverBike - Colin Furze

Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 1:48 am
by 626Pilot
I'd use a single gas generator with beefy DC motors and fixed-pitch props (so no oil pump required), and I would put thick steel ducting around those fans. If he doesn't have his props professionally overhauled, balanced and maintained, his next video series could well be called "How I Built A Prosthetic Limb." I know of a pilot who died because the A-hole at the maintenance shop pencil-whipped his annual inspection. His prop threw a blade, believe it or not. That's very dangerous because an unbalanced prop can potentially rip the engine out of the bay, ruining the balance of the aircraft and making it completely impossible to glide. (The people on the ground below don't like it much either.) In this flying hat-rack, something similar could happen, torturing the frame and possibly killing him if the prop blade doesn't do it first.