Historical UAV

[macboffin]

Just for interest, an old pic I came across, self twenty years ago with a small UAV prototype.Have built a few since!

[Munin]

That design does ring some bells.
If I recall right I've seen somthing like it by some US University group.

/Munin

[macboffin]

That design does ring some bells.
If I recall right I've seen somthing like it by some US University group.

/Munin I'd be very interested if you could track that down ; I havn't done any patent deals with any Universities!
Mac

[Magician]

Mac,

I really enjoy seeing unique configurations and the joined wing is one that always looks cool.
How is your patent different than Julian Wolkovitch's patent from 1976? I thought that he was considered the father of the joined wing based on what I've heard from folks in the industry. Is your concept substantially different and if so, in what way? I'm always looking to learn from the folks who have been there.

Regards,
Chris

[clolson]

Mac,

I really enjoy seeing unique configurations and the joined wing is one that always looks cool.
How is your patent different than Julian Wolkovitch's patent from 1976? I thought that he was considered the father of the joined wing based on what I've heard from folks in the industry. Is your concept substantially different and if so, in what way? I'm always looking to learn from the folks who have been there.

Regards,
Chris

How is your design powered? I see the vtail in the back which is interesting, but I don't see any sort of propellor blades peeking out or any other clues about what might have powered this aircraft.

CUrt.

[Unterhausen]

there are more pics in the aerial photography forum. There is a rear motor.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=715020


Would a patent from '76 still be valid today? I thought back then they expired in 20 years.

[Magician]

Would a patent from '76 still be valid today? I thought back then they expired in 20 years.

I don't know, I've never dealt with patent issues. But even if a patent is only good for 20 years then there is an overlap of about ten years, Wolkovitch 76-96 and Mac 87-present. I'm just curious what the differences are and what patent Mac is refering to. The Outrider UAV was done back in the early 90's and the same company, Mission Technologies is now making the small BUSTER (http://mitex-training.com/index.htm) UAS TwinWing. The Joined wing configuration lives!

Chris

[macboffin]

Mac,

I really enjoy seeing unique configurations and the joined wing is one that always looks cool.
How is your patent different than Julian Wolkovitch's patent from 1976? I thought that he was considered the father of the joined wing based on what I've heard from folks in the industry. Is your concept substantially different and if so, in what way? I'm always looking to learn from the folks who have been there.

Regards,
Chris Julian was flying hang gliders when I was, he saw one of mine and copied, lawyers fell on him from a great height since I had patented it. He reversed my design, put the front wing low and rear wing high. He managed to get a Darpa developement contract ; the swivelling wing aircraft which Burt Rutan had built was converted to his wing design and flown on a few hops, scrapped as unsatisfactory. He proposed the design for a number of aircraft projects but nothing came of it in spite of lots of publicity.Then he died ; all his stuff went to auction, didn't sell.
Meanwhile my version, front wing high, rear wing low, was taken up by NASA and after they had spent a bit over a million bucks on wind tunnel and flight tests I was directed to move to the States and start up, produce an Army surveillance UAV.This became the "Outrider".After that there were many other versions, some still in production. I am now officially retired, but still pottering about with new designs and projects in the UAV field.
Father of the Twinwing? No way, my first patent was in 1970! Been a lot of copiers since, some making fanciful claims.

[macboffin]

I don't know, I've never dealt with patent issues. But even if a patent is only good for 20 years then there is an overlap of about ten years, Wolkovitch 76-96 and Mac 87-present. I'm just curious what the differences are and what patent Mac is refering to. The Outrider UAV was done back in the early 90's and the same company, Mission Technologies is now making the small BUSTER (http://mitex-training.com/index.htm) UAS TwinWing. The Joined wing configuration lives!

Chris Mission Technologies was founded by myself and John Wallis,(also a Brit; he had been the pilot for the British atom bomb testing at Christmas Island), a guy called Hampton Dews,(ex Army major, last job in Army testing/evaluating UAVs for Army) and Beverley Cox, who was ex American Airlines. The company was founded following an evaluation trip to Britain to see Twinwing aircraft I had produced by an American team from Missile Command out of Huntsville, who were responsible for UAV developementThey liked the product,only snag "not made in USA" so invited me to set up in Texas, which we did. Hamp Dews came on the team because he had been our sales rep in USA after he left the Army.

[macboffin]

How is your design powered? I see the vtail in the back which is interesting, but I don't see any sort of propellor blades peeking out or any other clues about what might have powered this aircraft.

CUrt. The "historical" plane had a flat twin pusher engine, 1.20 as I remember.

[macboffin]

there are more pics in the aerial photography forum. There is a rear motor.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=715020


Would a patent from '76 still be valid today? I thought back then they expired in 20 years. The original patent has been upgraded since.

[dalbert02]

Wow. Very fascinating stuff Mac!
-dave

[skymind]

Good looking stuff MacBoff

[indtech]

Mac is this yours?

http://remoteairworks.com/

[Munin]

Hello

Sure does look like mac's work.
But then again it might be a license of the patent.

/Munin

[macboffin]

Mac is this yours?

http://remoteairworks.com/ Yes indeed ; formed a company with a guy named Ingo Massey, who got delusions of grandeur, so we parted company, seven/eight years ago. He has no license agreement etc, and not entitled to use the name "Twinwing", but is very unlikely to get anywhere with it, so have foregone expense of lawyers getting involved. He upset bureacracy here by demanding a Ministry contract, with no facilities or technical back up, hoping for a lucrative payment in front R&D contract. Has videos on web-site showing "A stable camera platform" doing aerobatics. Not very clever!