rickjump1 0 #1 May 4, 2004 It's a scary thought; hydrogen powered aircraft, large balloons, or a hydraulic catapult mounted on a 3000' tower (g suits of course)?Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BenGriffiths 0 #2 May 4, 2004 I've always thought the Dome in which the Truman show was made would be a great place for Skydving (or would it be BASE) - 100% controllable weather and no airport of any Kind :-)---------- Ben G Still Sinking :-( Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mcrocker 0 #3 May 4, 2004 Personally, I'll just hitch a ride on the new space elevator, get off at 100k and say WEEEEEEEE! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonto 1 #4 May 4, 2004 Um... Parafin (Jet A1) is already a manufactured fuel... Avgas will have a problem... but oil from coal allows 300 years worth of reserves at current usage, so it's a long term problem. If you live longer than 300 years... there's always base, baloon jumps, paraglider jumps etc. tIt's the year of the Pig. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmsmith 1 #5 May 4, 2004 Probably a combination of drugs and virtual reality equipment. You'd never know the difference, and you could experience anything you'd like...maybe ravish a top model after your skydive, then on to some ultra violence on the streets. It will be the biggest money maker in history, and very addictive for its participants. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Praetorian 1 #6 May 4, 2004 Biodesel, ethanol, chemists and other scientists will find a way. for the short run though it is a great arguement for alternative fuels for cars, cars can run on ethanol, or biodesel now, jet fuel is more of a bitch. But our country seems to have no interiest in alternative fuels or fuel economy in anyway Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KevinMcGuire 0 #7 May 4, 2004 the first parachute jumps where from fixed objects. The last parachute jumps will be from fixed objects Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FrogNog 1 #8 May 4, 2004 We just need to get energy into the plane, then get it into the prop. If the world runs out of energy, we will have a lot worse problems than not being able to skydive. Someone mentioned space elevators. Well, one of the technologies to be used for space elevators is beaming (presumably as microwave) energy from the ground to the elevator climber. Jump airplanes fly nowhere near as high as a space elevator (several kilometers, vs. hundreds of thousand of kilometers), so this technology should work for that. My suggestion is jump planes with energy reception cells (like solar cells) on the bottom, and only enough battery power to taxi around. This would be sweet because every load could be a hotload. (But I assume they would switch the prop off while we loaded - electric planes can do that.) -=-=-=-=- Pull. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WeakMindedFool 0 #9 May 4, 2004 Not to mention all the shit that goes into making a canopy/harness...well everything, is made with fossil fuels in it or in it's manufacture!Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves. -Eric Hoffer - Check out these Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nicknitro71 0 #10 May 4, 2004 Quote the first parachute jumps where from fixed objects. The last parachute jumps will be from fixed objects My thought exactly.Memento Audere Semper 903 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Praetorian 1 #11 May 4, 2004 I could be wrong here but I thought the first parachute drops were from under primitive airships/hotair or helium??? Good Judgment comes from experience...a lot of experience comes from bad judgment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redramdriver 0 #12 May 4, 2004 All fuels that I know of or heard of are somewhat carbon based. So, altho Parafin is from Crude Oil, parafin being Food Grade Wax's and such, Jet (don't know where you get A1) maybe you means Jet A...is actually from Crude Oil. Jet fuels are actually nothing more then K1...yes kerosene, and have a multitude of differant additives in the formula which when refined beyond just plane ol' K1 make differant "blends" of Jet fuels that are in use today. An example would be JP8, which is what the military are currently using A LOT of. Is nothing more then Jet A with 3 or 4 military only additives that have been blended at the refinery. Could be wrong, on some of this...but damm....been draggin that Tank around for a couple of years now, hauled a (hehe) shit load of JP8 and such to include NavGas, Crude, Gasoline, K1, K2, what we calls HHO (Home Heating Oil), many many many grades of wax including the stuff on them there dixie cups for drinking BEER, so could be wrong there....but I like the sling shot kinda thing meselfsSo, you bring your beer? Its 5 o'clock somewhere POPS #9344 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,100 #13 May 4, 2004 100% biodiesel is currently running around $3/gallon, and can be used in many turbine engines. And of course could be used in diesel recip engines for aircraft. Aircraft can be run on natural gas as well, and natural gas is pretty easy to synthesize from water and carbon dioxide. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #14 May 4, 2004 Lot's of wasted methane on the plane shows up and vents out the door at around 7500 ft and up. At least at our DZ. We could modify the engines to burn bunnies and kittens and hamsters. Plenty of those. By then, some of the skygods will be so powerful that we could just ride the plane up on the force of their skill. And for those less skillful, we can ride up on their egos. And for the 100 jumps wonders, we could ride up on their BS. Just brainstorming here ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #15 May 4, 2004 It would be relatively easy to run turbines on biodiesel and pistons on alcohol from fermented biomass. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FrogNog 1 #16 May 4, 2004 Quote All fuels that I know of or heard of are somewhat carbon based. Fossil fuels are a subset of hydrocarbon fuels. Fat and oil contain medium-short hydrocarbons that can be extracted and used. That's what biodiesel is - vegetable oil with part of it removed. (Hi, Spencer. -=-=-=-=- Pull. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vertifly 0 #17 May 4, 2004 In the FUTURE it is going to be cool. I always thought it would be great to get those things that Bugs Bunny used to compete with Marvin the Martian. You remember!!! It was a small round platform - enough for one person to stand on. And it had a lever. You push down on the lever until 15,000 ft, base jump, then freefly, then open, and land. We don't need no stinkin fossil fuels. Marvin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
srg 0 #18 May 5, 2004 My F350 truck doesn't burn fossile fuel even now. I use B100 biodiesel, and with the recent surge in petroleum prices, I'm not even paying much more than most folks. Like billvon says, it wouldn't take much effort to burn this stuff in a turbine, and you can look at www.deltahawkengines.com for some really cool recip engines that could burn it as well. When we run low on petroleum, fuel prices will rise slightly. That's all. Don't worry, be happy. Spencer "Be braver -- you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dumpster 0 #19 May 5, 2004 I got it - We use solar cells to provide the power to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, then use the hydrogen to provide our need for energy. There we go - Pretty much free fuel - Now we can't use hydrgen for everything, but by using it to power our biggest users (ground transportation and so forth) we free up enough of the remaining fossil stuff to use where technology and science hasn't discovered an alternative yet, which the most important is getting us to 14,000' as quickly as possible. Easy Does It Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WrongWay 0 #20 May 5, 2004 Quote Personally, I'll just hitch a ride on the new space elevator, get off at 100k and say WEEEEEEEE! Yeah, RIGHT ON!!!! Can you say "8 minute freefall"?? Wrong Way D #27371 Mal Manera Rodriguez Cajun Chicken Ø Hellfish #451 The wiser wolf prevails. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #21 May 5, 2004 Gerbills + Heliums = Derigiberbills - the solution to all man's transport problems. http://www.rathergood.com/mark/ Seriously though - will be biodiesel or alcohol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Designer 0 #22 May 5, 2004 Humm,been thinking about this 1 for several yrs also.How does 1 person get to a safe opening altitude?Have several Ideas but can't tell you any of them.Sorry,a patent could rest on me me keeping my mouth shut!(lol) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chrisky 2 #23 May 14, 2004 I read the lift to full alti (Orbit) would be "a few dollars"... I'd just take 6k meters, that wouldn't hurt my arms too much...The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open. From the edge you just see more. ... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChasingBlueSky 0 #24 May 14, 2004 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-05-13-spaceshipone-third-flight_x.htm this would do the deed_________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChasingBlueSky 0 #25 May 14, 2004 Where can I read up more about diesel, biodiesel, recip, etc....? You don't hear about this stuff in Chicago_________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites