back to article Virtual Vulture 2 swoops into Spaceport America

Last weekend, our Vulture 2 spaceplane finally swooped down to an automated landing at Spaceport America, thanks to some hot hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) action by Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) Pixhawk autopilot wrangler Linus Penzlien. Linus has been working on ArduPilot HIL simulations using Tennessee X-Plane …

  1. Peter Gathercole Silver badge

    Timeframe

    Has anybody heard anything about proposed mission dates for Lohan yet? I'm half expecting another kickstarter request to top up the funds because of the time it is taking.

    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

      Re: Timeframe

      It's all down to the FAA. We're on the case, but these people will not be hurried.

      1. Peter Simpson 1
        Happy

        Re: Timeframe

        And you thought Spanish bureaucracy was slow...

        1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

          Re: Re: Timeframe

          A very fair point. There must be some kind of benchmark we can establish, for comparative purposes of obstruction.

          1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

            Re: Timeframe

            Surely, the name for the new unit should be "manana".

            1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

              Re: Re: Timeframe

              Excellent.

  2. ukgnome

    Would it help if we all sent a nice email and some donuts to the FAA?

    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

      I'd like to think it would, but the extra weight they'd gain from the donuts would probably just add to the inertia.

    2. Peter Simpson 1
      Happy

      Would it help if we all sent a nice email and some donuts to the FAA?

      I can see the headlines now..."Mysterious White Powder In Package Sent to FAA"

      // Mmmmm....donuts!

  3. Evil Auditor Silver badge

    Real-life testing?

    Are you going to test the autopilot also IRL? I mean before the full-blown LOHAN takeoff.

    Not sure if I would though, as it puts the Vulture 2 at quite a risk...

    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

      Re: Real-life testing?

      No, we're going for broke on the day, as it were. Have mulled it over, we've decided that the benefits from full-fat test flight are outweighed by the risks to the aircraft. It's an audacious and controversial strategy, but hey, no guts no glory and all that.

      1. Elmer Phud

        Re: Real-life testing?

        " no guts no glory and all that."

        Your stay over the pond has already affected you.

        It's 'shit or bust', none of that 'glory' rubbish, thank you.

        1. Roger Greenwood

          Re: Real-life testing?

          On a more positive note:- "Who dares wins"

  4. Jonathan Richards 1
    Thumb Up

    Canards

    Does the X-plane model animate the canards realistically: in the video they appear to be at maximum elevation; probably at a stalling angle-of-attack, I would guess. Does Vulture 2 really fly like that?

    Also, who chickened out of giving us the actual moment of virtual landing... or should I say impact...?

    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

      Re: Canards

      The canards don't animate, nor do the rudders, which makes it look a bit odd. They work virtually, though.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    When...?

    First off, let me qualify this by saying I think whole LOHAN thing is a great idea, remendous fun, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it fly.

    But...

    Out of curiosity, I looked back through the story archives - I went back more than three and a half years, and didn't reach the start of the LOHAN stuff.

    OK - I appreciate this is not a trivial undertaking (insert obligatory joke about rocket science here) but there seems to have been a lot of tinkering but LOHAN is still to take to the skies. So, as simple a question as possible: is the only barrier now the FAA issue? Or, once the FAA give the go-ahead, will there still be further titting about?

    Sorry - I know this sounds negative, it's just that with every month that goes by, I'm finding it harder and harder to stay enthusiatic about this venture

    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

      Re: When...?

      The only barrier to the launch is the FAA. When we get the nod, we're good to go.

      Luckily, the team's enthusiasm is undiminished, despite what is proving a very frustrating delay.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: When...?

        Also virtually everytime there's a new article the list of sponsors seems to grow almost to the point where the sponsors have more column cms than the articles. Sadly I think LOHAN lost it's garage project credentials quite a while ago.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @ Chris W

          It jumped that shark a long time ago

        2. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

          Re: Re: When...?

          Ah yes: "Back in the garage with my bullshit detector. Carbon monoxide makes sure it's effective."

  6. Lyndon Hills 1

    Stealth mode?

    I remember there was a competition to design the LOHAN livery. Is this the alternative stealth mode to fool the FAA?

  7. Mark 85

    FAA approval...

    Well, after the assault on the White House by a drunken drone operator, I'm sure that extra scrutiny of your project is in the works. A quick look at the Comments section of any LOHAN article has many mentions of beer.

    Alternately, the guy who had your application in his in-basket retired and no one has bothered to look through said in-basket and re-distribute the work.

    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

      Re: FAA approval...

      He did probably retire, and no one noticed.

      1. Mark 85

        Re: FAA approval...

        So it's quite possible that your application was approved and you missed the launch date... <sigh> My government tax dollars at something other than work.

  8. imanidiot Silver badge

    Not just the FAA

    I haven't heard of ANY aviation authority anywhere being a joy to work with. In europe they are just as or even more slow, tick, knuckledragging, beaurocratic and rage-inducing it seems.

    1. Peter Simpson 1
      Happy

      Re: Not just the FAA

      It's not just the government -- the NFL refs can't even spot an underinflated football until it's pointed out to them.

      // Go Pats!

  9. Ugotta B. Kiddingme
    Pint

    the mind boggles...

    "Andrew Tridgell will remotely monitor the spaceplane's status from his sofa in Australia, so we'll have an element of expert input - depending on the connection - available to us."

    It's expected and routine for nation-states with huge aerospace/military budgets but, for a bunch of hobbyists in a quasi-garage project to do this in more or less real time from around the globe is really cool. Cue "back when I were a wee lad" and such... Really looking forward to a successful flight - $DEITY knows you lot have put in the requisite time/effort. Cheers and best of luck - including with the FAA

  10. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Woo Hoo, another step closer"

    I have just christened my hewn from the living glass Lohan Tankard, which arrived safely today, in celebration of this new momentous step. I had to drive through a blizzard to get to it. Here's hoping the weather is not so inclement on launch day.

  11. AbeSapian

    Simulation or Ad Campaign

    Not very convincing as a simulation with the plane spinning on its Z axis stationary in the sky. Looks more like a sales pitch (and not a very good one).

    1. Lester Haines (Written by Reg staff) Gold badge

      Re: Simulation or Ad Campaign

      The sales pitch is a parameter we hadn't considered. We assume that acts primarily on the canards. Please provide optimum figures, and we'll move forward from there.

      1. Martin Budden Silver badge

        Re: Simulation or Ad Campaign

        The sales pitch is the angle required to initiate forward momentum. This is how every project gets off the ground, not just LOHAN.

        1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

          Re: Simulation or Ad Campaign

          Yeah, sales pitch is important, as well as a good sales roll rate. You need to counter the adverse sales yaw carefully, though. Especially at such a high altitude, so close to ad space...

  12. WalterAlter
    Meh

    Looping descent?

    Last time I checked, the term "loop", when applied to aeronautics, means a circular motion in the vertical plane, usually involving inverted flight in the highest quadrant. Studying the simulation screen shots leads me inexorably towards thinking that Vulture II will be circling in a horizontally oriented shallow spiral which might be more properly termed a "spiraling descent" possibly modified by the terms "steep" or "shallow", or, if things fall prey to the bedlam of undetected design, system or weather variables and their demonstrable link to glitchery, an "auguring" descent.

  13. E 2

    Lester - you should look at launching from Canada. We don't generally actually define anything policy-wise until someone does something that raises the question. I dunno if this is because our politicians are stupid or if Canada is actually the bastion of libertarian values (you decide).

    WRT drones - read the rules at http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/standards/general-recavi-uav-2265.htm?WT.mc_id=1zfhj#apply. Basically it's saying "don't f*ck anyone else up, and we don't care".

    I suspect you could drive out to B*ttf*ck, Saskatchewan, set up your gear, and press the launch button. Ottawa might notice 18 months later.

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