Vincent Besancon's steam glider

Some of you will already be aware of Vincent's work. His latest creation is truly amazing. Don't worry about the website being in French...take a look at the images to see how a true crasftsman does it. And he is planning to fly it, like he does all his models.

Here's the website: www.retroplane.net/flying-machine/page1.htm

...and a little teaser. This is just the tail wheel. It's made just like a full-size cart wheel, with a steel rim heated and shrunk in place.

Magnificent, Mike. This is a must see for us all.
However, to quote Mr Scott, "He should try a different prop on that!".

I have a boiler going spare if somebody feels like a try

Not sure that prop is going to help much as Phil said. I'm sure frank could knock one of these up !

Mike - Interesting, read it on my tablet which translated the French letters into English.
A 36 ton steel & wood bungee launched glider was not going to be a floater.
Great piece of model making, no doubt it will fly better than the full size.

Colin.A

A total work of art in it's own right, the skill is exemplary and rightly a museum piece, certainly worlds better than some of the junk put into the National Gallery of Modern Art. Now where did all the scrap gold leaf go, I could make good use of that ??!!!

[quote="4Pedalsfly" post=3430A 36 ton steel & wood bungee launched glider ... no doubt it will fly better than the full size.[/quote]

I am assuming that the full-sized did not exist. This is just an insight into Vincent's warped imagination. That said, all his other models are scale (I think) but I cannot find reference to Honoré Dartiguenave or his flying machine other than on Vincent's own website's and RCGroup posts.

Mike

Mike - Been round the same search route as yourself, difficult to imagine the full size realy existed.
Still a great piece of model engineering, his docuementation for a scale comp would be interesting.
Colin.A

A quick update. Vincent's model has flown. Scroll to the bottom of the page and download the video.

Page 7 of the build thread - video at the bottom

Direct link to download the video

Also note that Vincent is not alone. The machine that walks across the wing at 8 minutes in the video is designed by another warped mind, Theo Jansen.

Take a look at some of his amazing creations here