APEX Ekranoplan: Demonstration Drone for Manned Vehicle

By the end of next year the goal is to be taking everyone here along with me while piloting myself around some beautiful lake in the cockpit of a full scale solar recharged electric single seat GEV that looks just like this. If you think this is something the world needs, I agree! There is no way around it, I cannot get there without support. If you care to join me on this journey you can find me hanging out here:
Consider becoming a Patron: www.patreon.com/user?u=65589116
/ discord
Music: Mt. Eden - Still Alive (Skeler remix)

[@MattBalder]

I've been dreaming for a while now of being able to build some type of electric manned GEV. It would be so cool to have a kit to do this in the future. I think a ton of people would be interested.

[@ninehundreddollarluxuryyac5958]

I would buy a kit for one I could ride in. Put me on the list!

[@thinkflight]

I'm doing my best to make it a reality!

[@6666Gman]

I definitely would

[@blueechodragon99]

Would totally buy one I could ride in. Put me on the list to buy one when it's ready!

[@kimi01210]

I like this one too. The evolution continues. Keep charging!

[@Quefelsees]

The smooth gliding just above the water is so satisfying! Btw: is there any chance for you to make like a tutorial video on how you build your planes? I think a lot of people would be very interested in a straight to the point and well structured tutorial on what to take into account when building a plane out of foam + glasfiber and epoxy, etc.!

[@thinkflight]

Check out the first few videos on the channel :)

[@Quefelsees]

@@thinkflight Oh yeah, just saw it, my bad and thanks! Gonna leave my initial comment on here anyway in case someone else is also as blind as me :D

[@AerialWaviator]

Great progress evolving the ekranoplan design. My favourite clip is from 1:34, flying so close to water to create a mate texture on an otherwise glossy water surface. So close, but not touching ... just cruising! You crammed lots of fascinating hints of details into this 2 min clip. Amazing edit! 😎👍👍

[@cloudpandarism2627]

what is going on folks on one of youtubes best RC channel?! 🤙 i am flabbergasted how you have still less than 30k subs. if i get rich anytime soon i will send you 100k$ just for the heck of it. everything here is so perfect. entertainment. the filming...oh boi dont get me started on this. nice butter-smooth sunny footage. you sir, are doing it right. i can not even find words to describe how good all these projects are. you are one of the very rare channels i actually turn on 4k, put it on fullscreen and watch from the first annoying sponsor seconds (in case you ever get a sponsor) to the last bit. cheers mate° 🙌

[@chrismoreau6610]

Awesome engineering skills!

[@bludragonproject9677]

Love this iteration! It's a logical step forward 👏 keep up the awesome progress!

[@ryanm.191]

6 seconds in and I already love the video based on the music alone Mt Eden - still alive remix is an all time great

[@thinkflight]

Forgot to give credit, fixed. Skeler is THE BEST

[@abefroman7393]

Water as smooth as glass!

[@mikebergman1817]

This is probably the number 1 channel I'm excited for, when a video drops. Always the best content!

[@thinkflight]

Wow, thanks!

[@stacyp4534]

You actually made it work, awesome design and build.

[@makerbeelab5546]

Looks excellent! fantastic job!

[@juliocesarayala9283]

SALUDOS DESDE PANAMÁ Y éxitos con sus trabajos EXCELENTE 🇵🇦🇵🇦👍👍👍😀😀😀🇵🇦🇵🇦👍👍👍👍🇵🇦🇵🇦🇵🇦

[@halcyon7005]

Really cool projects. Reminds me of when I was a kid building paper planes. And thanks for introducing me to Skeler. Really good shit.

[@FPVBENNY]

Beautifull shots!!

[@kmonnier]

Looking sharp!

[@WindCatcherRC]

That is a beautiful work of art.

[@thinkflight]

Made with your foam.... :)

[@spartan3299]

The shortage of Nano Goblins is taking its toll on the Friendly Drone idea. We need you to counter the angry drone perception!

[@KenRomero]

Interesting! Why the change from previous configuration?

[@thinkflight]

Many reasons! I will explain in next video.

[@KenRomero]

@@thinkflight - Can’t wait!

[@homienat3374]

Well done

[@jaquesaulait]

Excellent!

[@peterryseck]

Super cool!

[@AsTheRavensGather]

Mt eden🙌🏼

[@rexgialla1970]

I love It !

[@homienat3374]

Nice well mate 🤙🤙🤙

[@supremebeme]

love the phonk music

[@thinkflight]

Me too. Phonk has been a great discovery for me!

[@paralinq]

Music reminds me of the legendary old Team Black sheep fpv videos! 👍

[@thinkflight]

Legendary indeed! My favorite drone videos ever....

[@FPVREVIEWS]

Looks great! I hope you will publish the design and setup with arduplane for the sub scale tech demonstrator, once you have it relatively workable. Many people would pay for plans and setup guide.

[@joshengland5251]

I dont know where that was filmed..but man i wish i lived closer to make kick🤬🤬🤬 rc boat vids...great vid man..thats so cool

[@InuitWolf]

A full life size of this craft would be awesome.

[@thinkflight]

Agreed

[@ciberdin]

@@thinkflight I also agree and I can help. How do I contact you: email?

[@thinkflight]

@@ciberdin Yep! In the About section.

[@JFrazer4303]

Great idealized design. TsAGI of Russia had a similar thing for container freight, LNG powered a while ago. Bartini and especially Alexiyev designed very similar things. See the Beriev Be-5000 GEV/plane (5,000 tons). Sukhoi have a similar (twin-fuselage, instead of a central fuselage) Su-90-200 and various things called Su-90-8 (8 passenger or less) that you'd love. Boeing and Lock-Mart also. Several Vincent Burnelli designs were roughly similar or identical to this, as lifting-fuselage planes. For comparative airplane, see the 1950s "Wingless" by William Horton, california.

[@gefginn3699]

Wayyyyyy cool 😎 👌 👍

[@foxdown]

This like for the music

[@ninehundreddollarluxuryyac5958]

Amazing, smooth flight! Looks like you've got all the design issues nailed. When will we see videos showing construction of the full sized one?

[@thinkflight]

In time.... :)

[@hadleymanmusic]

I had trouble with hotwire so I stacked with a pattern and bandsawed.

[@dodgygoose3054]

Looks amazing. I can this as being HUGE!! heavy cargo transport... that's what comes to mind. Can it lift weight ??? If it does could you ad cargo weight to see how much it could lift! that would be cool.

[@1969Igor]

Очень здорово!!!

[@TROUROCKS]

I'm doing the same thing as u with a very very similar setup AND the same end game ,, my model is 3 meters wide ... 2.5 long ... floats /end plates 2meters apart winglets out side the floats big high H. S . out of ground effect .. 30 kg . glass over foam .. with 22 kg of thrust 2 x 12x24 props out front angled up a bit to get some air under the wing . 6 servos . flapperons . salt water testing site.. very long slender fuselage sticking out front with batts n electronics n motors to keep the C G in the right place .. one good flight so far .. one landing with no structural damage .. electronics toast !!!!! servos good .. moral high ..

[@sofascialistadankulamegado1781]

Damn nice GEV! What’s the name of the song that is playing? Thanks.

[@Migueldeservantes]

You know!! If you would't have throw away the manned one and use the wings you could probably have cut about 40% of the work... because this Ground Effect Vehicle for two passengers would be beyond awesome!!!

[@hoagy_ytfc]

Amazingly well shot! Great stuff.

[@hadleymanmusic]

I th8nk its cool

[@captarmour]

wow this Bixel WIG is awesome! is it flying in ground effect without automation or electronic stabilization? with these Outboard Horizontal Stabilizers it should work well without a Horizontal tail! Out of Ground Effect they fly in an upwash from the main wing giving more lift which tends to lower the nose and IGE less lift which tends to raise the nose giving it a tendency to remain IGE...a true WIG

[@ddegn]

At 1:44 the red stripes don't meet in the middle. I initially thought you were just being cruel to people with OCD. It finally occurred to me you were using a 360 camera and the red lines were the victim of image stitching of the two sensors. Thanks for sharing your progress with us. It's always fun to see your projects.

[@marc_frank]

how much do you use xflr5 to check and design the aerodynamics and how much is just visualising thoughts, like a simple cad program? 😅

[@thinkflight]

Depends

[@TheWoodyworker]

MORE!

[@fk319fk]

I think putting pusher props on wing tip would give better smoothness to the flight. Maybe a mix, maybe a hybrid.

[@thinkflight]

I agree, but limited bank angle in ground effect is already an issue and that would make it even more so.

[@fk319fk]

@@thinkflight I know, but that thought keeps coming to mind. Oh well see what you come up with in your next video on this.

[@JustinHunnicutt]

This might be a totally stupid question but is their any speed, power, weight envelope where it could make sense to use ground effect with the hydrofoils in a single vehicle? This is obviously more of just a thought exercise to help me understand the relative regions of utility of each lift type. The reality of trying to optimize for both simultaneously would be much too complex for this kind of project.

[@thinkflight]

I played around with that on my latest hydrofoil and had some initial takeaways that I'll probably address in the next video. I will be trying to avoid any lift on the next one.

[@davidunderwood1907]

Since folding wings change center of pressure..... Is it a good idea to try a wing that fold entering ground effect? Since you are an expert

[@thinkflight]

This is a great idea! And I'm not an expert by any means.

[@markvincentcocjin]

Would you consider building it from fabric over a frame like a hang glider or microlight? I'm sure there are a lot of designers out there who have some idea how to shape fabric that would resemble a ground effect vehicle's wings. Think: Bat Wings.

[@thinkflight]

Leaning towards composite but nothing is set in stone, fabric covered structure is still on the table.

[@TROUROCKS]

no rudders .... differential thrust .. can u tell me .where is ur c.g . just behind the big wing tube ??

[@RubenKelevra]

Sooo do you need a motorboat pilot or an aircraft pilot license for this thing? :D

[@thinkflight]

Hopefully I will keep it under ultralight classification here in the US, so neither :)

[@RubenKelevra]

@@thinkflight cool! Have you thought about the propulsion yet? 🤔 So will it be single engine with some belts from a hub or will you run multiple motors/engines? Will it be electric or gas powered? :)

[@RubenKelevra]

Have you considered building an autogyro "wing" on both sides to it to reduce the footprint? :) This way you would have two pontoons on "a stick" (or outriggers) from the main body and an autogyro above. If you use screwed connections you could remove the outriggers and fit it in a narrow trailer :)

[@thinkflight]

Probably too much complexity for my brain :)

[@RubenKelevra]

@@thinkflight autogyros are pretty simple, as they are constant pitch propellers. They also got great stall characteristics and allow for a very low speed flight. The main advantage however are extremely short takeoffs by spinning them up before taking off, for example with a battery pack in a boey and a small motor on each shaft. After the battery pack is depleted you can disconnect it and start the takeoff "roll".

[@RubenKelevra]

Maybe another advantage would be, that you can use them for short bursts of vertical boost, to keep your craft above rough water without changing the pitch all the time :)

[@simonl7784]

About you full size project: is a GEV considered a plane or a boat for 'official' reasons?

[@thinkflight]

Depends on the class of GEV, some fly higher than others. I will attempt to avoid excess regulation by being an ultralight.

[@hadleymanmusic]

Yea big enough to live in 9n the lake with a b8g wing that doubles as a roof

[@thebikeracer]

How did you attach the wings?

[@thinkflight]

Carbon plate and bolts

[@difflocktwo]

Mirror's edge?

[@arkham_knight]

Yes, but it's some unknown remix.

[@markgerard363]

Wondering if you still under contract.. and this video is as well property of the one that paid you for the first one???

[@TROUROCKS]

my maned version will have no fuselage all wing ..big fat wing man .. or men in the wing laying recumbent .. head sticking out .teardrop canopy / hatch

[@JFrazer4303]

It's either prone or a pod for the crew to sit in, until you get a big enough wing that they're entirely inside the camber. Lots of nearly all-wing (+fin & rudder) planes have flown in little test planes, and of course it looks silly as a tiny plane with a pod.

[@TROUROCKS]

@@JFrazer4303 flown yes BUT in free air .. all the rules change in ground effect . .. don't worry my model is butt ugly ..function is my only goal

[@tessa7468]

5 seconds ago owo

[@Milesobrian]

lake Elsinore?

[@thinkflight]

Yup

[@jlions72]

I am sorry ..but i dont get what this concept is all about ..? and the why of it ..? could you fill me in please ?

[@thinkflight]

Semi random video (for now) I just haven't taken down. It may fit into the channel in the future, so I leave it.

[@TROUROCKS]

3 meters wingspan 30kg

[@nicolaivalenti4045]

Is the stability analysis from XFLR5 precise?

[@thinkflight]

In my experience it is quite close. Not perfect, but minimizes maiden flight disasters.

[@nicolaivalenti4045]

@@thinkflight thanks a lot!

[@golfnovember]

In Moreno Valley? Let me know, I’d love to help out!

[@thinkflight]

Email me!

[@ciberdin]

@@thinkflight to which email?

[@scottaumann7585]

Very interesting- but way too much power or not enough weight to make it stay in GE. I would be interested in. Holding this at 200% of that scale - in Florida let me know how to work together

[@thinkflight]

I do not think a manned or cargo GEV that cannot leave GE is particularly safe and will make sure the full scale can leave GE as well. I may be in Florida soon!

[@BlueTiger77]

hobbyking should contacxt you to make a new kit to sell... really...

[@eastindiaV]

Ground effect = lift, no difference

[@andreask5054]

Great work, though I wouldn't generalize it as "the best GEV concept yet"... maybe it's YOUR best concept, but not in general - and that is an objective opinion ;)

[@thinkflight]

;)

[@TinyHouseHomestead]

Yet, again it looks to be another "airplane" that people call a GEV because they fly it in the ground effects. 🤪

[@gabebrown1173]

But it is a GEV? It flys in the ground effect like you said.

[@TinyHouseHomestead]

@@gabebrown1173 Nope, it is an "airplane" they are flying in the ground effects .... ya ninnee! 🤣🙃😫😡😁🤪 R U trying to make me cranky! 😝

[@gabebrown1173]

Seriously? You're arguing about semantics. What he has made is designed to operate in the ground effect. Just because it *can* fly outside of the ground effect does not make it an aeroplane.

[@TinyHouseHomestead]

@@gabebrown1173 Ooooooo, yes it does .... nan nanny boo boo! 🤣🙃🤪

[@otm646]

@@gabebrown1173 this is you not understanding the various classifications of GEVs. Do a little research and you'll understand that GEV's do not need to be limited to ground effect use only.

[@vibratingstring]

Nice model, but if you think you are going to safely get to manned wig flight by using insulation foam and garage engineering, I think you are asking for tears and sadness. I personally know people on two continents who engineered and built successful wig. If you want to do this right, you really need to understand what you are good at and what you need help with. Structural engineering is not your forte. Get some help. I also feel you need a proper aerodynamicist on your team. There are some flaws in your thinking which you can get away with in models but which will kill people full scale.