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The SkyWing

The SkyWing, the suit that will make you fly and will give you the freedom that you always dreamed!

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The SkyWing

The SkyWing

The SkyWing

The SkyWing

The SkyWing

The SkyWing, the suit that will make you fly and will give you the freedom that you always dreamed!

The SkyWing, the suit that will make you fly and will give you the freedom that you always dreamed!

The SkyWing, the suit that will make you fly and will give you the freedom that you always dreamed!

The SkyWing, the suit that will make you fly and will give you the freedom that you always dreamed!

John Lange
John Lange
John Lange
John Lange
1 Campaign |
Melbourne, Australia
$103 USD $103 USD 4 backers
0% of $31,069 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Concept
The project team has not yet produced a working demo for their concept. Their ability to successfully produce a prototype may be affected by product development or financial challenges.
Lightbulb Wrench Warehouse Truck
Concept Prototype Production Shipping

The SkyWing

(from Concept to Prototype)

 

The SkyWing results from many years of personal aeronautical studies, infinite sketches and a powerful belief that the human can fly. It will be a custom-made suit composed of Dracon (sailcloth) and two lightweight profiles 3D printed in Carbon Fibre on each arm. These extensions plus the entire area of the body creates a surface that allows the user to generate enough lift to take off! 

With your support, not only I could keep working to the next stage, but we may improve it! Please let me introduce you to my idea and also my dream!

 

 

3D of myself with the two profiles and the extension of the fabric. Note the long zipper on the chest, lets the user fit in easily 

 

A long time ago...

I had two car accidents that almost killed me; by coincidence, three days before the anniversary of the first accident I had the second one. I am certain God and The Universe send me those experiences to change how I was living, I definitely did!

The last recovery made me start to think cars are not safe at all. Indeed, I could not even have a ride for a while. Such a scary feeling which went away a long time ago. Sparked my mind!

After that realisation which was around 1995, it started my journey of knowledge, my non-stop daydreaming and the origin of a great story to tell to my grandchildren.

 

 

            “He who has overcome his fears will truly be free”

Aristotle

 

My first attempt

Was naive, bold and funny! I made a balsa wood model with plastic wrap. Yes, I did not know what I was thinking to be honest!

The influence of the design was the structure of the fingers of bats. It had five curved beams joined on each hand and the plastic all the way-up between the elements. When I finished the project, I walked to the closest hill on a very windy day, and then I opened my arms. The wind blew me away making me fall into a bush full of thorns! 

A few days after the silly accident I changed the remains in a new configuration, this time similar to the dragonfly’s wings. Of course, it did not work!

 

Above, I sketched the three models back in 1998. Note, that the first model I had to recreate in this drawing, it is the one at the back from that one I made the far on the left.

 

 

By that moment, I started reading the bible for pilots Van Sickle’s Modern Airmanship. My approach was more conventional. I decide a bird shape with internal fixed sections, same as we build aeroplanes. It was very rigid and heavy.

I used micro-corrugated cardboard. I painted in black and white, the darker side on top which makes the air hotter and sucks it up into the air. Imagine a humongous condor, but with less graceless. 

I grabbed my invention, and I walked to a hillside... Long story short, I failed!

 

“Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born.”

Nikola Tesla​

 

Life goes on

After that failure, anything was more important than my dream, parties, birthdays, movies, endless activities… Then, I decided that I have to fulfil my destiny. 

I stepped back; I took a better approach to recap the project. It was a good decision made by God and the Universe that put me in an English spoken country.

I bought a couple of books on aeronautics. I studied and I understood all available concepts along with formulas for designing a wing. This knowledge changed everything!

On these two pages are the three well-known formulas for wing design.

I ended up making a rationalisation between the formulas and concepts which let  me decide the size of the wing, Top right square.

 

 

And on

Once, I had an idea of a suit that looks like Flying squirrels... I did nothing about it, and many years after they invented the Flying Suit! I freaked out! I did not want to see my project made by another person. 

But later on, I found out that the inventor worked for over 10 years before succeeding with his invention, and he gave me a lot of hope!

 

Idea from 1999, on the same year the inventors of the Flyingsuit were showing their invention in a Skydiver Convention!

 

 

Finally, I found my path

To be sincere I do not know if I am making history. If not, at least I am making my own story, whichever is, is great! Right? One day I was showing and explaining my idea to my wife, she already knew that I have been working for many years without much advanced, and she said: “That looks good but when you will be going to make it?”. Then I realised that she was right!

I was wasting my time and I did not want to feel the same feeling that I had when someone else had the same idea, it worked on it and achieved it! Ideas are all over the world! 

Sketch. 2016

 

I put myself on track again. I researched the alternatives in materials and also how to get this invention out for everyone that wants to fly and feel the freedom of being in the air!

I redesign the whole SkyWing, I went to the basic of all shapes. Since I was little, I loved dinosaurs; then, one day I came up with the idea of a similar shape.

The Quetzalcoatlus was the biggest and heaviest of all animals that could fly in our planet, with 250 kg of weight and 10 m of wingspan it was able to fly across the sky.

 

Exploring the design of the entire suit 2019

 

I extrapolate the same concept that Pterodactyls used to fly which was using their elongated pinky finger to hold a thin membrane of skin (called Brachiopatagium) then I came with the first rational design that might let the human fly.

In the future, we might use SkyWings to commute to work or even travelling to other countries. Thank you to everybody supports I can dedicate my entire time and energy to this dream.

 

 

“You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you”.

James Allen

 

Jump or not to jump

The reason that makes me jump into this amazing crowdfunding website. Is that I shall raise capital to make this venture happen and I will give The SkyWing to the world in return! 

But before, I was very protective of my idea, just a few of my friends and family knew about this novelty; is because I already read too many stories about inventors or even architects that left our world in poverty after people without moral values stole their grand designs; others copied their products and made the founders lead to bankruptcy.

One thing is straightforward to me, doing this by myself all alone it will get me too much time, money and energy. Please join me on this quest and we build this together!

 

Printing off  the right-side profile on a 1:1 scale from The Blackbelt 3D printer

 

 

Different scales and models of the profile from the right side

 

To create the profile of the wings, I previously bought the only 3D printer that can print continually in a straight line. The Blackbelt from https://standardprintco.com allows me re-model before the final design in one to one scale.

 

 

“Throw your heart over the bar and your body will follow.”

Norman Vincent Peale

 

What I need to do

At the moment I am printing the 3D models in the Blackbelt, but I require to print them at 1:1 scale. I have to test tension and compression. I am using PLA filament which is a non-structural material at all, but sooner, I need to implement carbon fibre, which is stronger than steel and is lighter than fibreglass.

 

This is my creative corner at home! 

 

After testing and improving the structure. I need to buy a sewing machine and put together the suit, after the next learning curve...  I must try it!

 

“Set a goal that's meaningful and compelling enough, and your skills, your knowledge and your effectiveness will expand in order to reach that goal.”

 Less Brown

 

Where all the founded money will go

At this stage, there is no crew… Indeed! My lovely family, but besides them is essential a squad of professionals to encourage me out to push further!

With these funds I will consult and adopt other professional skills to build the SkyWing:

  • An Aeronautical Engineer that helps me to calculate the profiles more accurately
  • An Industrial Designer for developing more efficient new designs
  • An Accountant, Social Marketer and a Web Designer  
  • A Sewing Machine plus sailcloth fabric from https://www.sailrite.com
  • And the most two important safety accessories, a Helmet and a Parachute Canopy from http://www.chutingstar.com

  If you desire to be part of the team please ask!

 

Render image of The SkyWing 

 

If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.

Jim Rohn

 

If you never heard about me

Please let me start with a phrase… “A modest man does not talk about himself”. However, I feel the commitment to let you know more about my background and myself. Please let me share some of my personal achievements!

I will start basically with my name, John Henry Lange Ponce​, I was born in Venezuela in 1973, it was an outstanding country to live and grow up; where I have the opportunity to learn and practice the activities that caused me joy! 

When I was 11 years old, I started mixing music with my neighbours, each of us had a mixing device. I had one deck that I used to take with me everywhere, without my mum approval of course! When I was a teenager, I was part of a “Miniteca”; we used that term to refer to a bunch of guys playing with DJ equipment’s, our main job it was creating an atmosphere for families to get to dance in their birthday parties! Early in the 2000s, my career as a Psychedelic DJ begun. Nowadays I still enjoying mixing and creating electronic music at home. Reason and Traktor DJ are my beloved ones.

Beside that hobby which grew up into a profession. I have another odd ability, which came out just because I was good at drawing! In 2nd grade, I won the second place to best drawing, by 4th grade I was making money from selling drawings that I used to make! The kids’ favourite was Mazinger Z running to catch up the Jet Scrander! Also, the Big Dragon from The Gladiator cartoon.

I had 17 years old back 1990 when I ensemble a razor electric machine with an adaptation for needles. I started making Tattoos to my buddies for fun, and eventually, I became a Tattoo Artist. I won the 1st Prize for a Best Tribal in an Expo-Festival. Today I am still enjoying tattooing to myself, family and friends. Please check this page to check out my work! https://www.facebook.com/The-Universe-Tattoo-Studio-105294401062467/

In 2004, I finished my degree of Architecture from The Central University of Venezuela (UCV) after many years of persistence and a lot of discipline. Since then I have been working on several exciting projects here in Australia and also back home. Learning, mastering and getting over daily issues in Autodesk Revit (which is the leading software in the Architecture and Construction Industry) made me reach the title of BIM Manager (which stand for Building Information Modelling) which is the professional that looks after the data and the 3D model within a project. This was the profession I choose to makes a life. https://www.behance.net/johnlange1221

I got an incursion as an Entrepreneur; I created LCream21 which is a cream that smooths marks and nurtures the skin. This story started with the same car accidents that I had! On the first accident, I broke in several pieces the bone that supports the eye; the intervention was minimal but inside was huge; I have two titanium plates with 7 bolts holding all those bones together and also a wire in my chin; the doctors left two tiny scars… I did not need help there, but in the second accident, I was disfigured! Please check my story and also the product I offer to people to smooth their marks or ageing lines in the same way that I did: http://LCream21.com​

In 2010, I won the 3rd prize for the best invention in the Association of Inventors of South Australia with The Tree Fog Catcher, I had to explain my idea also the proposal to a room full of inventors, the concept was the same used by the Namibian Beetle, which was of how it collects water from the early morning fog with it wings facing the wind from the top of the dunes, it has two chemical components that allow to the water to condensate (hydrophilic) and another component that let the water runs (hydrophobic) to the mouth, I put in place the same approach that nature did, but using a steel column with 2 enormous dishes with elevated planes of fishing nets that collect the water droplets from the early morning mist. Just recently, I introduce The SkyWing to The Inventor Association of Australia (VIC). I had to explain my idea to a panel of 5 Senior inventors! Scary, right? They gave me good tips though. Besides these two real approaches with experts, I had to learn a few extra software to allow me to design the profiles; an enormous challenge was learning Autodesk Inventor which is my favourite software so far! 

In all this process I have to rebuild myself. For a while, I have listened and read about personal growth, parenting, love and mindfulness from well-known speakers and authors. My favourites are Craig Beck, Jim Rohn, Joseph Murphy, Jim Quick, Less Brown, Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Pale and Zig Ziglar to name a few of the best ones.

Without extending me much, this is my background! 

 

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway”

Earl Nightingale

 

Concept and Proposal A1 sheet of The Tree Fog Catcher​

 

 

Please, contribute with a small amount because every dollar will help!

 

 

And please, spread the voice, make some noise for me and share this campaign over your network! ​​​

 

Thank you very much for your time and forthcoming response!

 

 

 

“If you are looking for perfect safety, you will do well to sit on a fence and watch the birds.”

Wilbur Wright, 1901

 

Personal Milestones!

 

  • I printed off the left profile!
 

 

 

 

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