Skyaak Canadian Ring-Wing Glider » manitou beach

Name the Skyaak Sky-line for FREE DIY deuce

admin — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:41:45 +0000

Brendan w his skyaak model 3 overlooking the distant metropolis of Melbourne sky-line.

Can you name that skyaak sky-line?

Leave a comment w locale to grab a *FREE* DIY deuce download.

Once you get the Skyaak DIY deuce in your hands you be able to build, decorate, cut out, build and fly the ring-wing glider!

How-to Video support to help you figure out the building process:

Stumped? Enjoy our instant delivery crash-free product disbursement system anytime.

Get started with your Skyaak DIY deuce for $2.00

admin — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 03:57:22 +0000

Click on picture to view "How to cut out and build your Skyaak DIY deuce" video

Trying to decipher and figure out the design of the flat version of Skyaak so you can cut it out and build it is, well, quite tricky your 1st time around. There’s no denying that. Unless you are a mechanical whiz-kid, you will find it fairly…how do I put this…strange.

Cut out shaft

I am here to tell you though, once you slog through the cutting out and assembly of your 1st Skyaak (we’re talking the DIY ‘deuce’ version here) you will find that the 2nd time around it is much much easier!

Roll into 3-sided shaft

That’s a promise. That’s the beauty of a template download that you are free to replicate. After you have worked it out the 1st time, you will find that you de-mystify the process and that the 2nd time will take only a fraction of the time it took you to figure it out to begin with. Once you get into it, you will be able to cut out and build a DIY ‘deuce’ in only about 15 minutes or so.

Like this.

As you know, once you cover the pages with cellophane (packing) tape, your ring-wing glider is virtually indestructible. It just so happens that the strength of the paper (that acts as a scaffold only) coated with cellophane tape is the perfect combination of materials to provide a springi-ness and rip-resistant unit for a tough little glider that you can toss around to your heart’s content.

Cut out ring-wings

So go ahead and try it out. For just a couple of bucks you can experience the aerodynamic properties of ring-wing flight in the comfort of your own home.

Make a cone shape

Not only that, you will get a glimpse into the design that has made Skyaak possible…that suspends a rigid shaft in the center of a three-sided opening, held smack dab in the center of two ring-wings in tandem on the shaft.

Build a 3-sided opening

Combined with the ballast weight (that you supply- three paper clips) and finger-flicker ( the slightly modified paper clip… I guess that’s a fourth) you have a very cool, highly functional working model that I bet will will have you saying, “Hmm. That’s pretty neat! It glides really well!”

Slide ring-wings onto shaft

I just re-read this post and I can only imagine the eyes of my readers glazing over…see? I told you that this design concept is a bit out of the ordinary. It’s actually pretty difficult to explain without showing you. That’s why we produced the demo video as well, that shows you how to cut out and assemble this little unit as a primer so you see that it makes sense.

Front and rear ring-wing on shaft

You will see a follow-up video with a couple of buddies of mine further down this page! Don’t you think it would be fun to see the DIY ‘deuce’ flying around a bit? It’s pretty difficult to capture on video, because when you flick it it glides really fast.

Make the finger flicker

I’m not sure what the scale air-speed is but if the Model 3 is any indication, it’s PDQ! We got the Model 3 on radar and we know that it gets up to 43 kph over a distance of 50 feet or so.

Fasten front wing with 3 paper-clips

It will be tricky to follow the trajectory of the DIY deuce with my camera, it zips along so fast. I think you will get the general idea when you check out this brief clip that shows the unit airborne:

Click on picture to see Skyaak DIY deuce in flight!

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‘Skyaak Canadian Ring Wing Glider’ as artist’s muse

admin — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:09:56 +0000

Check this short clip out of California. It was such a rush to see the Skyaak Ultra-Glow experimental prototype flying around in the night skies over Berkeley Campus!

Click here to watch the video

About the video:

Here’s a little bit of night flight with my new Skyaak Model 3 with the light kit. Flight is great, but more than that, this thing looks great at night and was surprisingly easy to catch (especially for people that had never thrown a Skyaak before). Distributed by Tubemogul.

Living in rural Western Canada has its pros and cons. Mostly pros.

I used to think that I was pretty far removed from the action of the great big world living here, but since the world is steadily shrinking thanks to communication and information-sharing advances this is really no longer an issue.

A case in point would be the above video that shows the Skyaak Model 3 Ultra-Glow flying around over Berkeley Campus! Now if that’s not getting out there into the slipstream, I don’t know what is.

The great thing about living here is that I get to pretty much do what I want most days.

As a professional artist/entrepreneur I am enjoying a life ‘off the grid’, meaning I get to spend time devoted to the things I feel passionate about. Sure, I have to do the daily grind to earn the money I need to pursue my interests, just like everybody else. But I also get to spend substantial chunks of time dedicated to ‘following my muse’.

Which is pretty wrapped up in the Skyaak project.

When pressed to come up with a number one reason for spending all this time and energy on the Skyaak project I say this: I get a great big buzz out of creating an object that I can toss into the air and watch as it takes on a life of its own in flight!

There’s something in my lizard brain that gets a wicked rush from the idea that I am in the process of developing a flight methodology, a design configuration that actually works. There is a visceral thrill to the notion that I have nurtured this concept over the years from its crude infancy to the rather advanced form that you see flying around over Berkeley Campus above!

More than this, I’m looking forward to all of the future advancements yet to come. I have lots of ideas in the wings for more sophisticated models that will keep me busy for years to come.

With all the amazing advances in materials, replication technology and IT, I feel like I have access to a steadily expanding tool-box that will never exhaust itself of creative potential.

What more can I ask for?

Variations on the theme of re-birth

admin — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:06:55 +0000

Clive Gerada is a Malta-based artist who has just published an exhibition called “Unrealized” on FaceBook

I want to share one of Clive’s pictures from the show here, as it rings a bell for us. Strikes a familiar note.

Incoming...

Clive Gerada shows in “Unrealized” a series of selectively masked portraits. His credits hint that he knows all of the characters he has portrayed. His notes say “The bare thought of “Unemployment” has given me the idea of creating a series of 13 “Unfinished” portraits, which resemble the human being when s/he feels unrealized or incompleted, or unable to fulfill his wishes to fulfill himself as a human being.”

My take on this is that Gerada refuses to give in to a spirit of malaise. Rather, he examines the feelings of in-completion by a reckoning based on “I am what I do” or identification of one’s worth being inextricably tied to one’s occupation, job description, etc.

By taking a closer look at the ‘condition’, the artist affirms his own ‘employment’, is the working artist plying his trade in a very public way.

Photo by Natalia

The concept of a figure struggling to free itself from the confines of the medium (the ‘condition’) has been around for a long time. Michaelangelo expressed it vividly in his ‘Slave” sculptures where he shows us the figure struggling to free itself from the inert sculptor’s stone.

The images here struck me personally as a metaphor for starting a new era in one’s life, with blind spots and information gaps that can seem daunting at first. You have to gather your wits about you and tackle the challenges as they come up.

As with any creative, passionate act, all the effort and energy that goes into the construction of a new web-site can be seen as pushing of the envelope, stretching in all directions to finally arrive at a certain place where you feel fully employed, fully engaged and on fire with enthusiasm!

Make sure you have a safety net

admin — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:29:26 +0000

Seth Godin’s recent blog post takes the gloves off and slaps an idea around the block.

He talks in his usual frank and unflinching style about the ‘correct’ way to enter into the murky waters of e-mail marketing.

Scary stuff!

I have subscribed to quite a few e-mail newsletters over the year for example.

And un-subscribed from all but three of them.

I have signed up to RSS feeds from a few of my favorite web-based sites and actually find the ones that have survived the delete button to be a good healthy dose of very select information. Useful, entertaining or challenging is the key. Boring begets a quick painless death.

Bob Poole asked recently on his blog what readers were planning on doing differently this year than in 2008 to address current economic conditions. Now that’s a great question if you ask me.

My idea for 2009 is to LEAP out of my comfort zone (mmm, it’s nice and cozy in here…) out into the great unknown. After one of my websites languished for over three years (an eternity in cyberspace) I have torn it down and am now rebuilding it. Getting there. Almost done. Or not.

You know what they say, “If you’re not living on the edge you’re taking up too much room!”

Coming together at skyaak.com

admin — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:29:50 +0000

We’ve been working it out with the new website, take a look-see!

Now I know my css from my ftp and my rss from a hole in the ground!

Making some progress w skyaak.com

mrgaudet — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:58:49 +0000

Happy to say that we’re making progress with the all new www.skyaak .com.

There’s still a ways to go yet…and confidentially… we are having so much fun experimenting with all our new toys that we will probably just keep on mashing it up, dialing it in, tweaking and the like.

It could take a little bit to massage it into shape.

So stay posted, it will be rapidly morphing in the coming days.

Royal Flush of Domain Names

mrgaudet — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:05:54 +0000

Got the exciting news this morning that the domain names for our new skyaak.com site are in the bag. Now we have a Royal Flush to work with. Should be a sweep.

Check the website-in-waiting.

Still shy and blushing in its hatchling status, the ALL NEW skyaak.com will be striking out bold as brass in the coming days, so hang on tight!

Looking at the skyaak logo

mrgaudet — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:09:48 +0000

A recognizable logo is fundamental in the graphic continuity of brand development.

Skyaak logo is here

Look at an early animated logo here.

Just visited a cool site that showcases some famous logos (evolving!)

Name that skyaak skyline for free DIY deuce

mrgaudet — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:22:34 +0000

Brendan w his skyaak model 3 overlooking the distant metropolis of Melbourne skyline.

Name that skyaak sky-line.

Leave a comment w locale id to grab a DIY deuce comp.

Stumped? Enjoy our instant delivery crash-free product disbursement system anytime.