Luft Waffle

Not air. Working air. That’s how German company Festo describes the technology of the Stingray, its pneumatic flying machine. Lifted by both air pressure and horsepower, the inflated polyester wing, with a two-person cabin attached, soared some 130 kilometers an hour at 500 meters during a test flight last spring. The prototype, like a traditional […]

Not air. Working air. That's how German company Festo describes the technology of the Stingray, its pneumatic flying machine. Lifted by both air pressure and horsepower, the inflated polyester wing, with a two-person cabin attached, soared some 130 kilometers an hour at 500 meters during a test flight last spring.

The prototype, like a traditional airplane, is steered by means of flaps and rudders. The 12-passenger Stingray II, however - now in development - will maneuver by changing shape, operating more like a flying carpet. But as both airships subtly remind us, flight is as simple as working air.

ELECTRIC WORD

The Unabridged Tibor
Illuminators
Luft Waffle
Orifice 98