Bloop1 Motorfloater Flying
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- Flying the Bloop 1 ultralight airplane in November 2011. See my website m-sandlin.info or search for "Bloop ultralight airplane" for more information or to download the drawings. These are normal recreational flights, in the original two rudder Bloop. The Bloop was designed to fly as slow as possible. Steering is rudder only, there are no ailerons. The wheels are at the center of lift, so the plane can stop nose down or tail down.
This is a homebuilt motorfloater, using a paramotor engine, kind of a flying scooter, built to fly slow and easy, and to take a beating. Most ultralights are not like this, they have to fly much faster, they are relatively hard to fly, and they are not robust.
Hey I love it, isn't this basic flying what it's all about, just simply being up in the air and enjoying the scenery on a nice day!
in windy situation ..is it still okay to fly it ?? ..considering no aileron available ...
Blimey, that is awesome! Great narration, Mike! And the flights look gorgeous!
I would love one of these.It's a very laid back plane ,very nice.
On reading in your web page on the possibility of creating other motor gliders and noticing your constant concern on safety regarding a crash in the way of cockpit "crumple zones" It came to me the image of the Bristol Box-kite...Having the elevator and support in front...Canard style...Yes, it would be in the way of the view but it will absorb quite some energy in a head-on crash...Maybe a not so desirable issue is the total length of the craft...Regards, Alan.
For many of us the remote control world was our first exposure to two axis rudder/elevator flight, however it is used by some popular ultralights.
Thank you - my Grand-Father flew a Sopwith Camel. .303 class and hand bombs and all. He told me that greatest fun was flying and recommended this path to me, if I could find a way to find work in the field. That was his idea - always work in the field or get the gov to pay the bills.!
flight is the most beautiful thing that man has ever created
Man didn't create flight, he copied it, but still it is beautiful.
i ment human flight but you are right
not copy emulate
THEQuest2112
Not not, Not.
Joel Walker Not knot naught :) oops Picky much?
Очень классный самолётик-и я бы не отказался на нём полетать ! Браво его автору и пилоту !
this is beatiful work
Your voiceover reminded me of wildlife shows of the 1970's.
A reminder that flying can be simple and inexpensive, thanks!
this looks like the perfect beginner ultralight... might have to look into this.
It looks and flies like something from 1911. Nice machine!
Why not a tail dragger? It looked to me like that was a more natural attitude, more stable and easier to control. .. but what would I know, I only dream of flying..
Well done with the build, looks like a lot of fun.
Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Another living member of the Superman Club. Great video, Pops! (o/o)
Nice work, its got all the attributes of an aircraft I want to build with a nice slow stall speed so engine failures are not really an issue and you can catch thermals for faster or free climbing + its very light on fuel.
Have a look also at the newer Bloop 2 and Bloop 3 videos.
airchairp Nice work Mike, I was a member of the Airchair Group for many years and I have learned an enormous amount from you and the guys in the Airchair Group, thanks so much for sharing all you great ideas with the world, and many thanks to all the people in the Airchair Group who helped me so much in choosing the most efficient path in light aircraft design.
Awesome job! If you had a seat back that went up to support your head, and safety belt attach points that are higher than your shoulders you would be much safer in a crash.
This is absolutely fantastic !
Great fun to watch must be good to fly Cheers, Pete
the most amazing airplane i have ever seen....shortest STOL ever...stupid light...wingspan half that of a ppg or hang glider...pay the winner!
You got balls! Ever though of attaching a parachute just in case?
Orville would be proud.
Well, you know what comes before a fall...
Is my favorite slow fly machine video.
looks like a fun little thing.
What is the stall speed for the bloop? And how does it act in a stall ?
Он летит со скоростью пешехода - КЛАСС!
Takeoff in 10 meters, awesome
What a clever little thing!
Don't think it wanted to land the second time...LOL.. That looks like too much fun..
Awesome. You should sell kits of this you'd make a fortune
your skill is apriciated .. bravo...
That is a really cool plane! I always wanted to see a powered airchair. Do you plan to try it in moderate winds 10 to 15 or so? 187 pounds is light for a biplane it seems.
I noticed you weren't wearing the clips on your trouser don't you feel you needed them. Nice video enjoyed your enthusiasm
Very nice! but how is it like a blimp?
And how do you get "bloop" from "blimp" and "plane"? Wouldn't you get:
plimp
blane
pimp
bane
bline
plamp
?
That's beautiful. Like an historical re-enactment ;~) Looks a little like an early Avro?. Thanks for posting.
Think the wings have enough curve in them !!
Should have plenty of lift !
Ailerons? If they aren't fitted, they weigh nothing and cannot go wrong.... all it means is that you cannot cross controls and have to land into wind! Or fit a castoring undercarriage.
So if the landing run is that short, no prob... I have flown lots of radio models without aileron, during the last forty years, even inverted flight is quite stable provided the dihedral is not overdone.
Worth noting that most spins are caused by misuse of the ailerons anyway.
Impressive how slow you can take off.
How cool is this?!
Thank You . Mike Your a Legend
Awesome! Thanks for posting.
That looks like fun.
Very nice!
How does blimp + plane = bloop? Sweet vid though man!
Interesting but a very involved build. It'd be neat if you gave it a WW1 color scheme like a DeHaviland DH.1 I'd like to see a video when someone gets a light motor on a Goat or similiar. Sort of like some Italians did with the "Lo Zefiro" which is based on the Zoegling. You builds are inspiring because they can be done with no welds, only drill holes and bolt together. I suck hardcore at welding and have no talent for it but can drill and bolt until the cows come home.
The video of the first flight test of the Talos Goat with the 17 hp. motor is cute (search videos for: Goat RC engine). The Zigolo MG 12 is similar but uses the same power pack as the Bloop (25 hp. paramotor engine with a well matched, high performance propeller).
The building of the Bloop is indeed involved, since it must be built from scratch. I wish it could be simpler, but I want to create a plane that pilots will have confidence in, where all the ideas are familiar, so it looks like something that has been around for a hundred years. This "old school" approach with a large wing area makes building take longer but produces a flyable, comfortable airplane.
I watched every video of the Zigolo (Goat+motor) the other day. I also like the Aerolite 103. I like the nose on the 103 that could take some crumple impact nose first or if I went into some trees. Both very similiar designs.
On ebay these was a two seat Quicksilver that needed new fabric an an engine rebuild went for 1000. I wanted it but figured an LSA pilots licence would add thousands more to the cost as its no longer 103 allowable.
All these Homebrew builds are still way too complicated for me as I don't understand what I am looking at in the diagrams. It would be better if some third person made a video series building theirs from start to finish. I could afford the raw materials maybe someday but never a premade commercial kit. They tact on 10,000 for themselves in profit on a couple thousand in parts.
Zazdroszczę posiadaczowi tej repliki "draha" z przed wieku ; mógłbym z powodzeniem startować i lądować w ogródku
How can I get one? It's beautiful.
I would put a wheel up front because the nose skid could dig in on landing.
Just saw a video of a Goat with an RC motor... awesome.
cool video = thanks for sharing
A better engine silencer/muffler would make the flight more relaxing and less unpleasant for those on the ground. A slow moving plane in still conditions spends a lot of time over a limited area. If that was a built up area the noise might cause irritation to passive onlookers. Irritation means public resistance to your activities and increased safety concerns. Perhaps some of the noise is due to the propeller?
Love that thing!
that is an easyriser converted i had one its fun to fly
awesome. what slow stall speed!!!!!! (or you were bucking a 50mph headwind haha)
Many the wings are filed with helium?
Wonderful
i want one!
inagod, love your sense of humor, this is a cool plane, laughed my @S off.
Amazing plane :-)
how heavy of a pilot do you think it will hold?
With Oratex600 by BetterAircraftFabric one could build one of these and never have to spray any paint whatsoever. It could be build in a living room with no toxic fumes at all. Compared to the traditional Ceconite &Spray-paint Oratex is lighter, tougher, quicker; and it does not try to kill you while you install it.
Have a look on our channel,
Regards from Alaska!
+I have heard good things about Oratex, as used on the Yando Goat glider (see video with eagle strike). I believe it is essentially the same fabric as I am using now, but pre-coated and with a more pleasant application process. I am not sure about "tougher and lighter" (considering that it is almost the same fabric), and durability in sunlight is also a question (has anybody parked it outside for a couple of years?). Some users have said the application is slow in some ways and faster in others, implying that perhaps it is not overall a much "faster" fabric covering process. It seems to be popular with those who have used it.
Can it glide when the engine stops? Yes, it will not glide far but it will land slow in a small area.
What is the planes glide behavior in case of engine stall?
Excelente 🇩🇴🌎
See the website and all will be revealed. It is a modern paramotor engine & prop.
nice i want one were are the plans?
May I ask what this airplane is made out of, does it require a pilots licence being a biplane, and how long did it take to build?
The best answers to these basic questions are found on the Bloop website. Being a biplane makes no difference under U.S. ultralight rules, you can't have more than one seat but you can have as many wings as you want. I like to think that a Bloop could be built in less than a year of spare time, but there are many factors that will influence this. Do you already have a paramotor engine, aviation and home building experience, a group of builders, ? etc.
what is the objet crosing close to you at the 4:10 in the screen?
Some numbers would be nice. What does "slow" mean? 10 mph? 15? 20? 25? 30? 35? 40?
What is the stall speed? What is the landing speed? What is top and cruise speed?
The website link is working, give it a try.
id say 30 should answer all your questions
I watch this video to see in the air how slow my VJ-24w would fly... which cruises at 28mph, and stalls around 17. Supposedly, anyway. It would be interesting to race the Bloop 2, for world's slowest powered airplane.
Looks like an old Curtiss Pusher.
Was this company made or home made?
Moster 185 for a motor...nice choice. I have 120 hrs on mine with no rebuild and yet to have an engine failure of any kind.
The modern paramotor engine and propeller setups are good for motorfloaters, mainly because motorfloater airspeeds are about the same as those of paramotors. There are powerpack choices among a broad range of power outputs, four stroke or two stroke, air or water cooled, pull start or electric, with or without prop clutch, various prop diameters, all designed for slow flying. The Vittorazi Moster 185 is among the lightest and simplest for its thrust output, but like many similar paramotor power systems it requires a lot of specialized two stroke maintenance which is not well supported. You have to teach yourself to tune it, clean the carburetor, etc. Goodbye to all that when the electric motor attains lighter energy storage, about half the current battery weight would be tempting to me.
I would have to agree.
genial-- the best
Why don't they have more slow fliers?
awesome !!
amazing
I loved!!!...
That's my dream...
fantasctic!!!
can i make an engine with the help of motor bike engine???plzzz reply ...
Yes. There are some light aircraft using motorcycle engines.
See th-cam.com/video/vvbK4KaEOTc/w-d-xo.html
Can i know the enngine type You use?
Interesting
Could more chord be added for a 250 lb pilot?
The simple answer: to retain the structural and control margins of the Bloop while adding a hundred pounds will require some re-design, even if you are only changing the wing chord. [See the website for discussion of heavier pilots.] I know that the average middle aged American male now weighs over 200 lbs., so my weight allowances are behind the times, but I am not going to design a plane for pilots much heavier than me because I am having too much fun with my own programs.
I apply full power and say to myself,shit,I forgot to glue number 8 spar,as the wing folds in on itself and the propeller shreds it into a thousand pieces,I'm completely focused on the speed at which my face will plant itself into the ground,what will they say at the forum.Nice plane,all kidding aside.
This is real plane fun...!!!!
wt was the cost to build ?
Dangerous without ailerons. Wouldnt want to leave it uncontroled and hoping a pendilum/center of gravity effect keeps u up in the air.
There are dozens of perfectly flyable aircraft designs without ailerons.
RC and hang glider designs commonly use this arrangement. Not dangerous. However you probably can't do a cross control type maneuver like a slip to landing. But this thing looks so draggy it probably is not an issue.
What is your stall speed?
why no to put a wheel at he front ?
As you see, a front wheel is not necessary, and I don't see much to be gained by it. The front wheel on the Bloop 4 is actually just an easy way to build a skid, it does not rotate freely.
Where are you flying from?
I just bought a (1977?) Volmer Jensen VJ-24W barnfind for $38 bucks ! A diamond in the rough, in need of lots and lots of of restoration and TLC! My first plane.
I asked a guy who uploaded a video to youtube, can it do low and slow and he said yep definitely, and that sealed the deal for me. Well, actually this video of him flying his old one sealed it for me, it floats like a Demoiselle or a Kolb Flyer:
th-cam.com/video/IFwIhwdSVVs/w-d-xo.html
15hp, stall at 15mph, cruise at 28, max speed 42, max glide 9:1, climb rate an abysml 250, 180 ft min sink rate. A motorized glider, the granddaddy of all motorfloaters...
My first build I completed yesterday, which was a trailer hitch for my car to tow it home. Harbor Freight Hitch unit, mounted on Aerostar Farm Windmill frame bar for cross piece off our old windmill (solid galvanized steel... my hitch is probably way stronger than the hardpoints on the car). Used four Grade 8 5/8th bolts. Strong and heavy!
Lots of work lies ahead, this winter and spring... pictures.. brace yourself, she ain't pretty:
shellprompt.com/deathtrap1/VJ-24W/
But a finished restored plane don't look to fugly at all:
shellprompt.com/deathtrap1/VJ-24W%20restored/vlcsnap-2015-11-30-21h49m57s296.png
www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/large/000/809/809845.jpg
With aerodynamic fairing and the prop spinning, it kind of reminds me of an Opel Rocket Glider... so I may go with a color scheme to resemble that:
api.ning.com/files/E5jOJVdsi86zANun94tgRfP5PYnFtojOkSYSSS1RXRfCzowHTU16P9Edlgcb1qMk0PYPxz6aC5d1xCOD5nd0wtJN8AHF6tec/RAK3a.jpg
With ass of work sitting on my butt, I'm on my way to be "sky surfing" the Southeast and chasing jackrabbits down in the weeds off the deck....
which engine did you use?
cant you have a bike wheel on the front
You could put a wheel on the front or back, just be sure you can still roll on the ground with the nose low, maybe 6 degrees nose down, so the wings will be unloaded and will stay level in a cross wind. I don't know of any existing nose wheel that is set up this way, and I think this is partly why 2 axis ultralights are considered to be limited in cross winds. The Bloop ability to roll with the nose low is intended to be a design improvement that keeps the wing level in ground roll and permits 2 axis operation in stronger cross winds.
Usually, adding a wheel also means adding a brake and steering linkages. At this point, you have doubled the complexity of your control system and reduced the flying performance of your plane without gaining anything important, so I am not excited about this.
Is this legal?
Do you still fly and own the bloop?
The Bloop4 is flying again after about a year in a hangar. It has a new pilot and is in another area in California. I hope there will be some postings from there so we can all benefit from a new Bloop flier's impressions. See this:
th-cam.com/video/2V74FRj83Zg/w-d-xo.html
@@airchairp Neato airplane mister
Qual a potência do motor?
How much can the pilot weigh ?
There is some discussion of this on the web page. Basically, heavy pilots have to fly motorfloaters and tell us what happens. A friend of mine flew the Bloop 3, he weighs 185 lbs., his balance was good and his flying was normal.
airchairp My guess would be at 285lb. that the small engine would not have enough power for ROG, and would need either a hill launch, or tow of some sort, but once airborne, that a small engine could keep the craft in the air OK....
Il'll take a paramoter any day !!!
Paramotors are great! You fold up the canopy and take the whole thing home until the next flight. But not everybody can run athletically, and the canopy handling involves some limitations that fixed wings don't have. Also the motorfloater may have greater stability and crash protection. Of course, you might be able fly many things, you don't have to choose only one and neglect all others.
Мужик это просто класс.
do you have plans you could send out to me
The website link is working, give it a try. Detailed drawings can be downloaded from there.