So I obviously don't have enough going on right now and have started another project at work because enough people have finally asked and it is one I have always wanted to do.The Skywalker as I am calling it for now (Hi to all the Lawyers that work for George Lucas...) is also known as a Cloud hopper. This is a single person balloon designed to be light weight, fun to fly, easy to transport, fun to fly, perfect for people with no friends but wanting to attract friends and of course fun to fly.
So far I have done the initial design work on the envelopes that we will offer. As of now they are 25, 31 and 35,000 cu.ft models based on the B type Kavanagh shape. They are 24 gore envelopes with a reduction in panel 1 and 2 so there is only 12 rigging points. The first design images are shown above.
Take a step back in time..
Before this all started up, many many years ago I made a really rough little toy from scrap fabric. This envelope known as "Luke" was a 21 also based on the B type shape but with a full 24 gores and straight cut panels - it has no bulge in the gores and is not anything like the production models I am now working on.
It was drawn and cut in about the same day and sewn together over a few more days between everything else that goes on in the factory. It was flown over a very old T&C bottom end lent to us by Kiff Saunders.
We made it so we could take some video of Smart Vents opening and closing for a court case that also happened in the deep dark past. It was also used for looking at new innovations in deflation systems that have not been stolen yet. Honestly, I have moved on..
Anyhow, lots of folks have requested photos of the 21 so here they are. Unfortunately there are not many pictures as a) it was never certified and as such has only ever been tethered here at the factory and once in Leeton back in 2004 and b) the whole point was to take pictures and video from it and as such it was never the star of the show. There are however a few classics of me next to a 350 or 400 (I could look it up but...) at the factory as well as Tem having a play in Leeton.
When looking at the above photos I can not stress enough, it was not ever done as a production balloon and had none of our normal attention to detail in the patterns or design and as such has all those nice wrinkles and stress lines at the mouth. The colours are literally are as they came out of the scrap bin. Despite all that, it flew really well.
