ASU Project Andrew Del Donno ‘06

Concept: A converted bicycle Pitch stabilized with a large sail allowing it to only ride on the main wheel at speed Tail for steering while in this configuration Tailwheel for steering at low speeds Adjustable seat for proper CG placement Thin airfoil theory calcs. Demonstrated stability at 10mph

Construction Bicycle obtained, left intact except for seat removal. Square tube boom welded and bolted onto bike Round tube wing supports welded on Adjustable seat assembly built and welded to bike Tail assembly and control cable guides built from welded tube Control cables attached, crossed over to allow proper steering Sail material added (bedsheets and a piece of.020”Al)

Testing Discovery during testing: vehicle has no roll stability Apparently neither torso balance or gyroscopic effect has much to do with roll stability in a bicycle, rather minute corrections of the front steering allow a rider to stay in balance. Despite riding a bike for 8 years, I had never realized this. “Training wheels” were added to the bike to stabilize it in roll, but I have not yet been able to find a large enough place to fully test it.

Future Improvements: Better training wheels, making it more ridable An electric motor to remove the destabilizing effect of pedal motion Not much else besides that, the concept was flawed.