Economist Technology Quarterly, Dec 2010 (II)

choi

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(1) Flying saucers; Aeronautics: A new type of dirigible could make it easier to deliver people and provisions to inaccessible places. It looks pretty cool, too.
http://www.economist.com/node/17647537?story_id=17647537
("The company is developing a piloted dirigible capable of carrying loads of up to 150 tonnes over distances as great as 2,000km (1,240 miles) at a speed of 45 knots (83kph)")

(a) dirigible (Latin dirigere)
(adj): "capable of being steered"
(n): AIRSHIP
(b)
(i) Voith-Schneider propeller (VSP).
http://www.voithturbo.de/vt_en_pua_marine_vspropeller.htm
("Over 80 years ago this ship's propulsion system, the only one of its kind in the world was developed by Voith from an idea by the Austrian engineer Ernst Schneider")
(ii) A video clip of VSP (uploaded by SEAMANpl, on May 12, 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZaPmnJKC0A
(iii) Founded in 1867, Voith GmbH is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector and headquartered in Heidenheim, located in the German State of Baden-Württemberg. Wikipedia.

(c) airscrew
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airscrew
(Airscrew may refer to helicopter rotor, among other things)
(d)
(i) Vikki (or Vicki/Vicky) is nickname for Victoria.
(ii) Nikki (or Nicki/Nicky) is nickname for Nicola. Nicola is the female form of Nicholas--or Italian version of Nicholas for MALE.

(e) Skylifter (based in
http://skylifter.com.au/

The company is based in Joondalup, Western Australia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joondalup,_Western_Australia
(a northern suburb and regional city in Perth)

In the home page, please click the video for an animation, and FAQ Answers.

Note to the latter:
(i) aerostat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerostat
(An aerostat (From Greek aer (air) + statos (standing) through French) is a system that remains aloft primarily through the use of buoyant lighter than air gases to give a vehicle with nearly the same overall density as air. Aerostats include free balloons, airships, and moored balloons)
(ii) For aerodynamic lift, see Lift (force)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift_(force)
(If the fluid is air, the force is called an aerodynamic force)
(iii) It is written: "The aerostat envelope (balloon) contains LTA gas that enables buoyancy."

LTA stands for lighter than gas.
(iv)
(i) cycloidal drive
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycloidal_drive
(ii) cycloid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycloid

Only take a look at teh animation in BOTH (i) and (ii), and you will understand why it is called "cycloidal."
(iii) The adjective cycloidal is derived from the noun cycloid (French cycloïde, from Greek kykloeidēs circular, from kyklos)

The Greek noun kyklos is circle, wheel, cycle in English.

All definitions are from www.m-w.com.


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