Author Topic: Brian Feeney's da Vinci Team (Wildfire Mk VI) (Read 4475 times)

Skyrocket · « **on:** 03/07/2007 12:17 pm »

Has anyone heared anythin about Brian Feeney's da Vinci Team and the balloon-launched Wildfire Mk VI. suborbital Spacecraft. After claiming, that he was nearly ready to launch when the X-prize was won, this project seems to have disappeared. Any news of them?

bad_astra · « **Reply #1 on:** 03/07/2007 11:07 pm »

I emailed him a long time ago, shortly before SS1 won the prize. ( http://www.hobbyspace.com/AAdmin/archive/RLV/2004/RLVNews2004-09.html ) and actually did get a detailed reply. Of course none of it amounted to anything. The sci-fi-starfighter looking thing on the Da Vinci page is not the Mk VI. I don't know what it's supposed to be.

Skyrocket · « **Reply #2 on:** 03/08/2007 11:32 am »

According to http://www.dreamspacegroup.net/technical.html the sci-fi-thing is ...

Quote

XF1 Single Person Spaceflight Technology Demonstrator

The full scale XF1 is under construction now and will be ready for testing by the middle of 2007. It will employ a new liquid rocket propulsion system. This is a winged space aircraft design and reflects both the technology and design approach for our own space tourism business model.

But as they were not able to fly the pretty simple Wildfire rocket, i do not belive, that they will be able to fly sci-fi-starfighters.

bad_astra · « **Reply #3 on:** 03/08/2007 02:22 pm »

That's what I get for not going to the X-Prize cup. I would have seen the unveiling of the thing. Well supposedly 2007 will bring a full scale XF1 ready for testing. In Feeney terms that means he will have a fiberglass model available to take to the next X-Prize cup.

Too bad the MK VI never got a chance and his team left. I liked the idea of the rockoon launch because as a "Stage 0" you can't get much cheaper than a helium balloon. However, ARCA has found a way to go cheaper with a Solar Montgolfiere. It's hard to imagine getting anything in the air cheaper then essentially an envelope composed of black garbage bag material. I think they now have the record on the largest solar balloon ever made. Of course this makes Stabilo launches even more dependant on the weather, but it is, in the end, just a test program, and so launch schedule and turnaround isn't as dependant as they would have been during the X-Prize cup.

wannamoonbase · « **Reply #4 on:** 03/09/2007 01:07 am »

I volunteered on the project until I figured out (a few months) that there was alot of hot air and pretty pictures but no money. There were some excellent people with aerospace construction and CFD experience (owners of their own companies.) But the leash on the talent was a little tight I thought and there was no direction in fund raising.

The idea was a reasonable approach, most of the talent required was there. The execution was terrible.

That said, as far as I can tell he was still the 2nd furtherest along project. Basically it was the Rutan-Prize and they just needed to wait for him to build it. No one else was going to get it done.

gladiator1332 · « **Reply #5 on:** 03/09/2007 01:58 am »

Sure it looks nice, but can that thing even fly? That thing doesn't even looks like it could handle atmospheric flight.

Jason · « **Reply #6 on:** 03/09/2007 02:36 am »

Brian Feeney did an interview with David Livingston on the Space Show in which he detailed what was going on with all of this. You can listen to it here : http://www.thespaceshow.com/detail.asp?q=637

Danderman · « **Reply #7 on:** 04/21/2011 02:21 pm »

http://www.davinciproject.com/news/index.php

The site is pretty dead, it looks like its all about The Brian Feeney Story, but I guess Brian has been rather busy lately, so his rocket was never built.