If You Can Snowboard, And Skateboard, And Wakeboard On The Water, How About Wingboarding Behind A Plane?

Imagine being towed through the air behind an airplane, like a wakeboarder or water skier being towed by a ski boat. That’s the general idea behind the WingBoard, which is being developed by Aaron Wypyszynski,

In a press release, EAA said Wypyszynski had mentioned his wakeboard project during an interview at AirVenture 2014, but he did not provide details. Now, Wypyszynski is launching an effort to get the product off the ground through his company, Wyp Aviation.

Wypyszynski calls the WingBoard “a wakeboard in three dimensions” that combines wakeboarding, skydiving, and wingsuit flying, permitting riders to carve through the sky while being towed behind an airplane.

It works through a close coupling of the rider, tow rope, and composite WingBoard. Its shape has a stable center of gravity while the rider, attached to the board with a binding, stands upright and leans and twists in all directions to maneuver the board. The unique tow rope design provides stability and also reduces forces on the rider.

The phase I prototype is a 1/6 scale model using a remote control airplane towing the WingBoard with a 3D-printed human model on board. Wypyszynski claims the prototype has proven the aerodynamic stability and control of the design.

Next up is work on a phase II prototype, a 40 percent scale model and final stepping stone toward the development of the full-scale prototype. Wypyszynski has launched a crowd funding campaign to generate funding for this next development, expected to run a little over six months.

(Image of a rendering of the WingBoard from EAA)

FMI: www.eaa.org  www.wypaviation,com