The airflow blocking experiments I am aware of (e.g. at Blazelabs a continuous plate was used as the ion collector instead of a grid) demonstrated the opposite: no lift. Which is only to be expected: if you block the airflow by a plate attached to the lifter, the momentum given to the air is given back to the lifter when the air hits the plate, so the net thrust is zero. Would be the same if a helicoper carried a wide plate attached to its wheels, it wouldn't fly.
Michel ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Thomson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <vortex-l@eskimo.com> Sent: Friday, February 16, 2007 10:04 PM Subject: RE: [Vo]: Lifters > Hi Michel, > >> But the air propelled downwards by the ion has a mass (hidden in the ion >> mobility parameter), that's what's matters, just like the mass of a >> helicopter's propeller is irrelevant. If one can speak of thrust for a >> helicopter, one can speak of thrust for a lifter. > > Several people have constructed lifters (and the related "thruster") to > block airflow, which clearly demonstrates that airflow has nothing to do > with the lift. > > Dave >
