Project Open Sky

I fell in love with the Mehve when I first saw Valley of the Wind at the age of 12. At one point in my life, I thought about becoming an aerodynamics engineer precisely because I wanted to build and fly the glider before I die or become too cripple. It turns out that there is a small group of engineers in Japan who has dedicated themselves to making the Mehve. They named their endeavor Project Open Sky (not to be confused with POSKY, which is something completely different).

A while back, I discussed the wing design with my buddy Colin, who is an aviation hobbyist. We both came to the conclusion that a delta wing for a glider that supposedly operates at high velocity is near impossible. Most of the delta wing design are reserved for low speed gliders (usually without motor), or in the case of military aircrafts such as the B-2, they can only be fly-by-wire due to the unstable nature of the wing design. From the prototypes that I've seen so far, there is no control of the engine anywhere on the glider. There are some specifications that I think will be very difficult to meet. For example, you are supposed to be able to fly the glider with or without the use of the engine, and the aircraft is supposed to be light enough so that you can lift it over your head. In addition, the glider is supposed to be capable of vertical/short take-off like the Harrier II from the UK. Unless there is some alien technology that I am not aware of where a hunk of Pratt & Whitney JT9D engine can be as light as a feather, the ideal Mehve is still a distant dream. But I exaggerate...

It is possible that the engineers managed to control the engine thrust such that the glider will not reach the speed where the it becomes critical. If this is so and the Mehve will be in use while I am still alive, I will be very happy. They are currently seeking a female test pilot, 120 pounds or lighter, to debut the glider.