I Wonder How Far Advanced Flight Technology Has Advanced Since Jean-Pierre Petit's Work On Mhd. Anybody Here Know?

[Atheist]

I saw a talk by Jean-Pierre some years ago where he described his work on MHD and went on to suggest how to use it for flight propulsion. As his sketches and diagrams appeared on the blackboard, there slowly appeared a circular wingless craft: he finished by saying what everybody must have by then been thinking. It's been worked on by others since then, and I wonder what, if anything, has become of this idea.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingless_Electromagnetic_Air_Vehicle

https://faculty.eng.ufl.edu/aprg/research/weav/

[Old_Geezer]

Circular sea faring ships proved problematic. Perhaps they realised this aircraft would be too ?

[Atheist]

OG; I know that Avro worked on a primitive disc-shaped aircraft many years ago, which was hopeless. I didn't know about circular marine craft (except perhaps the coracle).

'Flying saucers' seem not to operate in the same way as our planes; they don't have drag issues and don't need to be streamlined.

[douglas9401]

You forgot to add 'in the movies' to your 10:38 post, Atheist.

[Old_Geezer]

Popovka

https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/qi/episodes/16/4/

 

Perhaps it isn't comparable ?