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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> 4000 feet up! Are you ready?
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Showing posts 26 - 50 of 98, (reverse)
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 10/24/2005 02:33:20 PM · #26
Originally posted by alansfreed:
Originally posted by srdanz:
Prolly because this is all fake. Just having fun with it...


Well, if it's fake, they've certainly fooled plenty of people, including USA Today.


Yeah...One thing I do is make sure and check out as much as possible anything like this link before I post it anywhere. I have a boss that emails so much garbage you wouldn't believe it and also reads them at office meetings to "warn" us about all the terrible things happening out there. I don't post something unless I've checked it out at least to my own satisfaction.
 10/24/2005 02:36:30 PM · #27
Originally posted by alansfreed:
Originally posted by srdanz:
Prolly because this is all fake. Just having fun with it...


Well, if it's fake, they've certainly fooled plenty of people, including USA Today.


Google Link ... Lots of people being fooled!!

Cheers
Tony
 10/24/2005 02:37:50 PM · #28
I think I figured it out... 60 feet or 18 meters is not such a big deal if done right. All is needed is not to assume (what I wrongly assumed) that it is going to be somehow attached to the edge. No, what they're going to do is (probably) buld a steel structure, at least 3x as long, say, 60m, and lay it on top of the canyon rim. That way, they can put some heavy weight on the 2/3rds of it, and just let the 1/3rd lean over the edge. If they do it that way, I'm all for walking on it...

alansfreed - I take back my comment on being fake.

Back to the comment on "why would they do something like this to the nature" - I would agree that this is the question that needs answering, but noone seems to care any more anyway. This should probably be asked in a Rant section, not here.
 10/24/2005 02:40:36 PM · #29
Originally posted by briphoto:
$25 just to walk around it? Pretty expensive 10 minute walk.


At a price of "well over $10 million" to construct it's going to take the investors a little while to recoup the costs and begin to profit. Besides, last I checked helicopter tours are around $100 per person for (if memory serves) about 1/2 hour.
 10/24/2005 02:45:57 PM · #30
Originally posted by srdanz:
Back to the comment on "why would they do something like this to the nature" - I would agree that this is the question that needs answering, but noone seems to care any more anyway. This should probably be asked in a Rant section, not here.


Overall, it seems to me that, once built, it will provide a serene way to view this massive canyon. It's a lot less intrusive than those damned helicopters (which are not allowed withing the National Park airspace, thank god)! It's not even a fraction as ugly as the Hoover Dam or the urban sprawl associated with Las Vegas. I think it will be more on par with the St. Louis Arch, the Seattle Space Needle, the Tampa/St. Petersburg (Florida) Sunshine Bridge.....etc.

And...without trying to push this to "rant"....how else do you propose the Indians provide employment and income on their reservation?

10/24/2005 02:51:27 PM · #31
Originally posted by wavelength:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
A lesson in structural design learned the wrong way.


That's exactly what I thought of when I saw this. I was only three years old here in KC when that happened, and I STILL remember that. ALmost the same as Challenger and 9/11 for me.


My uncle was there with his wife, but thankfully they were not on the walkways or underneath.

I also studied this case, both in a failure analysis class and as part of a class in engineering ethics.
 10/24/2005 02:53:09 PM · #32
I'm a little concerned that if they get a politician to open it it may collapse under the weight of pure BS.
 10/24/2005 02:55:15 PM · #33
Hmm, employment for all these indians... and a resort to be owned by someone from Vegas. Great, all these indians will be able to enjoy the view themselves and get $6.50/hr or thereabout.

I do not have a proposal/solution to the problem this country has with its aboriginal population. I just do not think that the emd result ($6.50/hr) is justifying the means (environmetal impact etc. on the Grand Canyon area). I just hope that these Hualapais know what they're up against.

$6.50 is a number I pulled out of my ..., not an actual wage I know about.
 10/24/2005 03:01:25 PM · #34
Originally posted by modprod:
I'm a little concerned that if they get a politician to open it it may collapse under the weight of pure BS.

It may be partially offset by the increased buoyancy from all the hot air ...
 10/24/2005 03:08:37 PM · #35
From the architect's site:

"Carren said another challenge was minimizing the environmental impact of the walkway and the accompanying visitor's center, a requirement made by the Hualapai Tribe.

The visitor's center is being built to resemble the surrounding rock so it will blend into the landscape, Yellowhawk said.

Structurally, 2 1/2-inch-thick steel rods will be used to support the bridge and the building, Carren said. The small rods, he said, allow the structure to be removed without having to tear up the land.

"We had to figure out a foundation system that was strong but didn't impact the rock too much because the Indians were concerned about ripping up the rock," he said."

I suppose, selfishly, I think it's a cool thing. I can understand the concerns about environment, however. It will be interesting to see how popular the completed project will be and how commercially it may evolve. I do hope some limits are set, but I suppose the question is always whose limits?

Message edited by author 2005-10-24 15:09:39.
 10/24/2005 03:13:14 PM · #36
Well they actually together may create an eqillibrium and all will be ok.Such is politics.
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by modprod:
I'm a little concerned that if they get a politician to open it it may collapse under the weight of pure BS.

It may be partially offset by the increased buoyancy from all the hot air ...
10/24/2005 03:13:21 PM · #37
Originally posted by jpochard:
... 2 1/2-inch-thick steel rods ...
I do hope some limits are set, but I suppose the question is always whose limits?

If those act as lightning rods, the answer to your question may be Thor or Zeus ... : )
 10/24/2005 03:16:12 PM · #38
I've read the same interview (or a similar one).

I did not think that there is an effect to the environment from building the structure,(although there is some effect there, too).

I (and possibly tonyv who voiced original concern) thought of this:

it currently takes a 30 min bus ride to get there, and it won't pay itself off ever with such arrangement. There has to be a restroom, a restaurant, or maybe two (for different types of food) then a bar for alansfreed :-) to sell his margaritas, then a chapel or other form of bulding for the walkers to get ready, including some slot machines (it is in Nevada, right) to play with while waiting. This structure cannot stand on its own without a village being built around it.

I hope not, but we'll see.
 10/24/2005 03:17:03 PM · #39
Ok folks. Architecture! This is fun.

I just sent this site to my structural engineer and we actually discussed this issue. For starters, they mentioned that the skywalk will be able to accommodate 150 people at a time. Just do the math.

150 people x 125 lbs/person x the arm length (70') = 1,312,500 ft. lbs or 1312 Kips. That's not even counting the dead load (load of the materials like glass and concrete and steel that comprises the skywalk).

In a cantilever situation, there is the rule of thirds. If the bridge projects 70' over the Canyon, this means that 2/3 of the same structure comprising the bridge needs to be buried in bedrock.

Try it with your pencil. Take a pencil and put it on the table's edge 1/3 of its length. Now place your finger on one end of the pencil that's on the table and one end on the other tip. Push the tip that's cantilevering. You'll notice the slight resistance due to the 2/3 span. Now invert this. Let the cantilever be 2/3 and the support be 1/3 and you'll see it doesn't take much to overturn the pencil.

This is what we refer to as overturning moments. The force that will take a structure to rotate about an axis.

By the looks of the images, the platform will be a "wafer" thin structure made out of glass. This will be an engineering feat in its own if this is successful.

I'll forward information from my structural engineer as soon as I hear.

Message edited by author 2005-10-24 15:17:58.
 10/24/2005 03:18:24 PM · #40
Originally posted by modprod:
Well they actually together may create an eqillibrium and all will be ok.Such is politics

"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book."
-Ronald Reagan
 10/24/2005 03:19:43 PM · #41
Let's not forget the public liability insurance costs!
 10/24/2005 03:22:05 PM · #42
rikki11, I thought of the same thing - (see my post below) - only it does not have to be burried anywhere, only bolted somehow with a bunch of weight on it. Build a casino on the other end, and you're all set.
 10/24/2005 03:23:25 PM · #43
Originally posted by rikki11:
150 people x 125 lbs/person ...

Whoa, you better catch up on your reading from the Centers for Disease control and the Coast Guard and the FAA -- what with Americans pigging out while the world starves even 150 pounds/person is too low a figure (pun intended) these days.
 10/24/2005 03:25:40 PM · #44
Originally posted by srdanz:
rikki11, I thought of the same thing - (see my post below) - only it does not have to be burried anywhere, only bolted somehow with a bunch of weight on it. Build a casino on the other end, and you're all set.


Actually it's not that easy. The Golden Gate Bridge for instance uses huge concrete counter supports to adequately handle the gravity and lateral loads of the two pylons and the bridge span. These concrete behemoths can be seen from the SF side. The Marin side is a bit more subtle because of bedrock.

10/24/2005 03:32:33 PM · #45
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by rikki11:
150 people x 125 lbs/person ...

Whoa, you better catch up on your reading from the Centers for Disease control and the Coast Guard and the FAA -- what with Americans pigging out while the world starves even 150 pounds/person is too low a figure (pun intended) these days.


I know Paul. I was just being a bit PC. You're looking at more around 150-175 lbs per person.
 10/24/2005 03:53:23 PM · #46
Originally posted by rikki11:
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by rikki11:
150 people x 125 lbs/person ...

Whoa, you better catch up on your reading from the Centers for Disease control and the Coast Guard and the FAA -- what with Americans pigging out while the world starves even 150 pounds/person is too low a figure (pun intended) these days.


I know Paul. I was just being a bit PC. You're looking at more around 150-175 lbs per person.


This month, 21 people died on a boat tour on Lake George: One article
Because the boat was at near full capacity, and because the capacity is based on 140lb people, NYS is reviewing it's regulations on numbers of people on such craft.... Yup! The "average" person got a lot heavier than when the regulations were written.
 10/24/2005 03:53:34 PM · #47
Who is ready to bungee jump off that thing...LOL?
 10/24/2005 04:09:13 PM · #48
Originally posted by saintaugust:
awesome! i'd so walk on that. reminds me of the glass floor here in toronto on our CN tower.. you can stand on it, and look down about.. i dunno... 2,000 feet or something like that.

Yeah man I was thinking the same thing, I'd love to go on one of those. :-D
 10/24/2005 04:12:01 PM · #49
I remember as a kid of about 8 years old completely FREAKING out on the bridge that goes over the Royal Gorge. I vividly remember asking my dad to pull over and just let me walk because I knew death was nigh if we drove our '77 T-Bird over that thing. I lived, but it was very traumatic. ;)

I can just imagine having to stand on this thing projecting out into the Grand Canyon. No way. Thanks, but I'll take pics from the railings. :)
 10/24/2005 04:26:15 PM · #50
Originally posted by rasdub:
Who is ready to bungee jump off that thing...LOL?


I am! I already did the longest fall bungee jump in new zealand, i need more more more hahaha. I'd skateboard on top of that thing if I had a cable attachment.
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