>>> Amazing airplane seen at Camarillo air show.
    >>> Roger Parker built this over a long period.
    >>> As I recall he started in 1993. The fuselage was made
    >>> in a female mold by Rich Trickle of KIS fame.
    >>> The wings are glass over foam. This is the real thing
    >>> and not a mockup. All parts work. Rather brilliant
    >>> design and much like a VTOL F35. Roger was also friends
    >>> with Vance Jaqua. Taxi test will be performed at Camarillo
    >>> this week.
    >>>
    >>> Right now it is powered by a Toyota Supra turbo six that weighs
    >>> 375 pounds. All three fans are driven by shafts
    >>> and Boston right angle cast iron gear boxes so it is
    >>> a bit over weight and under powered. Roger is looking for a gas
   turbine
    >>> around 800 HP. He might eventually settle for a 300 pound, 800
    >>> HP turbo 3 rotor if we are lucky.
    >>>
    >>> The rear ducts rotate 90 degrees from pure lift to pure thrust. He
    >>> is well
    >>> aware of the drag on the ducts so his expectations of top speed are
    >>> realistic.
    >>>
    >>> Counter rotating props are cut
    >>> down IVO but those will not be used for the final design.
    >>> He will need variable pitch props to control roll and pitch
    >>> in the hover and VTOL mode.
    >>>
    >>> Roger, here is Perry Mick's web site address  on his ducted fan
    >>> LongEZ for your info.
    >>>
    >>> http://www.bridgingworlds.com/duckt.htm
    >>>
    >>> Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.
    >>
    >> Pretty cool! I've made some sketches over the years trying to
   accomplish
    >> something similar with the canard configuration. I had one drawn
   up with
    >> three turbofans, vectored thrust on the two rears, and the front one
    >> only vectored downward and shutdown in forward flight. Another
   one with
    >> large open props. Paul you might still have some of my old 3D
   sketches.
    >> More recently I saw a program on the Osprey, got me thinking
   about it
    >> again. I was thinking of making a mini-Osprey with a more
   conventional
    >> (non-canard) layout with a Bonanza v-tail.
    >>
    >> Perry
    >>
    >> No doubt about it the V22 is faster than a ducted configuration.
    >>
    >> --
    >> Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.
    >
    > Interesting.  There is a company working on something similar in
   a VTOL
    > drone.  It will be interesting to hear how his gearbox and drive
   shaft
    > couplings hold up.  Tricky stuff, those drivelines.  The canard
    > configuration does give him a wider cg tolerence which is always
   a plus
    > during transition.  The buried nose fan seems like a good call.  The
    > trick
    > will be the differential throttling to control pitch during
   transition.
    > STOL with this bird should be pretty easy.  VTOL will be an
    > achievement, but
    > I don't see why he can't do it.  The Vanguard and Doak
   experimental VTOL
    > aircraft in the 50's worked.
    >
    > I have to agree with Paul about the overall speed and bloc
   efficiency,
    > the -22 will have higher figures of merit.  But it is a complex
    > machine and
    > having the usual problems until they get it right.  There is a
   tremendous
    > market for them in areas like oil rig supply and personnel
   movements.  If
    > they can winterize it properly, they would be a boon to mining
    > outposts and
    > isolated settlements around the arctic circle.  It is almost
    > impossible to
    > maintain year-round runways up there, and frequently the
   ski-equipped
    > aircraft don't have enough room.  A fairly small pad could be kept
    > open with
    > standard dozers and blades.  The costs of any kind of transport up
    > there can
    > be prohibitive, so a VTOL light freighter might very well be
   competitive
    > because of the lack of need for an infrastructure (like road
    > maintenance).
    >
    > George W
    >

   Wasn't there a big write-up about Japanese companies trying to buy the
   V22 for civilian needs there, but DOD said no, so they started an R&D
   company here and hired many former V-22 engineers in an attempt to
   develop their own smaller version. Or, do I have it confused with
   something else?

   -dave




The Bell 609 Tilt Rotor is the same concept, but about 1/4th the size of
the V22..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell/Agusta_BA609

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-22_Osprey


Regards,

Matt-

-

The Rotary Engine NewsLetter. Powered by Linux.
ACRE NL web site. http://www.rotaryeng.net
Copyright 1998-2006 All world wide rights reserved.