StarJar
Well-Known Member
I was contemplating how cool it would be to have a swept flying wing, with an electric motor driven prop on the nose, and an engine/generator in the rear, behind the cabin.
That way you could balance the plane, and not have to have ground clearance problems with a rear prop. Also, since flying wings sit at a high angle on the ground, there would plenty of height at the front, and the thrust could be at wing level.
Then I thought, could you have the generator motor also turn some blades, full time, and thus have a "cold jet" at the rear. Could it propell the plane at a cruise speed of say 200mph? That way you don't deal with the energy losses of the generator and electric motor durring normal flight. The "cold jet" would take in air through inlets, and be "nozzled" out the back.
I've learned from Martin Hollman's books, that smaller propellors allow a plane to fly faster, but my question is, would there be an outlet size that would be efficient at 200mph, or even be capable of maintaining that speed [with an engine of about 100-150hp on a (clean) two seat flying wing]?
The nose prop could assist in take-off and climb, and then fold when cruising speed is reached. Batteries would charge, when the nose prop isn't used, and also serve as a back-up, if there were engine problems. The engine used might be an auto conversion, that likes to run at higher rpm (around 4000). It's just a daydream at this point, but just wondering if the cold jet is a realistic idea.
Thanks
That way you could balance the plane, and not have to have ground clearance problems with a rear prop. Also, since flying wings sit at a high angle on the ground, there would plenty of height at the front, and the thrust could be at wing level.
Then I thought, could you have the generator motor also turn some blades, full time, and thus have a "cold jet" at the rear. Could it propell the plane at a cruise speed of say 200mph? That way you don't deal with the energy losses of the generator and electric motor durring normal flight. The "cold jet" would take in air through inlets, and be "nozzled" out the back.
I've learned from Martin Hollman's books, that smaller propellors allow a plane to fly faster, but my question is, would there be an outlet size that would be efficient at 200mph, or even be capable of maintaining that speed [with an engine of about 100-150hp on a (clean) two seat flying wing]?
The nose prop could assist in take-off and climb, and then fold when cruising speed is reached. Batteries would charge, when the nose prop isn't used, and also serve as a back-up, if there were engine problems. The engine used might be an auto conversion, that likes to run at higher rpm (around 4000). It's just a daydream at this point, but just wondering if the cold jet is a realistic idea.
Thanks
