Showing posts with label airplane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label airplane. Show all posts

2012-07-11

The E-Volo Volocopter

Blade Runner: 18-Rotor "Volocopter" Moving from Concept to Prototype: Scientific American

Inventor and physicist Thomas Senkel created an Internet sensation with the October 2011 video of his maiden—and only—test flight of a spidery proof-of-concept 16-rotor helicopter dubbed Multicopter 1. Now the maker of the experimental personal aviation craft, the European start-up e-volo, is back with a revised "volocopter" design that adds two more rotors, a serial hybrid drive and long-term plans for going to 100 percent battery power.


e-volo | What is a Volocopter?


The e-volo volocopter is a completely novel, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) manned aircraft, which cannot be classified in any known category. The fact that it was conceived of as a purely electrically powered aircraft sets it apart from conventional aircraft.

Through the use of its many propellers, the volocopter can take off and land vertically like a helicopter. A considerable advantage, apart from the simple construction without complex mechanics, is the redundancy of drives. This enables the safe landing of the volocopter even if some drives fail.

E-Volo | (VIDEO) E-Volo, after proof of concept let’s talk about production, VC Evolution! | Hybrid cars, green vehicles, electric bike: TechnologicVehicles.com, showroom and news

More than a one-off prototype, Thomas Senkel who founded the company has big ambitions, after presenting the prototype of the VC Evolution 1P at Aero shiw in Friedrichshafen he recently received the Innovation Award from the Lindbergh Foundation (LEAP), therefore the development of a production models is underway.


His flying machines are dubbed Volocopter, the 2-seater could emerge first, the VC Evolution 2P for which E-Volo announces a top speed of 100kph and 1 hour of range. The production model could be launched within 2 to 3 years after the test and development phases.




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2012-03-19

A Silent Supersonic Biplane


New Biplane Design Stops Sonic Booms | Silent Supersonic Aircraft | LiveScience


A supersonic biplane concept created by Kazuhiro Kusunose and colleagues at Tohoku University in Japan. CREDIT: Institute of Fluid Science | Tohoku University
A newer version of the biplane could reach supersonic cruising speeds without causing ear-splitting sonic booms, according to computer simulations by MIT and Stanford University researchers. They built upon the design of German engineer Adolf Busemann, who originally envisioned triangular wings connected at their tips.

A biplane to break the sound barrier - MIT News Office

Wang and his colleagues Rui Hu, a postdoc in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Antony Jameson, a professor of engineering at Stanford University, have shown through a computer model that a modified biplane can, in fact, produce significantly less drag than a conventional single-wing aircraft at supersonic cruise speeds. The group will publish their results in the Journal of Aircraft.

This decreased drag, according to Wang, means the plane would require less fuel to fly. It also means the plane would produce less of a sonic boom.

“The sonic boom is really the shock waves created by the supersonic airplanes, propagated to the ground,” Wang says. “It’s like hearing gunfire. It’s so annoying that supersonic jets were not allowed to fly over land.”

Sonic boom - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A sonic boom is the sound associated with the shock waves created by an object traveling through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding much like an explosion. The crack of a supersonic bullet passing overhead is an example of a sonic boom in miniature.

A sonic boom produced by an aircraft moving at M=2.92, calculated from the cone angle of 20 degrees. An observer hears the boom when the shock wave, on the edges of the cone, crosses his or her location.
Mach cone angle



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2011-02-19

AeroVironment Hummingbird Flapping-Wing Nano-UAV

Nano Hummingbird, drone, spy plane, Pentagon: Pentagon, AeroVironment to unveil Nano Hummingbird, an experimental mini-spy plane - latimes.com

latimes.com
A pocket-size drone dubbed the Nano Hummingbird for the way it flaps its tiny robotic wings has been developed for the Pentagon by a Monrovia company as a mini-spy plane capable of maneuvering on the battlefield and in urban areas.

The battery-powered drone was built by AeroVironment Inc. for the Pentagon's research arm as part of a series of experiments in nanotechnology. The little flying machine is built to look like a bird for potential use in spy missions.


AeroVironment, Inc.: News & Events: AeroVironment Develops World’s First Fully Operational Life-Size Hummingbird-Like Unmanned Aircraft for DARPA

AeroVironment, Inc. is a leader in Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Electric Vehicle Charging Systems, and Power Cycling & Test Systems.

• Two-wing, Flapping Aircraft Hovers and Flies in Any Direction
• Total Weight of Two-thirds of an Ounce Includes Batteries and Video Camera

WASHINGTON, at AAAS Conference, Feb. 17, 2011 – AeroVironment, Inc. (AV)(NASDAQ: AVAV) today announced it has accomplished a technical milestone never before achieved -- controlled precision hovering and fast-forward flight of a two-wing, flapping wing aircraft that carries its own energy source, and uses only the flapping wings for propulsion and control.




AV is developing the Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) under a DARPA sponsored research contract to develop a new class of air vehicle systems capable of indoor and outdoor operation. Employing biological mimicry at an extremely small scale, this unconventional aircraft could someday provide new reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities in urban environments.



The hand-made final concept demonstrator Nano Hummingbird has a wingspan of 16 cm (6.5 in) and weighs just 19 g (2/3 oz), which is less than the weight of a AA battery. Into this tiny and lightweight package the AeroVironment UAS team has managed to cram all the systems required for flight, including batteries, motors, communications systems and even a video camera.

The aircraft can climb and descend vertically, fly sideways left and right, fly forward and backward, as well as rotating clockwise and counter-clockwise – all under remote control and while carrying a video camera payload. It is even capable of doing a 360-degree loop.




The Nano Hummingbird met all, and exceeded many, of the Phase II technical milestones set out by DARPA:

  • Demonstrate precision hover flight.
  • Demonstrate hover stability in a wind gust flight which required the aircraft to hover and tolerate a two-meter per second (five miles per hour) wind gust from the side, without drifting downwind more than one meter.
  • Demonstrate a continuous hover endurance of eight minutes with no external power source.
  • Fly and demonstrate controlled, transition flight from hover to 11 miles per hour fast forward flight and back to hover flight.
  • Demonstrate flying from outdoors to indoors, and back outdoors through a normal-size doorway.
  • Demonstrate flying indoors 'heads-down' where the pilot operates the aircraft only looking at the live video image stream from the aircraft, without looking at or hearing the aircraft directly.
  • Fly the aircraft in hover and fast forward flight with bird-shaped body and bird-shaped wings.

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2010-10-31

CSAR DiscRotor -- DARPA/Boeing Retractable-Blade Helicopter

Boeing Develops Helicopter-Airplane Hybrid for DARPA



As part of a DARPA initiative, Boeing is developing a search-and-rescue aircraft that combines a helicopter's hovering capabilities with an airplane's long flight range. According to Aviation Week, Boeing will test a 20-percent scale model of the disc-rotor aircraft, called the CSAR DiscRotor, in a wind tunnel sometime next year.


The aircraft takes off vertically like a helicopter, with telescoping rotor blades extended, then converts to fixed-wing forward flight by retrating the blades into the disc, which is then stopped. The aircraft the flies on its swept wing and dual ducted propellers.



DARPA - Tactical Technology Office (TTO)



The goal of the DiscRotor Compound Helicopter program is to design and demonstrate the enabling technologies required to develop a new type of compound helicopter capable of high-efficiency hover, high-speed flight, and seamless transition between these flight states.
[...]
An aircraft capable of long range high speed (300-400 kts) and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)/hover will satisfy an ongoing military interest, bridging the gap in helicopter escort and insertion missions by providing survivability, mobility, and responsiveness for troop and cargo insertion.


High-Speed VTOL Goes for a Spin


Developing a mechanism that will reliability and repeatably retract and extend the blades under flight loads (including centripetal forces) is the central technical challenge of the DiscRotor program,


The DiscRotor has an integrated propulsion system using two turboshaft engines fitted with fans so they can also generate forward thrust. Shaft power goes to the main gearbox to power the rotor and a pair of wing-mounted, cross-shafted ducted propellers that provide the majority of the thrust in fixed-wing mode.




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2010-08-09

Boeing's Unmanned Spy Planes

Boeing Phantom Work

The Phantom Works division is the main research and development arm of The Boeing Company. Founded by McDonnell Douglas before the merger with Boeing, its primary focus had been development of advanced military products and technologies. After the merger, research and development expanded to cover commercial and space applications as well. Phantom Works has been a driving factor behind nearly all of the company's large contracts, including the upcoming X-45.


Phantom Ray: Boeing unveils spy plane of the future

14th May 2010
It may look like a futuristic starfighter, but this sleek gun-metal craft is Boeing's latest unmanned spy plane.

Called the Phantom Ray, the cutting-edge unmanned airborne system (UAS) was unveiled at a ceremony in St Louis yesterday.

The sleek craft has a 50ft wingspan, measures 36ft long and has a gross weight of 36,500lbs. It operates at an altitude of 40,000ft, which is 10,000ft higher than the average long-haul commercial airliner. It will cruise comfortably at a speed of 614mph, or 0.8mach, just shy of the speed of sound.




Phantom Ray makes its debut in St. Louis

“Phantom Ray offers a host of options for our customers as a test bed for advanced technologies, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; suppression of enemy air defenses; electronic attack and autonomous aerial refueling – the possibilities are nearly endless,” said Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.





Phantom Eye: Boeing's new unmanned hydrogen-powered spy plane

14th July 2010
With its short, squat body and massive wingspan this is an unmanned jet with a difference - it's powered by hydrogen.

Boeing's Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system will be able to stay aloft at 65,000 feet for up to four days.

Phantom Eye is designed to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance missions while remaining at high altitude. It will produce only water as a by-product.



Phantom Eye High Altitude Long Endurance aircraft unveiled


"Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open up a whole new market in collecting data and communications," Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works, said today at the unveiling ceremony in St. Louis. "It is a perfect example of turning an idea into a reality. It defines our rapid prototyping efforts and will demonstrate the art-of-the-possible when it comes to persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The capabilities inherent in Phantom Eye's design will offer game-changing opportunities for our military, civil and commercial customers."





Sources
Boeing Phantom Works - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Phantom_Works
Phantom Ray: Boeing unveils spy plane of the future | Mail Online
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1277235/Phantom-Ray-Boeing-unveils-spy-plane-future.html
Boeing Feature Story: Phantom Ray makes its debut in St. Louis
http://www.boeing.com/Features/2010/05/bds_feat_phantomRay_05_10_10.html
YouTube - boeing unveil phantom eye unmanned spy plane 12th july 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97lvvSrgkiY
Phantom Eye: Boeing's new unmanned hydrogen-powered spy plane | Mail Online
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1294404/Phantom-Eye-Boeings-new-unmanned-hydrogen-powered-spy-plane.html
Boeing Feature Story: Phantom Eye High Altitude Long Endurance aircraft unveiled
http://www.boeing.com/Features/2010/07/bds_feat_phantom_eye_07_12_10.html
YouTube - Boeing Phantom Ray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEqBvvvSgK0

Related
The Boeing Company: Defense, Space & Security
http://www.boeing.com/bds/
Boeing's Phantom Ray to fly in December | Military Tech - CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13639_3-20004554-42.html
Boeing taps hydrogen for Phantom Eye UAV | Cutting Edge - CNET News
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-20010294-76.html
Boeing Phantom Ray - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Phantom_Ray
Boeing Phantom Eye - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Phantom_Eye

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2008-01-25

LAPCAT -- Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts

From Brussels to Sydney in about 2 to 4 hours


clipped from www.esa.int
LAPCAT logo

LAPCAT logo

Overview


Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologies


To reduce the travelling time of long-distance flights, e.g. Brussels to Sydney, in about 2 to 4 hours, advanced propulsion concepts and technologies need to be developed. This requires a new flight regime with Mach numbers ranging from 4 to 8. At these high speeds, classical turbo-jet engines need to be replaced by advanced airbreathing engines.

LAPCAT - Configuration A2 Vehicle
Configuration A2 Mach 5 Civil Transport

“...to reduce long-distance flights, e.g. From Brussels to Sydney, to less than 2 to 4 hours. Achieving this goal intrinsically requires a new flight regime for commercial transport with Mach numbers ranging from 4 to 8.”

Configuration A2 Mach 5 Civil Transport
LAPCAT - Scimitar Engine
Scimitar Engine Installation
Scimitar Engine Installation
Image Library - LAPCAT
Lapcat on Ground 1
Config A2 on Ground 1
Lapcat Takeoff
Config A2 Takeoff
Lapcat In Flight 1
Config A2 In Flight 1
Lapcat in Flight 2
Config A2 In Flight 2
Lapcat Size Comparison 1
Config A2 Size Comparison 1
Lapcat Size Comparison 2
Config A2 Size Comparison 2

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Related:
Technical and Quality Management Portal - Mechanical - Overview
Reaction Engines Limited :: LAPCAT
Tech Digest: LAPCAT will fly you from Sydney to Brussels in four hours
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