Terrafugia’s Flying Car Approved For Highway Use In USA

The Terrafugia Transition, flying car, is one step closer to becoming a reality in the US, as its design was approved for road use by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHSA). This was by no means an easy process for the design engineers at Terrafugia, as they had to make many revisions in order to meet the stringent guidelines set forth by the NHSA. In fact, the project was in jeopardy not too long ago because of the changes mandated by the NHSA. These changes were projected to cost Terrafugia around $18 million, at a time when the project was already over budget, behind schedule, and running short on capital. However, due to the impressive design and engineering work the company had done so far, they were awarded a contract from the US Department of Defense which was worth approximately $60 million. This contract was awarded to Terrafugia in order to design a flying version of the military Humvee. This project is already well underway and the creation has been dubbed the Transformer.

With this latest approval for the Transition company officials are edging ever closer to seeing their dream become a reality. While the plan was to have models ready for customer delivery in late 2011, it now looks like this is going to be pushed back to sometime in early 2012. This delay was due to the design changes mentioned earlier and problems with suppliers of critical components. Receiving approval for all aspects of the Transition in the US will allow Terrafugia to be able to receive approval in much less time in other parts of the world. Since many of the design and safety standards for automobiles and aircraft are global, the process will be fairly quick when Terrafugia begins delivering the Transition to other countries throughout the world.

The price tag of the Transition has recently increased from $170,000 to $230,000 but this is unlikely to deter many prospective buyers. Let’s face it, if you can afford $170,000 for a flying car, another $60,000 probably won’t be too hard to come by. The Transition will require operators to have a light aircraft license, which should actually help to promote aviation to the masses. When in the air the Transition can achieve a top cruising speed of 115 mph, which is very impressive. It will also have a top speed of around 62 mph and while on the ground it should get around 35 miles per gallon, which puts it right in line with some of the more fuel efficient cars currently on the road. The Transition will only take 15 seconds for the wings to fold up and change from flying mode to driving mode. It will also be similar in size to large sedans or SUVs, so it can be easily operated on the road. It will be interesting to see these in action in 2012, the year of the flying car.

Lockheed Martin’s MKV (Multiple Kill Vehicle) Test

If you’ve seen the Iron-Man movie you’ll certainly remember the “Jericho” missile. The Multiple Kill Vehicle or MKV is a Inter-continental Balistic Missile (ICBM) counter measure. Bundles of MKV-L are attached to a larger rocket as a payload. The missile can be deployed from land or by sea at a fleet of incoming enemy missiles. Upon approaching the swarm of enemy weapons the clusters of smaller MKV-L’s are deployed to intercept and destroy by means of an onboard navigation computer and explosives.

Jet Engine Jet Pack: Bell WR19 Backpack

The jetpack really does exist, and flies longer than 20 seconds. But the reality is that it’s better to stand on your jet pack than strap it on your back, no matter how cool that seems.

Biofuel Powers Gulfstream G450 On Transatlantic Flight

In a recent test flight that was performed by Gulfstream in conjunction with Honeywell, a G450 business jet was flown across the Atlantic with one of the engines being powered by a mixture of 50% standard petroleum jet fuel and 50% Honeywell Green Jet Biofuel. While the Biofuel only represents a total of 25% of the total fuel that was used on the trip, it is still a big step in the right direction. This trip from New Jersey to Paris, France demonstrates just how far the development of Biofuel has come. With no modifications made to the Rolls Royce engine that was using the Honeywell Biofuel it shows how useful this newly developed fuel could be. With the price of fuel remaining high and increased concerns about the state of our environment this couldn’t have happened at a better time.

The use of this fuel as a primary source used to power jet engines may not occur for quite some time, but if this was used to replace 50% of the current fuel consumer by jets it would make a tremendous impact. This impact would lead to greatly reduced emissions, as this type of Biofuel produces far less carbon dioxide as compared to petroleum based jet fuel. Along with the reduced emissions the widespread use of this fuel would also ease some of the demand for petroleum based products, and in theory should result in a reduction of prices for gas and oil products. The biggest obstacle with Biofuel being used to power jets, such as the Gulfstream G450, is that there are currently no facilities that can be produce this in the large quantities that would be necessary.

The Biofuel that was made by Honeywell for this Gulfstream G450 Transatlantic flight was produced from camelina, which is a crop that is grown specifically for producing fuel. It is not a food staple product so there would be no issues with complicating food distribution. Also, the camelina is grown in areas where wheat is grown, as an alternative to wheat as it replenishes the soil with nutrients that are used by wheat. This is just one of the many sources that can be used for Biofuel, but it seems to be the most promising because it can be grown in many climates and on just about any type of land. Unlike soybeans and other possible food sources of Biofuel, the camelina is not consumed by humans so it is an ideal source. Another component that is being used to produce Biofuel is algae, which is grown and harvested in large football field sized plants and is later converted to fuel.

Regardless of what the Biofuel is made of, the first step is to ensure that it is safe for use in all applications. While the test flight conducted by Gulfstream and Honeywell seems to indicate that this is the case, there is a lot of research that is needed before it can be used as a widespread alternative to petroleum based jet fuel. Hopefully in the coming years this will be one of many alternative fuel sources to successfully replace or at least supplement the use of petroleum based fuels.

Bat Inspired Plane

A six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to a soldier in real time. U-M recently got a grant of $10 Million from Army to develop sensors, communication tools and batteries for this micro-aerial vehicle that’s been dubbed “the bat.” Engineers envision tiny cameras for stereo vision, an array of mini microphones that could home in on sounds from different directions, and small detectors for nuclear radiation and poisonous gases.

Low-power miniaturized radar and a very sensitive navigation system would help the bat find its way at night. Energy scavenging from solar, wind, vibration and other sources would recharge the bat’s lithium battery. The aircraft would use radio to send signals back to troops.

“These are all concepts, and many of them are the next generation of devices we have already developed. We’re trying to push the edge of our technologies to achieve functionality that was not possible before,” said Kamal Sarabandi, the COM-BAT director and a professor in the U-M Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

COM-BAT also involves the University of California at Berkeley and the University of New Mexico. It is one of four centers the Army launched as a collaborative effort among industry, academia and the Army Research Laboratory to work toward this vision of a small, robotic aircraft that could sense and communicate. Each of the four centers is charged with developing a different subsystem of the bat, a self-directed sensor inspired by the real thing.

“Bats have a highly-attuned echolocation sense providing high-resolution navigation and sensing ability even in the dark, just as our sensor must be able to do,” Sarabandi said.

Echolocation allows real bats to navigate by emitting sounds and detecting the echoes.

The bat robot’s body would be about six inches long. It would weigh about a quarter of a pound and use about 1 W of power.

U-M researchers intend to improve on current technologies. They’ll work to develop quantum dot solar cells that double the efficiency of current cells. They expect their autonomous navigation system, which would allow the robot to direct its own movements, to be 1,000 times smaller and more energy efficient than systems being used now. They believe they can deliver a communication system that’s 10 times smaller, lighter and more energy efficient than today’s technologies.

The bat would be designed to perform short-term surveillance in support of advancing soldiers. Or it could perch at a street corner or building for longer assignments and send back reports of activity as it takes place.

“Throughout this research, we expect to make technological breakthroughs and have a much wider range of applications for other types of engineering problems, from medical to industrial,” Sarabandi said.

COM-BAT will support 12 faculty members and 18 graduate students at U-M.

Source: University of Michigan

Operation Chastise and the Dambusters

‘Chastise’ was the name given to a wartime operation five years in the making. It may read like a Boy’s Own adventure now, but the men of the Dambusters were true heroes.

In 1938, as Adolf Hitler prepared to take Germany into the Second World War, the British Air Ministry was making plans of its own. It had already selected the heavily industrialized Ruhr Valley as a target for possible attack. It also knew that to render the region ineffective, bombers would have to destroy large parts. It was left to one Barnes Wallis to take the idea a step further.

Wallis, a scientist and engineer at Vickers Armstrong, came up with the idea of a ‘bouncing’ bomb while skimming pebbles in his garden in 1942. By April, he’d written a paper detailing his ‘Spherical Bomb – Surface Torpedo’ concept. The idea gathered momentum, and a year after testing and modifications, a cylindrical bomb known as ‘Upkeep’ was approved by the Air Ministry.
Due to the unconventional method by which it would be deployed, the RAF selected 21 expert bomber crews to form a brand new Squadron ‘X’. While its airmen wrongly believed their task was to sink the German battleship ‘Tirpitz’, their new leader knew otherwise.

Wing Commander Guy Gibson, a veteran of 170 bombing and night fighter sorties, was just 24 years of age when he assumed command of the squadron. Yet he knew that he was to lead one of the most audacious and dangerous operations ever undertaken by Bomber Command.

Squadron ‘X’ eventually became 617 Squadron based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. They were equipped with modified, light-weight Avro Lancaster Mk III aircraft. The most obvious alterations were the removal of the bomb bay doors and the fitting of two crutches and an auxiliary motor. Dummy ‘Upkeeps’ were slung beneath the fuselage of each aircraft and there followed weeks of low-level practice bombings of lakes up and down the country.

Three targets in the Ruhr Valley had been selected for bombing by Bomber Command. They were the Möhne, Sorpe and Eder Dams. By breaching the dams, widespread flooding, loss of hydro-electric power and the breakdown of Nazi Germany’s ability to wage war would follow. Still, it would require remarkable flying skills and pinpoint bomb aiming if the plan was to succeed.

The squadron’s Lancasters were divided into three groups. The first group of nine aircraft, led by Gibson, would attack the larger Möhne Dam. Any residual bombs left after a successful breach of the Möhne Dam would be dropped on the Eder Dam. The second group of five aircraft would then target the Sorpe Dam, with the third group acting as mobile reserves. The first bomber took off from Scampton just before nine-thirty on the evening of 16th May 1943. Operation Chastise had begun.

Gibson and his group reached the Möhne Dam around three hours after their departure from Scampton. After circling the dam to assess its defences, he assigned five Lancasters to the attack and commenced a dummy run. Commenting he “liked the look of it”, Gibson set off for his actual attack. The back-spinning mine (spun so that it lagged behind the bomber and held against the dam wall) bounced three times and exploded around 150ft short. Unfortunately, the dam remained intact.

By this time, the German flak defences had erupted in a hail of explosions. The second aircraft to attack Möhne Dam was hit and started to burn. Nevertheless, it continued its bomb run but dropped too late. The mine bounced over the dam and the aircraft crashed soon after.

Gibson took the decision that would later win him the Victoria Cross. Hoping to draw the flak away, he switched his Lancaster’s lights on and flew alongside each aircraft that made its bomb run. By the group’s fifth attempt, the ploy worked. A thousand foot plume of water sprayed skyward and Möhne’s structure collapsed allowing millions of gallons of water to cascade through a sizeable breach. Attention could turn towards Sorpe and Eder.

Eder Dam was eventually destroyed by several attempts which caused the loss of one Lancaster. Sorpe Dam remained doggedly intact but was costlier in terms of attempts. Two aircraft were subsequently destroyed and three others never made it there in the first place. What was left of the second group, together with elements of the third, completed their futile attack and returned to Scampton.

Of 617 Squadron’s 19 aircraft, eight never came back. Operation Chastise had cost the lives of 53 aircrew and almost 1,300 on the ground. It had also cost Nazi Germany the irritation of rebuilding its shattered hydro-electric power output. But for Barnes Wallis, Guy Gibson and the men of the Dambusters, it offered a worthy place in the annals of aviation history.

Boeing X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Images

The Boeing X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle is an American unmanned spacecraft. It’s operated by the United States Air Force for orbital spaceflight missions intended to demonstrate reusable space technologies. The X-37 is a reusable robotic spaceplane that is a 120% scaled derivative of the X-40A. It has a length of over 29 ft (8.9 m) and features two angled tail fins.

Click on the images below to see larger views

Photos of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle

Beech 2000a Starship 1 Images

The Beechcraft Starship is a twin-turboprop aircraft capable of carrying six- to eight-passengers in a pressurized hull. The Beechcraft Starship is produced by Beech Aircraft Corporation. The last starship, NC-53 was produced in 1995. The Beechcraft company eventually determined that the small fleet of aircraft were cost prohibitive and decided to scrap the aurcraft remaining under it’s control.

Photos of the Beech 2000a Starship 1

Republic Aviation Corporation’s F-84 ThunderJet

The Republic Aviation Corporation’s F-84 ThunderJet was one of the first air superiority fighters, powered by a jet engine, in the United States Air Force (AF) arsenal. It was also one of the most intriguing experimental platforms ever designed.

Between 1952 and the fall of ’57, no less than two hundred tests of various systems involving ThunderJet were performed. One of the most unusual involved a program called Zero Length Launch and Mat Landing (ZELMAL).

The project aim was to produce an aircraft that can take-off without a functional runway while at the same time carrying a nuclear weapon. If such a system could be produced, America would have the ability to deploy hundreds of planes along the massive border of the Soviet Union for a rapid reaction response in case of a nuclear exchange between the Superpowers.

In the summer of 1953, the AF awarded the Glenn Martin Company a contract to explore the feasibility of developing such a system. The backbone of the concept involved the use of a solid fuel booster rocket modified from the MGM-1 Matador Cruise Missile to assist the F-84 in take-off operations.

The concept was relatively simple. Instead of using a conventional runway, the F-84 would be placed in the back of a ground trailer, specifically modified with a dual crane system that supported the aircraft in the lower, rear section of the fuselage.

At launch time, the General Electric J35 engine on the F-84 would be placed at full power providing the ThunderJet with up to 5,600lbs of thrust.
Then, just before launch, it would receive an extra injection of power from the 4,600lbs of thrust allocated in the Matador Allison J-33 engine, propelling the F-84 to the air. As soon as the plane cleared the crane platform, the pilot would assume full control.

From December 1953, the AF began modifying 6 ThunderJets specifically for the ZEMAL program. The first converted version was the EF-84E (serial number 49-2115 and 51-634); the second was an EF-84G (51-769, 51-1225, 51-1694 and 51-1867). All modifications were performed at the AF Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB in California.

Aside from assisting in takeoff operations, the AF implemented the program with the hopes of evaluating the possibility of eliminating an aircraft’s undercarriage in order to extend the aircraft’s operational range.

The idea was to use an inflatable rubber mat landing strip. The AF, with the help of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, actually built two mats to test the concept.

They measured 400ft in length, 44ft wide, with a height of 30in. The landing platform incorporated the use of a metal cable stretched across its threshold. The concept called for landing the F-84 with an arrest hook, similar to those employed by naval aircrafts on carrier operations.

ZELMAL had a short but relative successful testing phase, being the landing aspect of the project the more difficult to manage. Overall, 28 launches were performed, but only three of those included landing on the rubber mat surface.

The first test occurred on December 15, 1953 and it involved a pilot-less EF-84G. The first successful manned launch took place on January 5, 1954, when an EF-84G, tail number 51-1225, under the control of test pilot Robert Turner, took to the air without much inconvenience.

Turner also performed the second manned test which occurred on January 28. Two additional flights were conducted in February as the program began to show signs of promise.

The first mat landing didn’t take place until June 2, 1954. It was a fiasco. The F-84G’s arresting hook tore up the mat, heavily damaging the aircraft to the point that the AF was forced to write it off.

Turner, who was once again at the controls, was laid up with back injuries for months. Two more mat landings were performed, and though the results were nowhere near as bad as the first one, the overall concept was still viewed by AF officials as unreliable.

That was the last test flight of the ZELMAL program as the air force quickly abandoned it. Despite the decision, the concept behind the project continued, with a new platform, the F-100 Super Saber.

An article by Raul Colon: rcolonfrias@yahoo.com

Argentinian Air Operations: Guided Missiles

Just days after the American and British forces broke through the German defenses at Normandy, foreshadowing the end of Nazi rule over the European Continent, much of that country’s top technical personnel began to filter out in hopes of escaping the ever closing circle. Most were captured by the Western Allies (United States and Great Britain); others were ‘recruited’ by the Soviet Red Army, which was rapidly pushing from the East. While another group managed to slip past the allied hands. Most of them made their way towards South American.

The Republic of Argentina was one of the most prosperous regions in Latin America. It had a big German population, a vast land region and Perodian government with a slight Nazi flavor. It also possessed one of the strongest militaries in the Western Hemisphere. With the arrival of several German engineers and technicians, the Argentines began formulating several advanced new military projects. Chief among them were the AM-1 and PT-1 missiles. The AM-1, an air-to-air system codenamed Tabano, had the distinction of being South America’s first indigenous developed missile. As was the PT-1 air-to-ground platform.

Spearheaded by a trio of legendary German engineers, Werner von Baumbach and Ernst and Emil Henrici, Argentina began the development of its own version of the famous Henschel Hs-293, the first operational guided air-to-ground missile in the world. Designed by Baumbach and the Henrici Bothers, and built by the Specialized Weapons Section (Seccion de Armas Especiales) of the Military Construction General Direction, a subdivision of the Gaucho Army. The Argentinean version of the 293, the PT-1, was basically a complete copy of the original.

The PT-1 or Guided Missile (Projectil Teledirijido), consisted on a 441 pound bomb warhead fitted inside a V1-type structure of 11 feet, 7 inch with a wing span of 9’10″. Total weight was 2,205 pounds. With an initial speed of 195 knots and capable of reaching speeds of 513 kts, the ‘Projectil’ had an effective 18.64 miles range. The optimum launch altitude was estimated at 22,000 feet. Operation of the system was also similar to its 293 cousin’s profile.

Operation Sovereign or Operacion Soberania, the design and development of Argentina’s first air-to-surface missile system commenced in the summer of 1952, with an specially modified Douglas C-47 Dakota. The strong built transport was fitted with a ventral boom that was placed through a series of high stress aerodynamic tests. At the same time, the newly produced PT missile was extensively examined at the Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) advanced wind tunnel. Also at FMA, a surplus Gloster Meteor I-087 was altered to carry a ventral pod with the tail of the missile. But the most promising launching platform was the venerable Avro Lancaster B-036 heavy bomber.

The Lancaster provided the PT with a more stable deployment system. As configured by the German engineers, the B-036 consisted of a launching rack, installed below the huge bomb bay doors. On April 22nd 1953, the Lancaster replaced the Dakota as the PT’s main deploying platform. Captain Federico Muhlenber was assigned to the initial test phase. Eventually, he will be replaced later by Captain Di Pardo in that task. It was Di Pardo who will have the honor of deploying the last PT missile nearly five years later.

The 036 was assigned to the 1st Air Brigade (I Brigada Aerea). The testing phase began at earnest in October 1953. Flying out of Monzon, the home base of the VII Air Brigade, Muhlenber took the Lancaster through his phases. First it was taxing and runway operations, which ran smoothly. Then, on the 6th, the aircraft took to the air for its initial flight with the PT attached to its belly. The bomber performed flawlessly that autumn morning turning and banking without much effort.

Several more flights were made until the afternoon of the 20th when, flying above the Rio Plata, one of the left engines failed forcing the aircraft to plunge near Quilmes, a suburb of Buenos Aires. Von Baumbach, Ernst Henrici and a mechanic die in the accident. The aircraft and the missile were also lost. After the tragedy, the Argentines when back at work on another altered Lancaster, tail sign B-037. As the same time work was done on preparing the new plane, the design team slightly altered the configuration of the original Projectil. The improve platform was called PAT-1. The only variant from the original was a larger fuel tank which gave the missile a top operational range of up to 30km. The first recorded launch of the PAT system occurred in late November 1954 at the General Soler firing range. Flying at 15,000′, the 037 entered a dive, a few seconds later Latin America’s first air-to-surface missile was released.

Work on the system continued until September 17th 1955, when the government decided to introduce it as part of their efforts to stem the tide of the rebel forces in the country’s Revolucion Libertadora. The first target of the PAT-1 was to be the Pajas Blanco Airport at Cordoba. But before the Lancaster B-037 was able to take off, an incoming rebel Lincoln aircraft bombed the Monzon base destroying the sole aircraft capable of firing the PAT platform.

By 1956, the air force had modified another Lancaster, B-043 and testing resumed at El Palomar Air Force Base at the outskirts of the River Plate. The first launch took place in the morning of October 5th. A second test was performed on the 18th. Several other deployments took place between the 19th and 21st. On the 22nd, while on take off, the 043 suffered a small fire forcing the pilot to abort the test mission.

The end of the Revolution in 1958 also signaled the end of the PAT-1 program. With the formation of a new and democratic government under the auspices of dovish President Frondizi, many military projects were closed down, including the much promising Operacion Soverania. Now, fifty years since its maiden flight, only one sample of the first Latin America guided missile exits. Its sits at the Military School Museum in Buenos Aires.

An article by Raul Colon: rcolonfrias@yahoo.com

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