Aerospace Projects Review Blog – Page 72 – Unbuilt aircraft and Spacecraft Projects

PDF Review: V/STOL Concepts and Developed Aircraft

fighter, Patreon, PDF Review, VTOL 1 Response »

Mar 172016

Seems I’ve sorta fallen off the PDF Review Wagon. So here’s a hastily slapped-together review of a great report (the scans, sadly, aren’t so great, but whatreyagonnado…

V/STOL Concepts and Developed Aircraft. Volume 1. A Historical Report (1940-1986)

Report Number: AFWAL TR 86-3071 Volume 1
Author(s): B. Lindenbaum
Corporate Author: Universal Energy Systems
Laboratory: Flight Dynamics Laboratory
Publication Date: 11/1/1986
Pages: 458
Contract: F33615-83-C-3000
Project: 3038
Task: 303800
AD Number: ADA175379
Photo Enhancement: Complete

Abstract Text:

The purpose of this document is to present a comprehensive, in-depth review of the serious efforts made in the development of VTOL and V/STOL concepts and aircraft other than the helicopter. The time period covered is from the beginning of organized government-sponsored activity in the late 1940’s through the present, during which a very large study and development activity has taken place. Conventional helicopters are not included because their development history is a sizeable subject in itself and one which is already well-documented. Included are V/STOL aircraft which do use rotors but are aimed at providing cruise speeds and aerodynamic efficiencies similar to those of conventional airplanes. Although not aircraft in the conventional sense, wingless VTOL vehicles which use direct thrust (rocket or turbojet/turbofan) for lift in all flight modes also are included since such machines do have a close relationship to some of the more commonly accepted forms of VTOL aircraft. This volume contains an introductory review of V/STOL aircraft concepts and the rationale behind them. The concepts are categorized by propulsion system. This volume contains definitive information and technical reviews of the rocket belt, turbojet/turbofan platform type (wingless) vehicles, and turbojet/turbofan vertical attitude takeoff and landing aircraft.

Two scans of this are available online.

Direct link to PDF copy 1.

Direct link to PDF copy 2.

S-67 Blackhawk

VTOL 1 Response »

Mar 172016

An ok-quality inboard view of the slick S-67 from 40+ years ago. This represents an armed, operational vehicle.

Nice, eh?

Curtis-Wright X-100 VTOL film

research, VTOL No Responses »

Mar 112016

A silent NASA film documenting flight testing of the little-remembered X-100 in 1960. The X-100 was a slick-looking tilt-prop design, a predecessor to the X-19. In this video is certainly looks rather wobbly in the air as the pilot attempts to hover. The craft could certainly have benefited from modern computerized controls.

Zielpunkt: NYC

bomber, hypersonic, rockets, spaceplane 1 Response »

Mar 052016

I managed to finagle a complete full-color scan of an original copy of Eugen Sanger’s 1944 report, Uber einen Raketenantrieb fur Fernbomber (A Rocket Drive for Long Range Bombers). A “meh” quality B&W PDF of an English-language translation of the report has been available online for a while, but it seems to me that the world needs a proper high-rez version of the original, in color where appropriate.

One of the pages I’ve cleaned up from the new scan shows the statistical damage potential if New York City was regularly targeted by a very large number of bombs. This image, at least a black-and-white English-translated version, several generations removed from the original, is reasonably well-known and commonly reproduced… and as described a few years back, is generally described wrong.

Surveyor

spacecraft No Responses »

Mar 032016

Artwork depicting the Surveyor lunar probe as of June, 1962. Reasonably close to the final product, but some differences are visible. The subsurface probe I believe was not employed; neither was the SNAP-11 nuclear power source. That was intended to power the lander through the lunar night.

AH-56 & JVX

hi-rez, Patreon, VTOL 1 Response »

Feb 282016

I’ve put scans of a 1968 Popular Science article on the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne attack helicopter and a Boeing-Bell brochure on the JVX tiltrotor (which became the V-22) on the APR Patreon dropbox, in the 2016-02 folder.

The Pop Sci article featured cover art by Robert McCall. Just cuz, I tinkered with the cover art, attempting to scrape off the text and restore it to just the painting. Perhaps not a 100% success, but not too bad. The JVX is not *quite* the final V-22 design; a notable difference is the inclusion of a .50 caliber gatling gun in the nose and a rocket launcher hanging off the side the cockpit.

If interested in getting these, please consider signing up for the APR Patreon. The “Extras” are available to all $4 patrons. Quite a pile of high-rez stuff is available now.

Transonic 767

jetliner, transports No Responses »

Feb 232016

In the early 1970s, after the collapse of the SST program due to, in part, the rise in energy prices, Boeing, Lockheed, General Dynamics and NASA looked at the possibility of jetliners designed to fly economically right at the edge of the sound barrier. The idea was that there is an unavoidable spike in drag at Mach 1.00, but it would theoretically be possible to fly at, say, Mach 0.98 at relatively low drag. This would make the aircraft about 100 mph faster than conventional jetliners without being much more expensive. In order to pull this off, the jetliners would need to take advantage of every imaginable aerodynamic trick in the book… most obviously, area rule designing resulting in “wasp waisted” fuselages, and almost no straight lines… all curves. The problem is that this makes aircraft heavier and more expensive to build. Thus, no transonic airliners ever got any further than wind tunnel tests.

Below is a piece of Boeing art showing one of their designs for an Advanced Technology Transport. It was a Model 767 design, dash-number unknown.

WS324A TFX

bomber, fighter, Patreon No Responses »

Feb 232016

One of an extremely large large number of designs put forward for Weapons System 324A, Tactical Fighter X, which eventually became the F-111. This particular design, circa 1962, is the WADD 46 from the Wright Air Development Center and is pretty typical… a twin engine supersonic design with sizable variable-sweep wings.

Two full-rez pages from the WS324A Characteristics Summary have been posted to the 2016-02 APR Extras Dropbox folder for all $4 and up APR Patreon patrons.

2-D B-1 Mockup

bomber No Responses »

Feb 222016

An early 1970’s photo of a “mockup” of the Rockwell B-1 bomber. Rather than building an expensive plywood mockup that accurately recreated the complex curves of the B-1, this one was vastly simpler… a “side view” diagram of the B-1 with a few interior details, with a “shadow” on the floor. If you look carefully, it looks like this photo has been censored… the bays fore and aft of the main landing gear have been blacked out. Presumably these showed the payload of SRAMs and/or cruise missiles. One engine and the wing pivot system are included as actual 3-D items, probably mockups. Note that this is not the final B-1 design as built… the nose contours are a bit off.

US Fighter Projects #1, US VTOL Projects #1 now available

fighter, rockets, US Fighter Projects, US VTOL Projects, VTOL 4 Responses »

Feb 182016

Now available… the first of two new US Aerospace Projects titles.

US Fighter Projects #1

US Fighter Projects #01 is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #01 includes:

Tremulis “Zero Fighter:” A World War II era two-stage rocket propelled, vertically launched interceptor
North American Rockwell D-541-4 “Surprise Fighter:” An early stealth fighter concept with flip-out wings
Republic TFX: An unconventionally-configured variable-sweep design, competed to become the F-111
Martin Model 302: A large four-engined supersonic interceptor loaded with missiles
Convair Nuclear Powered Interceptor Configuration II: A single-seat design with a nuclear reactor
NAF Float-Wing Interceptor: A WWII small flying boat to be carried by small ships
Martin Pursuit-Type Airplane: An early WWII-era design with a prone pilot
Boeing Model 1074-0006: A 1980’s design for a hydrogen-fueled hypersonic monster

USFP #01 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4:

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US VTOL Projects #1

US VTOL Projects #01 is now available (see HERE for the entire series). Issue #01 includes:

Ryan Model 162: A three-lift-fan ground attack plane with a minimum wing
NACA VTOL Bomber: A slim six-engined supersonic concept
Bell X-14C: A three-engine low cost close support plane
Lockheed GL-224-2: A small rescue craft that can dock in flight with a C-130
Bell D270A-900-112: A tilt-rotor that has folding props
Boeing Model 837-313: A minor design for a fighter like a Harrier with variable-sweep wings
Hughes Hot Cycle Rotor/Wing Composite Research Aircraft: Use the exhaust from a jet engine to spin up a triangular rotor blade…
Lockheed CL-1026: A civilian derivative of the AH-56, to carry passengers from city center to city center

USVP #01 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4:

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