Oddball, Experimental, or One-off

[onetrack]

It must be powered by a Junkers-Jumo 209 - that's why it's signwritten, "Wiesel".

 

Edited January 31 by onetrack

[red750]

The Republic XF-91 Thunderceptor (originally designated XP-91) is a mixed-propulsion prototype interceptor aircraft, developed by Republic Aviation. The aircraft would use a jet engine for most flight, and a cluster of four small rocket engines for added thrust during climb and interception. The design was largely obsolete by the time it was completed due to the rapidly increasing performance of contemporary jet engines, and only two prototypes were built. One of these was the first American fighter to exceed Mach 1 in level flight.

 

A unique feature of the Thunderceptor was its unusual inverse tapered wing, in which the chord length increased along the wing span from the root to the tip, the opposite of conventional swept wing designs. This was an attempt to address the problem of pitch-up, a potentially deadly phenomenon that plagued early high-speed models. The Thunderceptor's design meant the entire wing stalled smoothly, more like a straight-wing design. 

 

More details.

 

[LoonyBob]

On 11/01/2024 at 9:23 AM, spenaroo said:

wonder how much thrust is provided by the exhuast

The Darts in CSIRO's F27 ("Cyrano") produced 250~280lbs per, depending on atmospheric & flight conditions (& TIT)...

[red750]

The British Martin-Baker MB 5 was the ultimate development of a series of prototype fighter aircraft built during the Second World War. Neither the MB 5 nor its predecessors ever entered production, despite what test pilots described as excellent performance.

 

The original MB 5 was reputedly destroyed on a gunnery range. Martin-Baker went on to become one of the world's leading builders of ejection seats.

 

A partial replica was built in Reno, Nevada, USA by John Marlin using wings from a P-51 Mustang.] By April 2017 the replica had been completed and was for sale. It was built 6 ft shorter than the original, and may not be in flyable condition. The colour photo is the replica.

 

[Area-51]

Looks great!

[red750]

The de Havilland C.24 was a two-seat autogyro built by de Havilland at its Stag Lane works in England in 1931.

 

The C.24 was built in 1931 using a Cierva rotor head coupled to the cabin of a de Havilland DH.80A Puss Moth, and driven by a 120 hp Gipsy III engine. It was withdrawn from use by December 1934.

 

A single example (G-ABLM) was produced and is part of the Science Museum collection. In 1932, it was redesignated C.26 (not to be confused with the unbuilt C.26 twin-engine autogiro design) when a two-blade rotor system was installed. Since 2008 it has been on loan to the de Havilland Aircraft Museum at Salisbury Hall, near London Colney in Hertfordshire. In flight, it had a maximum speed of about 115 mph (185 km/h; 100 kn).

 

[red750]

Oakland, CA, January 30, 2023— Pyka, the global leader in autonomous electric aviation technology, today unveiled the latest addition to its fleet of purpose-built industrial aircraft; the Pelican Cargo. Featuring unprecedented payload and range capabilities, Pelican Cargo is the world’s largest zero-emission cargo airplane and the first autonomous vehicle of its class. 

 

With a range of up to 200 miles, a payload of up to 400 pounds in 66 cubic feet of cargo volume and a nose-loading system with a sliding cargo tray, the Pelican Cargo platform will enhance express logistics networks, enable connectivity of remote rural communities, and ensure fast and reliable access to vital goods and supplies for areas in need. 

 

[spacesailor]

It looks the goods.

spacesailor

[skippydiesel]

Payload  in kilograms - please. 

 

[spacesailor]

About 181.1/2 Kilo

spacesailor

Edited February 18 by spacesailor

[facthunter]

If it crashes on you it will be assault with battery. Nev

[kgwilson]

Its a pushmepullyou.

[red750]

Performance & Capacity

Cruise Speed                 60 - 70 knots / 111 - 130 km/h / 30 - 36 m/s

Stall with flaps               35 knots / 65 km/h / 18 m/s

Landing Speed               45 knots / 83 km/h / 23 m/s

Climb Rate                      1,200 ft per minute / 365 m per minute

Maximum Payload          400 lbs / 181 kg

Cargo Volume                 70 ft3 / 1.98 m3

[onetrack]

The manufacturer is claiming they will only be leased, not available for purchase, and they will only cost $15 hr to operate?

 

I wonder who was smoking what, when they came up with that figure??

 

Of course, I guess they were only costing battery energy costs, they conveniently forgot to mention the $500 hr in development, repair, maintenance, computerisation, testing, and hull losses costs.

 

See inside a new pilotless cargo plane, which has a nose-loading door like the Boeing 747 and can fly up to 200 miles

WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM

---

So far, the company has secured over 80 orders for Pelican Cargo, and it expects the first commercial flight to take place in the second half of 2023.

 

[BrendAn]

4 hours ago, red750 said:

Oakland, CA, January 30, 2023— Pyka, the global leader in autonomous electric aviation technology, today unveiled the latest addition to its fleet of purpose-built industrial aircraft; the Pelican Cargo. Featuring unprecedented payload and range capabilities, Pelican Cargo is the world’s largest zero-emission cargo airplane and the first autonomous vehicle of its class. 

 

With a range of up to 200 miles, a payload of up to 400 pounds in 66 cubic feet of cargo volume and a nose-loading system with a sliding cargo tray, the Pelican Cargo platform will enhance express logistics networks, enable connectivity of remote rural communities, and ensure fast and reliable access to vital goods and supplies for areas in need. 

 

Don't piloted aircraft already supply remote communities with higher speed and much higher payloads.

[kgwilson]

Yep but if you don't have a pilot there are no wages to pay, or insurance premiums, or worksafe fees etc.

[T510]

You still need a pilot in Australia, they just won't be sitting in the plane.

 

The pilot will also need IREX to do BVLOS flights with that sort of aircraft and getting the approvals to fly it will be challenging.

[skippydiesel]

Performance & Capacity

Cruise Speed                 60 - 70 knots / 111 - 130 km/h / 30 - 36 m/s

Stall with flaps               35 knots / 65 km/h / 18 m/s

Landing Speed               45 knots / 83 km/h / 23 m/s

Climb Rate                      1,200 ft per minute / 365 m per minute

 

With no technical knowledge: Those figures just don't look quite right.

 

If it stalls at 35 knots  - it won't land at 45 knots.

Cruise at 70 knots - I would expect a wing giving this sort of performance, to stall a lot lower than 35 knots

Climb rate - doesn't look like MTO

 

 

[red750]

That info as copied direct from the manufacturer's website.

 

https://www.flypyka.com/pelican-cargo

 

[F10]

On 15/12/2022 at 5:52 PM, red750 said:

 

 

 

For full details of this aircraft, click here.

Never listen to a marriage councilor, when buying an aircraft....!

[Area-51]

On 19/02/2024 at 4:04 PM, F10 said:

Never listen to a marriage councilor, when buying an aircraft....!

I never knew they made a twin turbine blanik!!  😳

[LoonyBob]

On 26/02/2024 at 1:48 PM, Area-51 said:

I never knew they made a twin turbine blanik!!  😳

Fouga would give you a good kicking for that!

[red750]

The Stearman XA-21 (Model X-100) was a competitor in a United States Army Air Corps competition for a twin-engined attack aircraft which (after redesigns) led to the Douglas A-20 Havoc, Martin A-22 Maryland and North American B-25 Mitchell.

 

The X-100, designated XA-21 following purchase by the Army Air Corps, was a twin-engined high-winged monoplane of all-metal construction. Its initial design featured an unusual "stepless cockpit" arrangement, much like those on most German World War II bombers designed during the war years from the He 111P onwards, with a streamlined, well-framed greenhouse canopy enclosing both the pilot and bombardier stations.

 

The XA-21 was first tested with the streamlined cockpit but this configuration was found to restrict the pilot's forward vision, and the aircraft was rebuilt with a conventional (stepped) nose and cockpit structure. Although this change in the cockpit did not significantly affect performance, the XA-21 was not ordered into production.'

 

The sole XA-21 had serial number 40-191.

 

[red750]

The Blackburn B-20, an experimental aircraft that took to the skies in 1940, was designed to significantly enhance the efficiency of flying boat models. Blackburn Aircraft initiated a self-directed design exploration, grounded in a patent submitted by their lead designer, John Douglas Rennie, which featured a retractable pontoon float that doubled as the planing hull. 

The B-20 aimed to merge the prime attributes of the flying boat and the floatplane. When on water, it functioned primarily as a floatplane, supported by a substantial float beneath the fuselage for buoyancy, complemented by two smaller floats near the wingtips ensuring stability. Once airborne, the central float retracted upward into the fuselage, snugly fitting into a "notch" to streamline seamlessly with the fuselage, while the wingtip floats, akin to the design on the American Consolidated PBY flying boat, extended outward to form the wingtips. This innovative design provided optimal wing incidence for both takeoff and flight, significantly reducing the drag typically associated with the deep hulls of traditional flying boats. Only 1 built.

 

Hull extended

 

 

Hull retracted

 

[red750]

The Pander S-4 Postjager was a 1930s Dutch three-engined mailplane designed and built by Pander & Son. Only one was built which was destroyed during the MacRobertson Air Race.

 

The S-4 was designed as a fast mailplane for the service between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. It was a three-seat low-wing monoplane powered by three 420 hp (313 kW) Wright Whirlwind radial engines. It had a conventional retractable landing gear with a tailwheel. The S-4, registered PH-OST, first flew on 6 October 1933.

 

In December 1933 it flew a mail flight to Batavia. In 1934 the S-4 was entered into the MacRobertson Air Race between London and Melbourne. It left Mildenhall in England on 20 October 1934 and after 36 hours arrived at Allahabad, India. The aircraft was delayed when the landing gear was badly damaged on arrival at Allahabad. It was ready to leave on 26 October but while taxiing for departure it hit a motor car and burst into flames and was destroyed; the crew jumped out and escaped injury.