jetliner – Page 16 – Aerospace Projects Review Blog

APR issue V0N0 now available

bomber, fighter, hypersonic, jetliner, launch vehicles, space shuttle, spacecraft, spaceplane, transports, VTOL 1 Response »

Jan 202012

Aerospace Projects Review has been re-working and re-releasing the original run of issues in order… until now. Just finished and uploaded is an issue that might not be expected… issue V0N0. Prior to publishing the first issue of Aerospace Projects Review, I put together issue V0N0, a short prototype issue that I released for free to see if people liked it and if it would be worth continuing with. There was much that could have been improved about that issue… and it has been improved. Issue eV0N0 is now greatly expanded to 56 pages… small by modern APR standards, but a massive increase compared to the original. The original articles have been greatly expanded, and all-new articles have been added.

Preview the issue here:

The table of contents for eV0N0:

The Drawbridge and the Pancake: One of the more unusual Space Shuttle configurations

Northrop N-31 Flying Wing Bomber: A series of turboprop-powered bomber designs

Martin XB-68: A supersonic tactical bomber concept

Aerospace History Nugget: Mach 6.0 SST: Three fuselages for the price of one

Kaiser Tailless Airplane: A flying wing cargo carrier

Boeing VTOL Intercity Transport: A jetliner that can land on your office building

Boeing Transport-To-Space: The spaceplane that needs to be assembled in space

Aerospace History Nugget: Curtis High-Speed Fighter Concepts: Hypothetical fighters designed for maximum speed

Aerospace History Nugget: Convair VTOL Tailsitter: An early VTOL jet fighter capable of supersonic speeds

It is available in three formats. Firstly, it can be downloaded directly from me for the low, low price of $6.50. Second, it can be purchased as a professionally printed volume through Magcloud; third, it can be procured in both formats. To get the download, simply pay for it here through Paypal.

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To get the printed version (or print + PDF version), visit my MagCloud page:

http://scottlowther.magcloud.com/

The Downloading FAQ

APR issue V3N2 now available

bomber, fighter, future projects, jetliner, launch vehicles, space shuttle, spacecraft, spaceplane, stealth, transports, VTOL 11 Responses »

Dec 032011

At long last, Aerospace Projects Review issue V3N2 is now available.

The main article, about 90 pages worth, covers the Lockheed STAR Clipper concept.This was a one-and-a-half stage space shuttle concept. Starting in 1968 for the USAF, the concept lasted well into Phase B of the Space Shuttle program for NASA, and in altered form into the 1990’s. This article has a very large number of detailed schematics of many different forms, including the original small 1.5 Stage To Orbit design, numerous variations on that concept, fully reusable two stage versions with manned boosters, giant concepts for Solar Power Satellite logistics and miniature versions for the USAF in the 1980s.

Also included is an article covering antecedents and derivatives of the Northrop F-23 stealth fighter. Included are early designs such as the “Christmas fighter” and several “platypus” concepts, the F-23A operational fighter design, the NATF-23 concept for the US Navy with aft mounted wings and canards, the single-engined Multi Role Fighter (from the competition that led to the F-35) and perhaps most interestingly, the F/B-23 regional bomber, of eBay infamy. This article is illustrated with a mix of photos of official Northrop display models, official Northrop diagrams, all-new scale diagrams and color artwork especially commissioned for this article.

Dennis R. Jenkins provides an article on a Convair concept for converting the F-106 interceptor into a small supersonic transport. Compare this to Convair idea of converting the B-58 Hustler into an SST!

And finally, two aerospace history “nuggets,” the Vanguard Model 18 VTOL transport and a Northrop laminar flow control multipurpose long-duration aircraft.

You can see the entire issue here:

It is available in three formats. Firstly, it can be downloaded directly from me for the low, low price of $10. Second, it can be purchased as a professionally printed volume through Magcloud; third, it can be procured in both formats. To get the download, simply pay for it here through paypal.

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To get the printed version (or print + PDF version), visit my MagCloud page:

http://scottlowther.magcloud

ALSO AVAILABLE: V3N2 Addendum, with 65 pages formatted for 11X17 sheets. Includes larger format (and higher rez images) along with additional artwork and diagrams that were not in issue V3N2 due to space constraints.
V3N2 Addendum download order: $5.00

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The Downloading FAQ

Boeing/ATK AirLaunch

jetliner, launch vehicles, spacecraft, spaceplane 1 Response »

Oct 042011

ATK artwork showing the Boeing/ATK “AirLaunch” concept from a few years back. Started around 1999, petered out a few years later. It called for a winged solid rocket booster similar in outlines to the OSC Pegasus, but larger and carried on the back of a 747. Upon release, the 747 would be obliged to dive out of the way, lest the rather dense booster bonk back into it. As shown below it is equipped with a Space Maneuver Vehicle for payload… a slightly earlier iteration of the X-37 spaceplane. The first two stages would have been Castor 120′s (Peacekeeper first stages, also the Athena booster), while the third would be a new design. Total payload was to have been about 7,500 pounds.

“Environmentally Responsible” Lockheed Jetliner

future projects, jetliner 8 Responses »

Oct 042011

In recent decades, the first “A” in NASA – “Aeronautics” – has received the short end of the attention and funding stick. At the same time, aeronautics has not exactly leaped forward. Feel free to draw a link, or conclude that “correlation does not equal causation.” Whichever makes you happy.

Still, NASA has been pushing industry a little bit in the last few years for advanced jetliner ideas. Mostly the goal is for low fuel-cost airliners; in order to be more PC, these are being sold more for their supposed environmental friendliness than their lower cost of operation. In any event, the designs have included not only alternate fuel designs (such as hydrogen) but even all-electric jetliners… whopping great battery packs which would be swapped out between flights rather than conventional refueling operations.

Lockheed has been working on this as well as Boeing. While Lockheed hasn’t built an airliner since the L-1011, they’ve retained some interest in SST’s, occasionally cranking out a design for a large passenger jet or a small corporate jet. But the economic collapse and the increased price of oil have pretty much put the kibosh on those plans. But they’ve also produced artwork for subsonic designs. While diagrams and good technical data have so far evaded me, some art is available showing a high efficiency subsonic concept. The future is entirely conventional in appearance, but box wings of high aspect ration have replace the conventional wing and tail. Suspended from the aft wing are turbofan engines of extremely high bypass ratio. The result should be a design with impressive fuel economy.

Note that the wings on this jetliner have unusually high aspect ratios (i.e. they’re “skinny”). High AR wings are more efficient. But high AR wings are also structurally weak, prone to simply snapping off. The “box wing” arrangement allows the aircraft to have two high AR wings joined at the tip, making them much, much more structurally sound. Plus, the vertical surface at the tip serves as a tip-fin, increasing efficiency further.

Example: take a wood or aluminum yard stick. A very “floppy” structure. Now take two and tape the ends together, like the box wing. Hold the other ends apart and fix then to another piece of wood or some such (replicating the fuselage). If you mount one yardstick low and the other high – like the box wing – you’ll find that this is a surprisingly rigid structure.

This post originally appeared HERE.

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