In 1947, both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy sponsored VTOL design studies called project Hummingbird. The rapid development of increasingly powerful powerplants had reached the point where a true VTOL aircraft was in the realm of possibility. The U.S. Navy's firsthand experiences with Japan's Kamikaze taught them the vulnerability of their great mobile peacekeepers, the carrier. Because of this experience the Navy felt that the only way to protect any naval presence in enemy waters was to equip all ships with a VTOL fighter.
Presents the original proposal for the Convair Class VF Convoy Fighter, which led to the XFY-1 Pogo turboprop tailsitter naval aircraft of the early 1950s. Also included are 2 Army observation VTOL tailsitters from 1955 and the Gamby Vertigo of 1933. This book features 45 images, including rare photos, blueprints, illustrations, and color profiles.
The Martin Model 262 was an unconventional turboprop VTOL aircraft proposal submitted to the US Navy’s convoy fighter competition of 1950, which ultimately produced the Convair XFY-1 Pogo and Lockheed XFV-1 Salmon. It was a swept-wing aircraft with triple vertical tails powered by an Allison XT-40-A-8 turboprop engine driving 16 ft contra-rotating propellers. The launch and recovery system consisted of a hinged vertical platform mounted on a merchant ship. The pilot approached the platform from the side and hovered vertically just in front of it, attaching the aircraft to the platform with a retractable nosegear spike and landing on two small retractable wing gear. The fighter was armed with four 20 mm cannon and was designed to protect convoy vessels from enemy air attack. In addition to the basic Model 262, Martin also presented Modifications A, B and C, the configurations of which were even more unorthodox than the main proposal. Finally, the book examines the Model 262P, a handsome scale demonstrator designed to verify the basic soundness of the concept. This ebook features a comprehensive text and 56 high resolution illustrations, including detailed schematics, artist’s impressions, and speculative color profiles of these remarkable secret aircraft projects. This is the author’s second book covering the USN convoy fighter competition, the first one being devoted to the Goodyear GA-28A/B, also available in the Google Play store and other bookstores worldwide.
The Northrop N-63 was an unconventional VTOL turboprop tailsitter aircraft proposal submitted to the US Navy's convoy fighter competition of 1950, which ultimately produced the Convair XFY-1 Pogo and Lockheed XFV-1 Salmon. It was a single-seat high performance fighter designed to protect convoy vessels from attack by enemy aircraft, and for vertical unassisted takeoff from, and landings on, small platform areas afloat or ashore. The N-63 featured a straight wing with pronounced dihedral and a very large ventral T-tail; armament consisted of four 20 mm cannon mounted in large pods on the wing tips. The aircraft was powered by an Allison XT-40-A-8 turboprop engine driving 15.5 ft six-blade dual-rotation propellers. The Northrop convoy fighter was designed to land vertically on a robust central landing strut in a collapsible tailcone as well as small shock absorbers located on the aft ends of the wing pods and vertical stabilizer; these landing support points were spread far apart to enhance stability on the deck. In addition to the N-63, Northrop also submitted the N-63A scale prototype airplane design, a small technology demonstrator powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba turboprop. It featured a swappable tail section and auxiliary landing gear which permitted it to take off and land either conventionally or vertically, depending on the proficiency of the pilot. This ebook features 66 illustrations, including detailed schematics, artist's impressions, photos, and speculative color profiles of these remarkable secret aircraft projects, which are sure to appeal to historical aviation enthusiasts and scale modelers alike. This is the publisher's third book covering the convoy fighter competition, the first two being devoted to the Goodyear GA-28A/B and Martin Model 262, both of which are still available from booksellers worldwide in print and digital formats.
Highly acclaimed for its comprehensive coverage of the aviation industries and their products, from the turn of the century to the present, this popular series includes an abundance of photos and highly accurate line drawings. Each volume provides fascinating evaluations of aircraft design and construction and complete histories of aircraft manufacturers.
This book provides a comprehensive basics-to-advanced course in an aero-thermal science vital to the design of engines for either type of craft. The text classifies engines powering aircraft and single/multi-stage rockets, and derives performance parameters for both from basic aerodynamics and thermodynamics laws. Each type of engine is analyzed for optimum performance goals, and mission-appropriate engines selection is explained. Fundamentals of Aircraft and Rocket Propulsion provides information about and analyses of: thermodynamic cycles of shaft engines (piston, turboprop, turboshaft and propfan); jet engines (pulsejet, pulse detonation engine, ramjet, scramjet, turbojet and turbofan); chemical and non-chemical rocket engines; conceptual design of modular rocket engines (combustor, nozzle and turbopumps); and conceptual design of different modules of aero-engines in their design and off-design state. Aimed at graduate and final-year undergraduate students, this textbook provides a thorough grounding in the history and classification of both aircraft and rocket engines, important design features of all the engines detailed, and particular consideration of special aircraft such as unmanned aerial and short/vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. End-of-chapter exercises make this a valuable student resource, and the provision of a downloadable solutions manual will be of further benefit for course instructors.
An extremely practical overview of V/STOL (vertical/short takeoff and landing) aerodynamics, this volume offers a presentation of general theoretical and applied aerodynamic principles, covering propeller and helicopter rotor theory for both the static and forward flight cases. Both a text for students and a reference for professionals, the book can be used for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses. Numerous detailed figures, plus exercises. 1967 edition. Preface. Appendix. Index.
The proposition that innovation is critical in the cost-effective design and development of successful military aircraft is still subject to some debate. RAND research indicates that innovation is promoted by intense competition among three or more industry competitors. Given the critical policy importance of this issue in the current environment of drastic consolidation of the aerospace defense industry, the authors here examine the history of the major prime contractors in developing jet fighters since World War II. They make use of an extensive RAND database that includes nearly all jet fighters, fighter-attack aircraft, and bombers developed and flown by U.S. industry since 1945, as well as all related prototypes, modifications, upgrades, etc. The report concludes that (1) experience matters, because of the tendency to specialize and thus to develop system-specific expertise; (2) yet the most dramatic innovations and breakthroughs came from secondary or marginal players trying to compete with the industry leaders; and (3) dedicated military R&D conducted or directly funded by the U.S. government has been critical in the development of new higher-performance fighters and bombers.
A New Edition of the Most Effective Text/Reference in the Field! Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, and Flight Mechanics, Second Edition Barnes W. McCormick, Pennsylvania State University 57506-2 When the first edition of Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, and Flight Mechanics was published, it quickly became one of the most important teaching and reference tools in the field. Not only did generations of students learn from it, they continue to use it on the job-the first edition remains one of the most well-thumbed guides you'll find in an airplane company. Now this classic text/reference is available in a bold new edition. All new material and the interweaving of the computer throughout make the Second Edition even more practical and current than before! A New Edition as Complete and Applied as the First Both analytical and applied in nature, Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, and Flight Mechanics presents all necessary derivations to understand basic principles and then applies this material to specific examples. You'll find complete coverage of the full range of topics, from aerodynamics to propulsion to performance to stability and control. Plus, the new Second Edition boasts the same careful integration of concepts that was an acclaimed feature of the previous edition. For example, Chapters 9, 10, and 11 give a fully integrated presentation of static, dynamic, and automatic stability and control. These three chapters form the basis of a complete course on stability and control. New Features You'll Find in the Second Edition * A new chapter on helicopter and V/STOL aircraft- introduces a phase of aerodynamics not covered in most current texts * Even more material than the previous edition, including coverage of stealth airplanes and delta wings * Extensive use of the computer throughout- each chapter now contains several computer exercises * A computer disk with programs written by the author is available
A comprehensive history of vertical take-off and landing aircraft examines VTOL experimentation, development, and deployment, as well as the different types of VTOL aircraft from tailsitters to vectored jets
