Carplanes-The Hybrid of the Future

I foresee in my lifetime the necessity for a new way of traveling. I foresee America's need to move about it's country faster and farther. An increase in the range that the average American can commute will mean an increased radius of available workplaces. A few models have been built and widely publicized, such as the AeroCar, pictured at the left. But soon, the carplane will be nothing of legend or fame. It will be parked in Bill's driveway, it will zoom over Johnny's house as he is trying to sleep. It will be an commonplace among citizens of America. Now the New York City businessman commutes from Central Connecticut every day. With this hybrid, the Connecticut man will fly into DC every day. Family can get together for the holidays even when they live 200 miles apart fairly easily. The AeroCar will become the minivan of the future, while a sleek, more compact, more powerful machine will become the commuter car. The P-51 Mustang, pictured at the right, used to be a fighter plane in WWII and the Korean War. A plane like this could easily be fitted with wings that retract or fold back. 

A few problems arise with the hybrid of the car and the plane. The first problem I see is government regulations. Obviously, speed limits would have to be changed to accomodate those commuters with wings. Operator's licenses would need to be harder to get, and more intensive training would be needed before issuing complete carte blanche upon a sixteen year old driver. Cars would need to be equipped with two sets of controls, so that the panicking parent has a way to fix a situation that their teenager got them into besides slamming on the non-existent passenger side brake pedal. Take-off and landing lanes would need to be designated on highways to allow commuters a place to complete their transition between the elements. GPS systems and radio systems would come standard in all carplanes. Air Traffic Control Towers would need to spring up everywhere and have a tighter control over traffic. Airspace would need to be reserved for large passenger and cargo planes. To increase gas mileage and range, manual or automatic transmissions would need to be adopted in controlling the rotation ratio of the propeller to the engine. 

These problems present a significant obstacle for the adoption of the carplane into society. However, the drive of current entrepreneurs and those engineers under their employ will further this hybrid's development. And in the crucial time, when this development needs to be defended, and it's ideas distributed, I plan to be defend it with my words, and propagate its ideas within the circles of developmental engineers.

The Best Free Flight Simulator

So after much research into flight simulators, I have come upon the best free flight simulator for the PC. It is called Flying Model Simulator, and it is based on the idea of flying model planes. The download can be found here. It comes with a few planes but the best planes can be found elsewhere. Here are downloads of my favorites.

P-51 D Mustang







Spitfire








Boeing 747

The Thankless Planes of WWII

Although I have never experienced flight in a P-51 D, I long for the day when I can climb through the clouds and skim the sea in my very own Mustang. There is a certain awe about the classic planes. They have a history in aviation that cannot be ignored. Their value to the world must be recognized. An English Spitfire or a Japanese Zero should be respected as some of these classics. A B-17 Flying Fortress should be respected for its service in countless missions over Germany and Italy.

I feel that today's society is so ensconced in engineering that we continue to forget the past. We continue to create fighters from the F-4 to the F-106 but I think the general populous is forgetful of the days of the P aircraft.

It seems to me that there would be something exhilarating about being in total control of the aircraft, and having nothing between you and the the passing mountains but a glass window and a stick. Believe it or not, there were days when all there was to control an airplane was the control stick , a hydraulics system, and the intuitiveness of the pilot. But, alas, it is no more. There are computers in every modern airplane that determine how the plane moves based on control stick input.

So remember and respect the days of the WWII aircraft, when there was only pilot skill maneuvering those old tin cans.

Flying Electric Wind Generators

With high energy costs and the need for a widely available, cost efficient, renewable energy source that will not pollute the environment, many have looked to wind power in recent years. Nearly all the attention to date has gone to ground-based wind systems. However, wind power is not strongest in lower altitudes, because of constant turbulence caused by irregularities in the Earth’s surface. Ground-based wind-harnessing systems create noise pollution, an undesirable characteristic in populated regions. Bird strikes are also a problem with current ground based wind-systems. Traditional ground based systems only harvest about 30% of available energy. High altitude wind, on the other hand, can be harvested at 80% availability at 30,000 ft. These high altitude energy densities contain the potential energy to power about 100 Earths.

A description of a promising high-altitude Flying Electric Generator (FEG) configuration is given by a team of authors led by Australian inventor Brian Roberts [1]. Though low altitude demonstrations have been performed, at present, such a craft has never been built and operated at high altitude. We propose to construct and fly a working model, small and somewhat simplified, but still able to generate energy at high-altitude, returning it in usable form to the ground.



1. Roberts et al, “Harnessing High-Altitude Wind Power,” IEEE Transactions of Energy Conversion, Vol. 22, No. 1, March 2007.

Adapted from "High-Altitude Flying Electric Generator Demonstration," BSA Troop 360, Manchester, CT, Ct Rivers Council

Fatigue and Fracture Mechanical Engineering

Here is a paper I wrote regarding Fatigue and Fracture Mechanical Engineering

Interview with Dr. Pettit

I interviewed Dr. Pettit, Fatigue and Fracture Mechanical Engineer, of Pratt & Whitney for a paper for my Aviation class.