Empress 400 RetroLiner Details - C’mon, Dream With Me

 Before the poll goes up to vote for the winner in the Retro Airliner Design Contest, I thought I’d share some of the thoughts that led to the Empress 400 looking the way it does. 

 Since I chose to explore the 3 Lifting Surface Configuration, utilizing a front wing, main wing, and a horizontal tail, the airplane certainly has some of the look of a Piaggio P180 Avanti.  However, there are significant differences when you compare them more closely.

 The fuselage on the Empress 400 is heavily ‘pinched in’ behind the wing.  Now, since I didn't actually go to aeronautical engineering like I was supposed to back in 1979, I can’t tell you with any degree of certainty that the shape as shown is completely practical.  Tho there’s info out there that suggests that this shape concept is great for drag reduction.  One thing it does do that’s similar to the P180 is that the fuse is widest just before it begins to reduce.  But again, The Empress has the reduction exaggerated.  The fuselage is also symmetrical above and below a centerline, and left and right of a centerline.  It's not round tho, but rather an oval. 

 The twin vertical fins is a big difference.  They are used for a variety of reasons… to get the vertical surfaces in the prop blast, to lower overall tail height, to provide redundancy, and to reduce stress on the aft fuselage (I might be full of hooey on that last thought, I need to confirm it with the engineering dept : )

 The wing is mounted on top of the fuselage primarily to get the really big props well off the ground.  This greatly reduces potential FOD issues and also puts them high enuf that people couldn’t even be hit by a spinning prop.  The high wing also makes every window seat have a really great view of terra firma below.  Lastly, the high wing means the main gear has to move to the fuselage, which means it's much more compact than the really long gear on a low wing aircraft with extremely large props. 

 The slightly forward swept main wings are another difference.  That’s to keep the wing attach as far aft as possible while moving the wing’s effective center of pressure forward where I seem to think it should be.  Note: it’s vitally important here that you remember that I may only know enuf aerodynamics to get myself in trouble!  Ultimately this is me doodling out some thoughts on what I think is an interesting idea.  After some serious engineering evaluation, this airplane might look a lot different.  But hey, you gotta start somewhere.  Anyway, the wing attach is as far aft as possible to minimize the obstruction of the spar carry-thru in the passenger cabin.

 The horizontal tail has some dihedral to get the vertical fins up and out of the way so that an over-rotation would drag a skid on the fuselage and not damage the fins.

 The front wing has flap like surfaces that are used to keep the lift balanced when the main wing flaps are extended.  The main wing flaps could be specifically designed to take advantage of the thrust from the inboard engines.  Might be able to get some decent thrust vectoring out of a good design… sort of a poor man’s C-17 concept.

 The 2+2+2 seating in the main cabin area is essentially the same as I showed for my LTJ 100 cross section concept.  The middle seat that you have when you put 3 seats across is a really bad idea for passenger comfort.  By putting 6 seats across, but with 2 aisles, you dramatically increase comfort, and the ability to move around the cabin.  In fact, this would be even nicer than real ‘wide-body’ aircraft because they typically have 7 to 9 people per row which means more people potentially wanting to use those aisles. 

 The seat width as shown is one of the most important elements of the entire aircraft.  The seats in the main cabin are 24” wide!  The aisles are also about 24” wide, so this airplane is specifically designed for comfort.  In fact, this cabin is about as wide as the 787, but the cross section is an oval so it’s not nearly as much structure overall.  Behind the seating is room for an aft galley and restroom (yeah, I know we’re supposed to call it a lavatory, but since I was a kid I thought that was a dumb name for it!)

 The first class cabin is much more roomy of course, and due to the narrowing fuselage shape, it would feel a bit like the 747 first class.  Between the first row of seats and cockpit would be a forward galley and another restroom.  

 The main cabin doors are mounted between first class and the main cabin on both sides.  This makes for a good primary emergency exit location and it also means the poor people (like me) that are headed for the back of the airplane don’t have to walk thru the opulent first class area to get there!  There is also that sweet airstair at the back of the aircraft to allow for easy ramp loading of passengers, as well as provide another emergency exit.  I have other emergency exits in mind, but won’t discuss them now.

 I give all these details so you can at least see that I have done a lot of thinking to get where I’m at with the concept.  And in my opinion, most all of this makes some interesting sense.  The whole premise here is to consider if there’s any merit to the idea of modern, high technology radial engines in the 3,500 to 4,000hp range being developed for use in such an aircraft, with an intended cruise speed of 400 mph.  I’m sure most people would say it makes no sense at all.

 But I think it’s an idea worth thinking a little more about.  My gut feeling is that these engines would be boatloads cheaper to manufacture than high temperature turbine engines, turbofan or turboprop.  Whether they could be operated reliably and affordably is a big question, but, even tho the concepts for internal combustions engines haven’t changed much at all in the last 100 years, the details have changed a lot, especially in the last 30 years.  That’s why I think it’s all an interesting question to ask.

 As I’ve said before, my small, non-scientific poll from last year indicated more than 80% of people are willing to slow down to 400 mph if comfort was significantly increased.  I know there are a lot of factors involved in the economics of air travel, and most of them I probably don’t know, but the bottom line is it takes less energy to go 400 mph than it does 550 mph. 

 So, anyone interested in dreaming a little with me?

CoolPix - Misc: Scaled Composites Proteus 2Fer

(click pic for hi-res)

 (click pic for hi-res)

 The Rutan designed and Scaled Composites built Proteus is hard to categorize in the world of CoolPix, so it’s the first airplane to be put into the ‘Misc’ slot.  And, this is a special posting with 2 hi-res pix, plus one extra detail pic… all for the same low price : )

 It would be easy to think those two top pix are almost identical, and they pretty much are from a perspective standpoint, but the airplane is showing some significant operational differences here.  First let me say, before today, I really didn’t know much more about Proteus than: it’s very unusual looking and I’ve always liked the way it looks.  I really didn’t know that it was designed to operate at such high altitudes, as in 60,000+.  That’s a lot more relevant to me now that I’ve watched the awesome James May video of his U-2 ride, and the podcast interview I did recently with U-2 pilot Col. Lars Hoffman.

 Proteus first flew in 1998, and had been originally designed to be a high altitude platform for carrying a large telecommunications antennae.  In addition to the high altitude capabilities, Proteus is able to remain operational for 14 to 18 hours at a time.  This would have made it very well suited to the airborne antennae idea, however, that venture was cancelled at some point after initial tests had been conducted.  This freed the airplane up to be used in all kinds of interesting ways.

 The top pic shows the airplane in 2002 with a pod mounted on the center pylon that was used in the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program.  The program used Proteus and other aircraft to study the clouds from high altitudes, and also explored the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for this work.  Proteus also has the ability to be flown in an unmanned configuration (I sure didn’t know that!), tho it’s unclear to me if it was used that way on this particular program.

 The second pic shows the airplane in 2003 with nothing mounted on the pylon, but attached to the nose is a special radar that was used to test the ability of UAVs to be operated in congested airspace by using an active, detect/see/avoid system.  The airplane was remotely flown (tho a crew was on board to handle takeoff and landing) and other aircraft, without identifying transponders, were flown toward the airplane to test the system’s ability to provide the data needed to avoid a collision.

 The pic below shows the radar installation up close which gives a good look at a humorous side of the project… part of the radar system looks like a tongue, so it’s painted red!  Even better, there’s a closed eye with lashes on the left side, and as this Proteus pic from LIFE.com shows, an open eye is painted on the right side.  I'm does like!

Did you know that sometimes Proteus sticks out its tongue?!

Chill Out In A Cool Old Bonanza - Dairy Queen Style

 Hey, after doing all that thinking and drawing to create the Empress 400 Retro Airliner concept, I needed some ice cream, and it was Dairy Queen to the rescue! I really did go have a mint Oreo Blizzard (my fave) from the local store, which has nothing to do really with this pic, but it sure tasted good. 

 I was at a different Dairy Queen somewhere about a year ago, don't remember where (somewhere in northern Indiana) and they had this late 40’s or early 50’s Beech Bonanza picture hanging on the wall. I thought, wow, you don’t see an old Bonanza with an ice cream cone painted on the side and hanging in a random Dairy Queen every day! So I grabbed a quick pic with my phone and then forgot about it. Today I stumbled across that pic again and decided it was interesting enuf to share. I must say, I’m a sucker for airplanes with interesting advertising on them, especially old ones. 

 Looks like maybe someone who owned some DQ stores in Arkansas and Louisiana also spent time dragging a V-tail thru the sky. I looked for some additional info on the internet but didn’t find any. It’s not really all that special, but I always enjoy seeing a little slice of the past, especially when airplanes and ice cream are involved!

UPDATE: 12.31.14... 28 sightings now! I think it's really cool that so many people have seen this picture at a DQ and then wind up finding the post here on AirPigz as they chase their curiosity about the image. Keep 'em coming : )

UPDATE: 12.28.13... Just received a comment informing me that this Diary Queen Bonanza pic is also on the wall of a DQ in Wichita KS, just over a mile from the Beechcraft factory! How awesome is that?! It's been very interesting learning of the various locations the pic has been seen, and I love it that people are finding this post when they're looking for info on the airplane pic they've noticed at a DQ : )

UPDATE: 6.9.13... I eventually figured out that I captured the pic in this post at the DQ in Nappanee, Indiana. So, with the comment received today with another one spotted in Alabama, we've learned of at least 7 of those sweet ole Bonanza pix around the country. I'm sure there are many more, hopefully more comments are on the way.

Here's the locations that have reported:

Nappanee, IN
Glen Rose, TX
Carmel, IN
Mukwonago, WI
Branson, MO
Pecos, TX
Semmes, AL
Tampa, FL
Firestone, CO
LaGrange, KY
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
Fairfield, TX
Hiawassee, GA
Ellis, TX
Wichita, KS
Portland, CT
Lynn Haven, FL
Oakville, Ontario Canada
Levelland, TX
Aberdeen, WA
Elenboro, WV
Charlottesville, VA
Thomaston, GA
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Abbortsford, BC Canada
Lindale, TX
Stockbridge, GA
Columbus, GA

Retro Airliner Design Contest: Design #2 - The Larcoliner 3800

 Twitter follower @M_Lorenger hopped on the Retro Airliner Design Contest right away, and he was quick to turn to X-Plane to build up his entry.  So here it is, the Lorenger Aerospace Larcoliner 3800!  I don't have specifics yet, but there's the pic he provided above and a few screenshots I got from the video he made.  And of course the video is posted below for you to check out.  She's lean and a bit racy... and you gotta love the smoke trails she leaves in the video!

 I'll be putting a poll together soon so y'all can vote us up a winner - stay tuned.

Retro Airliner Design Contest: Design #1 - The Empress 400

 Here's submission #1 for the AirPigz Retro Airliner Design Contest... it's the Empress 400, from me!  She's a bit radical, with a little bit of old and a little bit of new.  Powered by 4, 4,000hp new technology radial engines, she has 100 seats and cruises at a nice round 400 mph.  As you can see, I've incorporated the 3LSC (3 Lifting Surface Configuration) into the design, similar to the Piaggio P180 Avanti.  

 I'll post more detail soon so you can get a better idea of all the thoughts I've tossed into this Ruler of the Sky, but for now you can check out the 4 drawings that I put together.

 I only got one other submission in the contest, and I'll get that posted tomorrow so we can have a poll to determine the winner of the Retro Airliner Design Contest : )

Nice Paint: FIFA And Coke MD-83 (Or Is It A DC-9-83?)

 In response to the CARS picture request, Charles Thompson sent this pic he took a few days back of this FIFA.com / Coca-Cola MD-83 as it was passing thru Belfast.  It technically doesn’t fit the ‘Ramp’ part of the CARS (Cool Aircraft Ramp Spotters) feature, so I’m just posting on its own cuz it’s got some cool graphics.  The aircraft is on an 86 country promotional tour to stir up interest in the World Cup of football (soccer) which starts in June 2010 in South Africa.

 It helps to bring up another point too… is this an MD-83 or a DC-9-83?  I thought for it to have an ‘MD’ designation it would have to have the flat, slab-sided tail cone, but maybe I’m wrong.  I did some research on the internets and saw MD-83 and DC-9-83 used together to describe the same aircraft.  I know there are some airliner plane spotters/historians sharper than I am that could clear this up.  Anybody know for sure?

 Regardless of the proper designation, it’s a dandy pic of some sweet graphics… thanx Charles for sending it in.

3 Lifting Surface Configuration (P180): The Way Of The Future?

Piaggio P180 Avanti II at Oshkosh 2009

 I was raised on taildraggers and homebuilts (back in the day when a typical 'fast' homebuilt went 150mph), but my interest in flying machines is a whole lot more diverse than that.  In fact, I can still remember following the Piaggio P180 development in the early 80’s even before the airplane had flown… and if I remember correctly, they had a contest to come up with a name for the airplane.  I must admit I never really liked the winning Avanti name, but I’ve always been drawn to P180’s unusualness and performance.

 The pic shown here is one I took at Oshkosh this year of the Avanti II, which is mostly the old original P180 re-engined for more speed AND better fuel economy, along with a glass cockpit and other modernizations.  It was certified in 2005 and has been selling well ever since.

 The most obvious oddity of the Avanti is the 3 wing surfaces.  As a concept, it’s described as 3LSC or 3 Lifting Surface Configuration.  It’s kinda canard but kinda not.  The main wing is moved far aft, which frees up the cabin from having the main spar carry-thru in the way, and then the wing up front holds the nose up, to compensate for the main wing being so far aft.  The T tail in the rear is where pitch control comes from, but if I understand the concept correctly, the T tail is also a lifting surface.  Tho I’m getting the idea that it runs along up there typically with very little load on it.  Hopefully I’ll find a P180/3LSC expert to do a podcast with before long and we’ll get the straight scoop on this stuff!

 The bottom line here is that the Avanti doesn’t have very much wing on it, just 172.2 sq ft total.  But it doesn’t need as much wing as a conventional aircraft because it’s all lifting up, without the negative effect of the downforce of a traditional wing and tail configuration.  There must be something to all this cuz the Avanti winds up having a small, lightweight airframe with a large cabin and a strong useful load of 4,100 pounds… all while also being the fastest turboprop in the world.  As in about 400 kts fast! 

 If you only thought the Avanti was kinda weird looking, it might be time to look a little closer at it.  If you thought it was kinda weird looking, and fast, then I still think it might be time to take a closer look.  I’m thinking this 3LSC concept deserves more attention, and so I’m wondering if there’s a chance that it might be the way of the future.  It's pretty hard to argue with the performance the Avanti has put on display.

 We’ll talk more about the 3LSC before long.  Really soon actually cuz my entry in the Retro Airliner Design Contest is tapping into the 3LSC, coupling it with 4 massive 4,000hp radial engines!  Now that’s a combo!  You can see what that beast looks like sometime this Friday 4-9-10 when I post the entries in the contest.  Hopefully there’s more than just mine to look at, but if not, you can count on it being a bit on the wild side : )

 Lastly, here's a pretty sweet P180 video to check out.  It's no where near as luscious as the Starship video posted recently, but it's still a great vid.

Taildragger Heaven In Houston Kicks Off AirPigz ‘CARS’

 The time has come to kick off the new AirPigz feature I call CARS.  You’ve probably figured out already that it’s not about ‘cars’, it’s about Cool Airplanes!  Big thanx to Ramp Spotter Curtis Lawson for sending in a great pic to get things started.

 This pic was taken recently with an iPhone as they were walking past the Texas Taildraggers hangar at KAXH (Houston Southwest Airport).  It was about 6pm and the low sun was shining in putting a beautiful glow and all those already golden taildraggers.  Stearman on the left, Cub in the middle and a Super Decathlon on the right… plus more goodies in the background : )

 Anyone can be a Cool Aircraft Ramp Spotter, and in fact your pix are needed to keep this ongoing feature moving forward.  Anytime I get pix that are good enuf, I’ll post ’em for everyone to enjoy. 

 You can get the scoop on what specifically I’m looking for in a pic by checking out the original CARS post.

Video: Mower Power To The People - Remembering Leeon Davis

 Leeon Davis very quietly built some of the most unique and great performing homebuilt airplanes.  Ever.  He was all about simple, lightweight, and easy to build.  His designs never really caught on like they should have, but somehow I don't think he even cared.  He was too busy just being a really nice guy to worry about it.  This video gives a great look at one of his last projects, the 20hp Briggs and Stratton powered DA-11.

 You can learn a lot more about Leeon's airplanes and design philosophy in this Budd Davisson article about the DA-2 originally written in 1973. 

 Leeon Davis passed away in 2007.

Remembering The Cool Airstair On The 727... And D.B. Cooper

 I suppose the 727's airstair is fresh in my mind because I've incorporated a similar arrangement into my design for the Retro Airliner contest that'll be ending soon.  I'll be posting my big prop airliner concept on Thursday 4-8-10, you might wanna mark your calendar for that : )

 I know several of the aft-engine jet airliners had an airstair that dropped out the back like this, but the one on the 727 just always seemed to be the right one to me.  Maybe that's because I used to ride a United 727 A LOT when I was a kid, and I got to use those stairs a couple times.

 It's also pretty cool that my dad, who was type-rated in the B-727 and flew many hours for United in them, actually got to make a skydive out the back of the one shown below back in 1995!  After he passed away in January 2009, I found his official D.B. Cooper certificate (#0585) in a frame along with this picture.  I'm pretty sure they took a pic of each of the skydivers as they went out thru the hole where the stairs would usually be... so I think the guy in the middle is my dad.  

 They slowed the 727 down to about 150 mph which made for a pretty big blast!  An especially big blast because my dad was retired from United and by this time he was 66 years old!  I'm guessing he wasn't the oldest guy to jump from the 727 that year when the airplane was at the World Free Fall Convention, but I'll bet he was the only one type-rated in one!  I remember he showed his license to the pilots of the 727 and they thought that was pretty cool.  Crazy, but cool : )

My type-rated-in-a-727 dad jumping out the back of one in 1995!