It's a boat........and kinda a plane, but........

[ralexa6808]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-sWokqiVHw

I don't think it would be able to perform properly in anything other than calm seas. Also it's ability to turn seems restricted in the video and I don't think I would survive if I stuffed the nose. Looks cool but seems inherently dangerous to me....what say all you Pilots out there?

[oscarvan]

It's utilizing the "ground effect" principle. One way the wing develops lift is by creating a high pressure area under the wing and a low pressure area on top of the wing. At the tip of the wing the high pressure spills off the tip and curls around to hit the top of the wing. (This is how wing tip vortices are generated, which are the source of wake turbulence, yes airplanes make wakes too.) This reduces the efficiency of the wing. Lots of different interesting looking wing tips on airplanes these days to try and minimize the problem.

If you stay within 1.5 wing span of the ground (or water) the vortices are blocked. At that point the wing is a LOT more efficient. Once it climbs higher that increased efficiency goes away.

So in ground effect you can lift more with less wing and less HP.

The Russians really liked this...... here's the "Ekranoplan"

And yes, sea state goes into the flight planning process.

[jim rosenthal]

How high could that craft fly? If you try to climb, will it just not do it?

[oscarvan]

How high could that craft fly? If you try to climb, will it just not do it?

Correct. Not enough wing for the weight. Again, 1-1/2 wing span. So that Russian thing looks like it would be 125-150' span.... so 100' would be a good altitude although the effect decreases at that point. The airplanes I used to fly had a wing span of 125-170 feet. The real "float" happened at 50-100'

[jim rosenthal]

That Russian thing is the ugliest motorized device I've ever seen. Probably has plaid seats.

[whoover]

I don't know Dr. Jim, there are a few houseboats out there that I have seen.

Walt Hoover

[oscarvan]

That Russian thing is the ugliest motorized device I've ever seen. Probably has plaid seats.

The Russians definitely have had their own styling and it has been less than breath taking since the eggs.

[margolis]

[QUOTE=oscarvan;392815]It's utilizing the "ground effect" principle. One way the wing develops lift is by creating a high pressure area under the wing and a low pressure area on top of the wing. At the tip of the wing the high pressure spills off the tip and curls around to hit the top of the wing. (This is how wing tip vortices are generated, which are the source of wake turbulence, yes airplanes make wakes too.) This reduces the efficiency of the wing. Lots of different interesting looking wing tips on airplanes these days to try and minimize the problem.

If you stay within 1.5 wing span of the ground (or water) the vortices are blocked. At that point the wing is a LOT more efficient. Once it climbs higher that increased efficiency goes away.

So in ground effect you can lift more with less wing and less HP.

The Russians really liked this...... here's the "Ekranoplan"

And yes, sea state goes into the flight planning process.[/QUOTE


Is this one collect form a movie? Or it's from US Navi?

[ralexa6808]

Here's another interesting plane:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E38cc-4TvX8

Top Speed 400 knots, 4,500 NM Range, 50k ceiling on a single piston engine.