The dream of uniting a car and an airplane has been stirring the minds of amateur designers for decades. Hundreds of structures were created by their efforts, but most of them turned out to be unusable. Nevertheless, the accumulated experience allows us to hope that one day successful samples will nevertheless be created.
Instructions
Step 1
Before those who decide to create a flying car, the first fundamental question is the choice of its scheme. Both the operational characteristics of the "airplane" and the safety of its use depend on this. There are at least three classic layout options that have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Step 2
In the first version, an ordinary light car is used, to which a wing and a beam with a tail unit are attached from above. The pusher propeller is located behind the wing and is driven by the car's engine through a gearbox. It is clear that it takes time to convert a car into an airplane and back, while the design has rather low flight characteristics.
Step 3
The second type of layout is more progressive, its classic version is remembered by many from the famous film "Fantomas Raged". According to the plot of the film, the car (they used Citroen DS on the set) had retractable fenders and a jet propulsion system. Numerous attempts were made by enthusiasts to create a similar design; a pushing propeller was usually used as a propeller. Unfortunately, the Achilles' heel of this design was the inability to place the wings of the required area in the car body. Small wings gave a high specific load per unit area, which required a high takeoff and landing speed. The wedge-shaped shape of the hull, which pressed the car to the track on the ground, became a hindrance in the air. All this created a lot of problems with the car's handling and safety.
Step 4
The third option is quite progressive and promising, in which the aircraft was lifted not by the wing, but by the thrust of rotary engines with small-diameter propellers. True, such an arrangement already has little in common with a conventional car, since the design may have no wheels at all. The vehicle with rotary propellers can take off and land on the smallest area, the control is computerized and corrects piloting errors. Design flaw - very high fuel consumption.
Step 5
What scheme to choose when building a flying car? Practice shows that the classic scheme of a flying car with retractable wings remains the most attractive for amateur designers. However, for its implementation, one cannot take any car as a basis, it must be designed independently, taking into account all the requirements for a flying machine. In particular, composite materials should be widely used in its design, and instead of a traditional propeller or jet engine, it is better to use air jets forced by a compressor connected to the car engine. This option will allow the use of controlled airflow to the wing, which will give the aircraft high maneuverability and the ability to take off with a very short mileage. An example of the implementation of this flight principle is the EKIP device developed in Russia.
