Randall Clague wrote:
Something's off there. Dick Rutan is the high time pilot on the Long-EZ, and was the factory test pilot. He reports that the EZ-Rocket has *much* better performance than even the O-320 engine Long-EZ. We routinely bury the ROC indicator, which pegs at 2000 fpm, typical climb is 4000 fpm, and we've held 6000 fpm toward the end of burn. You can't do that with a piston engine Long-EZ. This corroborates what I've seen, that Dick's EZ, Ol' Blue, needs quite a bit of runway to get off. I think Ol' Blue has the O-235.
I'm sure the rocket has substantially better climb performance than a O-320; My comparison is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. The 'exhaust velocity' of a prop is much lower than a rocket. I quoted static thrust, which is thrust at 0kts airspeed at sea-level. When you get to flying airspeed the thrust from a prop is much lower, because now you are moving through the air at a large fraction of the speed that your prop moves air rearwards. At flight speed a prop does not have nearly as much thrust, but that high initial thrust sure helps get the plane to takeoff speed.
OTOH if you tell me a Defiant has power to burn I'll believe you. Had on of those doing low passes at sunset the other day. Yee-ha!
Those are nice birds, haven't had the pleasure of a flight in one yet!
I don't know their plumbing works, but it seems to me they could put a bunch of that stuff in the back seat. That's where we put our LOX tank. All that support plumbing doesn't have to be any particular shape until it gets to the det tubes. Now, if they do put a bunch of plumbing back there, they should modify the canopy so the pilot canopy and the support hardware canopy aren't connected - in fact, the pilot canopy should end at the new inter-seat firewall, and the back seat should get a cowling.
Sounds reasonable, and the weight of their equipment is close to, but within the spec'd designed weight limits of the aircraft.
If they do that, even if they make no other changes, I bet they get could airborne.
I'd love to see (or should I say hear) it! I'd be the first to go find a totaled grand-am and start on one myself.
-- Greg _______________________________________________ ERPS-list mailing list [email protected] http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list
