Just a quick unreality check:
According to the 3E rules, a vehicle with wings cannot have excellent
(or better) streamlining at TL6. A vehicle with very good streamlining
is limited to 740 mph unless it is a lifting body.
That means a TL6 supersonic aircraft could be a wingless lifting body
with very good or better streamlining or a winged lifting body with very
good streamlining. The latter option seems allowed by the rules as
written, but against the spirit of the rules.
Assume the thrust to weight ratio for all aircraft is the same; around
0.5 lbs. of thrust per pound of weight. That allows for an hour of fuel
at nominal consumption rates.
The top ground speed depends on the thrust to weight RATIO, not on the
weight. It is 555 mph.
The top air speed of a lifting body aircraft is sqrt(thrust/area) times
a constant which depends on the level of streamlining.
The stall speed is sqrt(weight/area) times a constant which depends on
the streamlining. Using the thrust to weight ratio, this becomes
sqrt(thrust/area) times a different constant, again depending on the
streamlining. For a constant density, area scales with weight^2/3.
So making the aircraft larger increases stall speed and top speed by the
same factor. This can be done until stall speed reaches top ground speed.
Any mistakes so far?
Regards,
Onno
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