Re: Rocket Racing League



Henry Spencer wrote:


Until it becames a frequent thing, almost certainly the way you'd fill up
would be from one of the same tank trucks that supply the hospitals, with
the hose handled by the same guy who does it for the hospitals.  When the
airports start having permanent facilities for it, yeah, the crews would
need a bit of training for it, but that'll come with the equipment.


I doubt that there is ever going to be a big demand for rocket planes at airports- the whole concept has a lot of shortcomings compared to turbine propulsion, starting with inferior flight duration for the same weight of propellants.
These will remain airshow curiosities and high-end novelty toys for the rich at best.
They just aren't a rational approach to civilian aircraft propulsion no matter how safe you make them, which is why the were quickly superseded by the turbine engine during the 1950's.
You could certainly reach a higher altitude with one than with a turbine engine (although from a surface takeoff that might be an iffy proposition due the the weight and bulk of propellant tankage you would have to drag along), but that really doesn't seem to be a very salable commodity except in some sort of novelty passenger use.
Has anyone looked into the effect the rocket motor is going to have on the runway when the aircraft rotates for take-off?
Noise is also going to be a problem.





Considering the airframe will be pretty light weight, something along the lines of the Microturbo engine used in the BD-5J should be powerful enough to get it airborne. I've seen one of those things, and they move like a raped ape- although it can reach 320 mph, its small size makes it look like it's traveling a near-sonic velocity.



A number of years ago, I saw an aerobatic display by a BD-5J at an
airshow.  The impression of lightning speed was indeed very strong...
especially compared to the C-5 that was also there.


I saw a C-5 coming in for landing at Fargo- it looked like it was moving at about 25 mph. You almost get scared that it will fall out of the sky on you it appears to be moving so slowly.

Pat
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