PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - AirLander take off then 2nd Flight Mishap
Old 1st Sep 2016, 20:52
  #303 (permalink)  
Uplinker
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: UK
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............Although how it uses this airfoil shape to get airborne from a static start is a question I have not seen answered.
Presumably, they use the vectored thrust fully upwards to lift the aircraft off the ground, at almost no forward speed.

At a suitable height, I guess they progressively move the vectored thrust rearwards to start the aircraft moving forward, and at a certain forward speed the body produces enough lift to take over from the vectored lift, so in full 'flight' the vectored fans only need to provide forward thrust - like a Harrier I suppose ?

Using the vectored fans at max power to produce lift must consume fuel at a huge rate though, so I guess they only do this to get airborne - the transition to forward flight and body lift then radically reduces the power required and therefore the fuel consumption?

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