bobc
10 kW
Just gossip here really: I use the open source CFD package "OpenFoam" for aerodynamics simulations looking at drag and stability for low speed greenpower racing cars and the electric landspeed record project I'm working on. I just read about Dale Kramer's electric microlyte and was terrifically impressed & inspired to look rather closer at personal flight. So I thought I'd see how I got on trying to design an electric aircraft (on the rock solid basis of having NO aeroplane design knowledge) by just playing with models in the CFD software.
So I spent an hour or so throwing a basic aeroplane model together, another hour or so setting up a CFD simulation cell and meshing the air in it, and have been simulating it at 30mph for a few hours. AT the moment I'm getting nearly 100kg lift at the price of 112N drag (say 9:1) with the pilot out in the fresh air and with main wing angle of incidence about 1 in 10. The figures actually look reasonably close to the 'real' data from Kramer's build log ( he needs about 3kW and 40mph to fly level).
I'm just having fun with this, I have no intention of building a real aircraft, but at some stage it would be interesting to compare this approach to designing a craft to the traditional one (which I assume has many "golden rules" about particular design characteristics.)
I'll add some pictures later on.
Maybe one day I will build a plane - I just can't do it right now. Again I like Kramer's appoach;- make it a seaplane & you can actually use it to go places! However in mine, the pilot will sit IN the main monohull float (just his head sticking out the top) & it will form a faired cockpit. With the pilot laying back rather than sitting upright, the "joysticK" will need to be operated by the right hand only - can anyone say if my right hand would be strong enough to do this ina microlyte? (yes it gets lots of exercise..... ;^) The left hand does 2 throttles - I like the 2 engine approach: 1) redundancy, 2) easy maneovring onthe water 3) the motors are a reasonable size
So I spent an hour or so throwing a basic aeroplane model together, another hour or so setting up a CFD simulation cell and meshing the air in it, and have been simulating it at 30mph for a few hours. AT the moment I'm getting nearly 100kg lift at the price of 112N drag (say 9:1) with the pilot out in the fresh air and with main wing angle of incidence about 1 in 10. The figures actually look reasonably close to the 'real' data from Kramer's build log ( he needs about 3kW and 40mph to fly level).
I'm just having fun with this, I have no intention of building a real aircraft, but at some stage it would be interesting to compare this approach to designing a craft to the traditional one (which I assume has many "golden rules" about particular design characteristics.)
I'll add some pictures later on.
Maybe one day I will build a plane - I just can't do it right now. Again I like Kramer's appoach;- make it a seaplane & you can actually use it to go places! However in mine, the pilot will sit IN the main monohull float (just his head sticking out the top) & it will form a faired cockpit. With the pilot laying back rather than sitting upright, the "joysticK" will need to be operated by the right hand only - can anyone say if my right hand would be strong enough to do this ina microlyte? (yes it gets lots of exercise..... ;^) The left hand does 2 throttles - I like the 2 engine approach: 1) redundancy, 2) easy maneovring onthe water 3) the motors are a reasonable size