Airgeeps, Flying Jeeps, Flying Landrovers,

[Mossie]

Hafner Rotabuggy one of the better known roadable aircraft but always worth mentioning for it's sheer craziness:





The concept was a good one.  Take a jeep, add some detechable flying surfaces.  You've then got a vehicle that can be easily converted into an aircraft to & 'driven' by anyone.  Not suprisingly, it didn't turn out this way in reality & several tethered test flights reulted in some seriously distressed passengers.  The descent speed was estimated tob be between 4.8 & 10m/s.  The author of the above site equates 10m/s to driving off the roof of a third story building.  Okay, aircraft are strengthened to resist this kind of landing, but in a Jeep?!?!?  You wouldn't want to, would you??? :dum:  

[modelwoman]

Hi Folks

I have come up with the idea of making a Landy that is capable of both driving over sand and hard ground.  But to add to the problem I would like it to be able to fly as well!

I have decided to use the chassis from the Landy and the main bodywork, but for the sand bit of the drive I will be using some wheels from a Citroen Dakar, but with the Landy wheels for the road bits and mountainous climbs.

The problem that I am facing is what wings to use!  I have the idea that the wings would be strong enough to carry an engine as well as a sidewinder missile attached to the end of the wings and a machine gun mounted on the inside of the wings.  The engine would be mounted in the centre of the wing.

Oh and to counter balance the vehicle/aircraft, a tail fin would be mounted to the top of the Landy.

Now I need help in deciding which aircrafts wings would be strong enough and bear in mind that the tail fin of the same aircraft would be used.

Any opinions please?

Cheers

Elsie

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Hi E,

What is a Landy? For those of us on this side of the pond that need to understand what it is that you are trying to create based on that name, I have no clue, it could be a washing machine or an automobile.  

Do you have a reference image or drawing that you could refer us to?

Thanks,  

[The Rat]

Probably a Land Rover!    

[modelwoman]

Hi Jeffrey

Sorry it's a habit, what I meant was a Landrover Series 3 Vehicle.

Cheers

Elsie

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Thanks for the clarification.  We have the same problem here creating nicknames out of brand names and making it dificult to understand.  

If you could obtain the old Glencoe injection plastic model of the Piasecki VZ-8P Airgeep in 1/35th scale or the newer Anagrand 1/72nd scale kit in resin and try to bash that with a Land Rover model, you could create something that sort of hovered/flew.  The Air Geep design was rather good but the payload/range was not.  If it was improved upon to the point that it was capable of travelling 1000km on a tank of fuel with a 1000kg payload and two to three personnel, it would become something quite different.  As it was, the AirGeep was only good for demonstration purposes with dummy weapons installed.

If you are wondering what the AirGeep is, go to the following links for further information:

Google Search Results for AirGeep links on the internet

Google Search Results for AirGeep Images on the internet

[RLBH]

You could, of course, be really boring and go for the hover Landy. One was in fact built - IIRC, it was a modified SWB Series II for the British Soil Federation, or some such entity - unfortunately it needed a second engine driving lots of unholy gear. As a result, it had roughly the payload capacity of a lethargic budgerigar.

But you needn't be *too* constrained by physics. Maybe it has the power and transmission from a Lynx. Hmm, Land Rover/Westland Wefender?

[GTX]

You could also go with something like a powered version of the Hafner Rotabuggy (see here for more info):




Regards,

Greg

[Runway ? ...]

You could try mating a 110 with a Cessna 336/337 Skymaster. If you throw away the forward fuselage and front engine you might end up with something vaguely useful. That would give you a big, ungainly structure to lose upon landing like most flying cars but you gain a reasonable structure for hanging weapons from  

Having re-read the question, Airgeep, Rotabuggy, RATO(google jato guy), or something smaller as the driven component seems to be the way to go.

[GTX]

Hi folks,

Something odd I came across - Handley Page's "Flying Jeeps" from the late'50s/early 60's:

The H.P. 120 Mk.4:




Anyone got similar oddities?

Regards,

Greg

[Maverick]

There's always the ZV-8P Airgeep, by Piasecki, kitted by Glencoe in 35th?.  The Airgeep was part of a family of similar types.  Then of course there's the 'Flying Platforms' and their ilk, I think Anigrand might have kitted some of these in 72nd.

Mav

[jcf]

Boulton-Paul had the P.144A project.

The 2nd edition of 'Project Cancelled' has a chapter called "The Jumping Jeep" that covers some Folland, Bristol-Siddeley and BAC concepts.

Jon

[Jeffry Fontaine]

If you have not checked out Greg Goebel's  Air Vectors page on the Flying Platforms and Jeeps I suggest you do so, he has compiled a lot of good information on flying platforms and other types of aerial vehicles such as the Piasecki Airgeep.  

Addditional Airgeep links at Piasecki:

Piasecki Model PA-59K (U.S. Army VZ-8P) "Airgeep"

Piasecki Model PA-59N "Seageep"  

Piasecki Model PA-59H "Airgeep II"

There was also an attempt to create a rotary wing vehicle using the Ford M151 MUTT 1/4ton truck.  The M151 was fitted with a large metal tube assembly that held the rotor which was powered by compressed air that was stored in a large tank that was placed in the area previously occupied by the rear seat.  Flight time was very limited, perhaps four minutes total, not a lot of flight time but it was certainly more air time than what could be achieved with the standard M151 vehicles.  

Personally I like the Airgeep idea and it is unfortunate that it did not perform better. I have a few of the Glenco kits in protective custody with the intention of creating several Airgeep vehicles that would represent a scout vehicle armed with a GPMG, a command vehicle fitted with several radios, and maybe a TOW vehicle fitted with the TOW missile launcher.  Not much room in the Airgeep to begin with so with the limited space, there needs to be some creativity applied.

If JC Carbonel is reading this thread, I hope he can provide some links to images of the finished Airgeep model that he built.

[ysi_maniac]

I LOVE these posts.
Thanks people
       

[GTX]

If JC Carbonel is reading this thread, I hope he can provide some links to images of the finished Airgeep model that he built.

This one?



See here.

Regards,

Greg