WHIFS found while Google-ing

[PR19_Kit]

But almost alone amongst zillions of  VTOL projects, the Harrier got built, it worked, and went into service with many air arms.

So far no other similar aircraft has done that....................

Do I detect a tiny echo of Raymond Baxter here?

Just possibly.

One of my heroes and whom I luckily met a couple of times. Top bloke. 

[kitnut617]

whilst the Pegasus is essentially a high bipass engine -

Actually it is technically a low bypass engine, the hot and cold thrust being about the same, it's the ratio of hot to cold that makes it a high or low bypass.  (not criticism, I love Harriers)

[Captain Canada]

Love the little Fiat that`s fun !

[Caveman]

Caveman,

Due to the ducting of the engine's thrust it was inherently less efficient than a "straight through" arrangement - such as the Focke-Wulf had.  That meant that for a given payload to be carried or a given speed to be attained, the Harrier had to have a much higher powered engine to make up for that lower efficiency.

Whilst the convoluted flow path definitely resulted in some losses, it doesn't mean that it is less propulsively efficient than a straight through turbojet. As for efficiency with respect to speed then you are going to have to define your "given" speed. Pegasus is great at subsonic speeds (curvy flow path and all) but would be a stinker at transonic and supersonic speeds. Again, in the hover I would be very surprised if the FW design was anywhere near as efficient as a harrier.
Propulsive efficiency is all about the amount of air that you move and how much you accelerate it. With its big fan and bypass airflow Pegasus moves lots of air relatively slowly, efficient! For the same thrust a Turbojet will likely move a smaller amount of air fast, inefficient.

[Madoc]

The Pegasus engine is great for what it does - provide ample ducted thrust to allow the Harrier to take off and land vertically.

The engine is heavier, pound for pound of thrust, than a "straight through" type due to the weight of all that ducting.  The Harrier is also subsonic and that has long been one of its primary limitations.

And please don't think I'm not a fan of the Harrier.  It still is the most successful VTOL CAS fixed wing machine in the world.  No one else has gotten it so right.  No one yet, that is.  The Soviets certainly tried and failed.  They simply didn't have the engine power for it.

The various tail sitter VTOL machines avoided the inherent limitations of the ducted thrust but encountered others as related to the pilot's ability to adequately control his machine on the descent phase.  "Backing down on to the ground" is really not a good idea.  Or at least it wasn't with 1950s and 60s tech.

Today, I think, much more could be made of it.  A bit of laser range finding and modern computerized flight control systems could make it "a piece of cake."  That however, is not what's been procured and we're still in the same overall paradigm that the Kestrel started in 1960. 

The F-35 has a much more powerful and efficient engine that articulates its exhaust to get the advantages of both ducting and "straight through" efficiency.  That forward lift fan is a practical solution but it adds complexity and dead weight when not in use.  It remains to be seen how effective that bird will be operationally.

[kitnut617]

This was my solution to having an improved Harrier



and this is the thread you can read about it in

http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,33379.msg523588.html#msg523588

[Captain Canada]

I like it !

[Captain Canada]

Looks good ! But the roundel and fin flash are wrong 

[CANSO]

Found this beast from a parallel universe today :

Removed as hazardous link

[PR19_Kit]

That's an entire aircraft recognition contest in one pic!

The only bit I can get is the nose glass from an Fw-189.

[loupgarou]

My browser removed the link from Canso's post.  And when I tried to circumvent it opening Canso's post and copying the link, the browser still tried to refuse. I had to force it. Any special reason for this?

[JayBee]

Both links blocked by my system, as a "defective site".

[DogfighterZen]

ok, this is what's giving me warnings of dangerous site here... that's the forum that's comes up on the warning... i didn't even visit the links and now whatif is a dangerous site to my computer...

[jcf]

The hotlink to that chimera photo in CANSO's post is what is causing the alerts for folks.

It needs to be removed.

[DogfighterZen]

Seems to be ok now, thanks guys.