Float Blended Wing Body concept

[BAROBA]

Hi all

Great and interesting site this is
I am very interessed in secret projects and concepts. I love to draw new planeshapes and concepts. And love to convert them into 3d.
This is one of my concepts make into 3d.
It's a float Blended Wing body.
As planes are getting bigger and bigger, they get more limited as to which airports they can fly too.
And airports just can't grow along with the planes.
Maybe new airports at coastal regions or new ones built right into the sea ( like in Hong-kong?),could take in these new gaints of the sky.

So converting a blended wing body into a floatplane was a pretty obvious choose.
I have no idea of the plane in this form can take-off (The enginepower? The weight? The drag?)
Wing in Ground effect would have nice to add, but it would ruin the pretty lines of the plane

Comments and credits are welcome

 

[Jemiba]

It looks great and the advantages still are the same, as sixty to
seventy decades ago. Readily available runways and maybe, today
even a new argument, as noise abatement over the sea probably
isn't as diffcult as over land. But the disadvantages are still there,
too. The "runway will be seldom absolutely smooth and beaching
such a large flying boat, or bringing the passengers to it on dry feet
probably requires large installations. And I don't think, that todays
passengers are very happy to be brought to their machine with small
boats in sea state 5 ...
For take-off perhaps hydro-skis or a retractable step should be incorporated,
as a fixed step would spoil aerodynamics. A blended wing probably would
shield the engines quite well against spray. I don't know, what's the weight
penalty of a flying boat against a land plane would be today, probably less,
than during the golden age of flying boats, as pressurized fuselage should
automatically be watertight, I think, but the planing bottom would still need
to be stronger, than the underside of a conventional aircraft.

Nevertheless, a good idea to keep this type of aircraft in our minds !

 

[RP1]

Reminds me of the concept for a flying boat using three 747 fuselages.

I think the hull would need a step, and might porpoise, as the shape isn't really like a planing hull.

RP1

 

[elmayerle]

Once upon a time, many a year ago, I saw, in the EAA magazine, a three-view for a tail-less floatplane with the engine mounted up on the top of the vertical fin (much like, ISTR, Lake amphibians had it on top of a pylon). If someone could find that and scan it in, it might make a good starting place for a scaled testbed of this concept.

 

[Orionblamblam]

tail-less floatplane with the engine mounted up on the top of the vertical fin...
[/quote]

 

[elmayerle]

Yeah, 'twas something like that, only I remember the body/wing combination looking more like a Me-163. Then, again, it's been more than a quarter-century, now that I think on it, since I've seen that article.

 

[BAROBA]

Thanks for the replies

reply @Jemiba
"bringing the passengers to it on dry feet probably requires large installations."
It sure wiould require large installations, filling a plane of that size ( above 500 seats) would require a few 'arms' to let in all the passengers in time. Something that only would be possible in a large hub.

'or take-off perhaps hydro-skis or a retractable step should be incorporated,
as a fixed step would spoil aerodynamics. ' Good idea!

reply @RP1
'I think the hull would need a step, and might porpoise, as the shape isn't really like a planing hull.'
Had a bit of trouble finding out what porpoise is, but now I understand what you mean.
It is logical from a boat-engineering view, but it would be less efficient from a airodynamic view. Maybe some sort of 'flap' that extends while taking-off, could do the trick.

reply @Orionblamblam
Looks speedy
Is it a CG-image or an actual model?

reply @elmayerle
Any chance you coul find it( private collection piece?) or a small sketch? Was it a official project from some firm or a engineers fantasy?

cheers

Rob

 

[raravia]

Great design!

It reminds me the old flying boats transatlantic projects of the 30´s

Raravia

 

[elmayerle]

Baroba,

You might try a library that shelves "Homebuilt Aviation" or you might try emailing the EAA directly since it was in their magazine. Like I said, I saw it a long time ago (I think the time period was 1979-1981 but I wouldn't swear to it).

 

[Jeb]

A big problem in terms of passenger acceptance is that it doesn't look like it's got any windows. For various and obvious reasons, people really want to see out. But the concept *looks* gorgeous.