Scott Correa wrote:
If you take a look at the Vans Aircraft website.
You will find the story and pictures of the RV-11.
Looks cool.


I think it is an interesting idea, but if it is
simply a grob 109 or an HP-18 self-launcher,
I don't think there would be much market.

On the other hand, a metal glider with a
turbine self-launch would be interesting.

Gliders are extremely elegant and clean.
Turbines are also quite elegant and reliable,
with the only drawback being fuel consumption.
For self-launch gliders this is not very
important, since only minutes
of climb are needed anyway.

The benefit is the simplicity. Those silly
retract booms or the awkward gear and prop
of a Grob 109 are inelegant.

So how about a single turbine putting out
150# thrust? Burns maybe 25 gallons an hour?
And a small size (8" by 8" by 12")?
Boy it'd be nice if they were made of some
material that cooled real fast (ceramics?)
so it could be retracted quickly.

I saw the twin 40# thrust glider jet. I'd
rather have a single, more powerful turbine.
Simpler, and I'd imagine cheaper.

Throttle response should be no issue at all.
When landing, if you want to do a go around,
just land with full throttle and using spoilers
to destroy lift. If you want to go around,
close spoilers fully. If you're landed and stopped,
throttle back the engine.

I wonder about the glass vs. metal advantages
with a turbine, however. Weight is a real
issue (so a Sparrowhawk turbine would be nice)
for acceleration for takeoff. But heat and
structural fastening seem to be important too.

And then the fuel weight vs. capability (runway
length) issue seems important.

Hmmm...I hope Van's builds a Proof of Concept
turbine glider. I'd like to see an experienced
designer pick up this ball and approach the
idea of "personal jets" from a minimalist
point of view...