gliders with Jet engines

Jet Noise...

Some 30 years ago, after a promise to let me fly it, I helped a visiting
pilot ( like me) to rig his jet equipped Diamant at Schanis (Switzerland).
I have no idea what the 'engine' make was, it was mounted on top of
fuselage - pilot was just about able to carry it!

After an eardrum shattering warm up and almost ready to fly, the owner/
Chief Instructor of airfield strolled across and asked if Diamant owner
proposed launching with engine. On getting an affirmative the owner of the
airfield bluntly refused permission - he said that the residents of the
nearby village were still complaining about the noise created when he last
flew there over a year ago. Imagine the din echoing off the mountains flying
at around 50kts for ten minutes in a country that has very strict laws on
noise!

The Diamant owner reluctantly removed the engine and took an aerotow. He
confided that he was seldom able to fly more than once at any given airport.

Later, on a particularly quiet night, I thought I heard a faint echo of the
Diamant jet, but it could have come from nearby Zurich International...

Never did get to fly it...

Lou Frank



"Eric Greenwell" wrote in message
.. .
In article ,
says...
Some disadvantages a fuel can catch fire,

Have you ever seen the inferno a huge stack of batteries can generate?

the engine
is very hot,

How hot is it? They put these things inside model helicopters and
other model aircraft, so it must be manageable.

have to figure out fuel routing and fuel
tanks,

Doing this has got to be a lot easier than figuring out where to put
the batteries, which will occupy much more space and weigh far more.
Motorglider builders solved this decades ago.

very noisy,

What does it sound like? I've never heard one. Worse than a DG 400?
Worse than a small/big/huge dirt bike?

needs interesting engine instruments,
needs overhaul, may be damaged by FOD (rocks and such
in intake).

If mounted on top of the fuselage, it shouldn't be any worse than a
propeller.

--
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directly

Eric Greenwell
Richland, WA (USA)