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Old 01-15-2020, 07:30 PM   #64 (permalink)
redpoint5
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If a "wing" fan went out, there is nothing on that side of the center of gravity to make up for the loss of lift. Gimballing the other fans can't make up for no lift on that side of the craft. Likewise, those fans require counter-rotation with respect to each other to prevent the craft from yawing. Who knows how to counter the yaw from that tail fan?

I'd expect a design closer to the Osprey, since they've already worked out VTOL using rotors.

One advantage of electric motors over conventional engines is their performance is the same regardless of air density. They aren't starved for air at 100k ft like a conventional turbofan engine would be.

For short trips, I still see EV helicopters being more likely. Quieter, more efficient, and relatively safe in case of engine failure.



One last thought I had regarding electric planes is that in conventional ones, spoilers are deployed to waste excess speed while descending. With an electrically powered plane, you could use the props to regen back to the battery to recover energy from excess speed.
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Last edited by redpoint5; 01-15-2020 at 07:37 PM..
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