Go Back   EcoModder Forum > EcoModding > Aerodynamics
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 05-11-2012, 06:19 PM   #1 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
aerohead's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Sanger,Texas,U.S.A.
Posts: 15,861
Thanks: 23,922
Thanked 7,207 Times in 4,640 Posts
Big-Rigs,Big-RVs and the 'Black Widow'

I was looking through some of my military stuff and I was struck by Northrop's P-61 Black Widow night fighter.
The tandem windscreened fuselage is similar to a 'vista-cruiser' bus.
If you imagine,the second windscreen and fuselage in its immediate area,represents a rooftop fairing and gap-fillers for an RV trailer or semi-trailer rig.
The main fuselage aft represents a clean 'trailer' with generous plan-view full boat tail.You can skip all the machine gun emplacements,although I can tell you that they were very welcome at DaNang each night.

  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 05-11-2012, 06:41 PM   #2 (permalink)
NightKnight
 
NachtRitter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Placerville, CA
Posts: 1,594

RippinRoo - '05 Subaru Legacy Wagon 2.5 GT
Subaru
90 day: 21.16 mpg (US)

Helga - '00 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
TEAM VW AUDI Group
Diesel
90 day: 53.91 mpg (US)

Olga - '03 Volkswagen Jetta Wagon
90 day: 46.24 mpg (US)
Thanks: 303
Thanked 311 Times in 186 Posts
Since I work better with pictures...







  Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to NachtRitter For This Useful Post:
aerohead (05-12-2012), Cd (05-11-2012)
Old 05-11-2012, 07:14 PM   #3 (permalink)
PSmodder lurker
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Chino
Posts: 1,605
Thanks: 26
Thanked 908 Times in 522 Posts
Not the cleanest flow,
but the tandem seating, pilot up front and gunner rear and above offered the best outward visibility and situational awareness for night fighting. Standard ergonomics of attack helicopters.
  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to botsapper For This Useful Post:
aerohead (05-12-2012)
Old 05-12-2012, 02:54 PM   #4 (permalink)
Master EcoModder
 
aerohead's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Sanger,Texas,U.S.A.
Posts: 15,861
Thanks: 23,922
Thanked 7,207 Times in 4,640 Posts
flow

Quote:
Originally Posted by botsapper View Post
Not the cleanest flow,
but the tandem seating, pilot up front and gunner rear and above offered the best outward visibility and situational awareness for night fighting. Standard ergonomics of attack helicopters.
What got me,is that,if the forward fuselage with double windscreen is interpreted as a tow vehicle and the remaining fuselage aft is a trailer,then the second windscreen and body section immediately below represents a roof fairing with full gap-fillers around and below which integrates the tow vehicle into the trailer to create an aerodynamic singularity.
This would kill the 15% drag associated with the dissimilar rooflines,as well as the 19% drag associated with the gap according to NASA's research of the 70s/80s.
If you want to really pervert your thinking,consider any existing vehicle to already be a 'box truck' with a roof fairing and gap-filler.
From the nose to the rear edge of the doors is the 'tug',with the windshield/A-Pillars/header/roof/doors/and belly section as the fairing and gap-fillers streamlining the flow onto the 'box' behind.Perfectly integrated!
It's kinda like the solution for truck streamlining hidden in plain view.So simple you'd never think of it.
The P-61 is approximately a 12% thickness fuselage in plan.In ground proximity it would have a frontal area-based Cd 0.14,and adding wheels might bring it up to around Cd 0.18.(Korff's design of 1963 he estimated at Cd 0.20).
This would be pretty good for semi or RV rig.

  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools




Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com