The BD-5J’s engine produced around 200 pounds of thrust. (Maybe 250.) Just a quick search says that the large RC turbines range from about 4.5 pounds to over 100 pounds of thrust.
Large-scale RC planes seem to be popular enough to support an industry; so presumably popular enough to support a small-turbine industry. I guess you could put one into a UAV (‘drone’), though I don’t see the advantage over a piston engine. Fast, yes. Range? Not so much.
We are seeing jet powered drones in Ukraine now. An evolution/extension of propeller driven drones. I imagine some of these are used for off-the-shelf powerplants.
I was not aware of that.
The BD-5J 's original engine was invented to power cruise missiles. Which are in the same general size, weight, & speed class as the BD-5J.
It was actually quite a magic effort to create jets that small and affordable. Lotta shit don’t scale linearly.
Right now there’s a hole in the commercial market between the smallest bizjet engines and the largest hobbyist engines. Cruise missiles and such fit in there, but they typically lack the certificatability needed for even experimental civil aircraft use.
Search for jet powered drones in Ukraine.
Both sides are introducing them.
FlightAware shows my wife’s 737-900 heading home at 460-ish mph. I believe this is its ground speed Its planned speed was 524 mph. That’s a pretty good headwind. And yes, it’s still very windy up here. The heading looks like it’s about 345º. Currently, FlightAware says it’s running 17 minutes late. Taxi time is estimated to be 24 minutes. So it should arrive at the gate at 22:56. The flight from SEA to BLI is scheduled to depart at 23:10.
Earlier, FlightAware had an alert saying to expect departure delays. Fingers crossed she makes the connection, as when I was flying up here from L.A., that time was the last flight.
Now it’s saying the flight is on time at 22:23 instead of 22:32. (The itinerary says 22:15.) This is fun… and exciting, because of the connecting flight.
Interesting, and makes perfect sense. Thank you.
Was he a balloonist, too? We (intentionally) do that in a balloon sometimes on windier days; creates a bit of drag to slow you down then drop in the opening right after the trees so they offer some windbreak.
Not a balloonist. Not intentional.
Just ran out of airspeed and altitude a few feet too early to clear the perimeter trees surrounding the vacant lot. Fortunately they were not large or tall enough to trigger a disaster.
Remember way back when when you could see your relative off at the gate? Looks like you’ll be able to do that in OAK again via a Guest Pass
Just finished John McPhee’s pretty good 1976 nonfiction book Coming Into the Country, about Alaska, its people, wildlife, climate and challenges. There’s an interesting passage in Book III about Alaska bush pilots. In some very isolated parts of the state, at least back then, people use(d) small aircraft the way most of us use our cars.
Speaking of the BD-5, I found this video.
It was that way ~20 years ago, when I flew a small plane to Alaska & spent a couple of weeks there. I’m sure it’s still true in remote areas.
When there are no roads, small aircraft are the way to get around. “The system” must deal with them, and does this well. I recall a transmission heard as we were nearing Anchorage Intl Airport, planning to land our C-180 there: “Super Cub 4 alpha bravo you are number 2 to land following the United 747 - caution wake turbulence.”
That video makes it sound like you could get it out of CG with a healthy fart. I must have seen the same person demonstrating it at a local air show. The pilot would continually extend and retract the gears while passing show center.
I was there ten years ago and it’s still largely true. The expression I heard was, “There are thousands of pilots in Alaska and a few of them even have licenses.”
The FAA can’t possibly enforce effectively in such a big and rural state, so Alaska is a special case in many ways from a regulatory standpoint.
I was in a Beechcraft Baron taking off at MSP. I think there was a DC-10 behind us on the taxiway. There’s no rear window in a Baron, so I couldn’t see it directly. But when I looked back over my shoulder I saw an engine that looked like it could swallow us whole.
Cessna C550, reportedly owned by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crashed in NC. Multiple fatalities reported but unknown who was aboard yet.
Six dead probably–apparently Greg Biffle, his wife, his kids and a couple pilots.
Somewhat confusing narrative, and not surprising this early.
Took off from that airport, but was returning directly to that airport not too long after takeoff. Weather poor-ish, but ought not be bad enough to have been an issue for a crew that wasn’t in a hurry and an airplane that wasn’t malfunctioning.