3 ms·
I believe it got a maximum of about three feet off the ground before aerodynamic instability made it impossible to control. I'm not sure even with fly-by-wire t
by cpleppert 14y ago
I believe it got a maximum of about three feet off the ground before aerodynamic instability made it impossible to control. I'm not sure even with fly-by-wire the problem could be fixed. Just varying the engine throttle and thrust redirection machinery wouldn't be sufficient.
- roc 14y agoAs I recall, the control problems were in the boundary layer, when the ground effect benefits waned, but before the engines pushed it into 'flight'-proper. That said, it also sounded like it was capable of 'flight'-proper for the same reason that just about any-shaped craft is capable of flight when strapped to engines of such outsize mass and power.
- starpilot 14y agoCringe. That's not a boundary layer: http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/boundlay.html http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/boundlay.html If you're talking about a planetary boundary layer, then ground effect occurs within that because the PBL extends to the ground.
- roc 14y agoSorry about that. I didn't mean boundary layer as a technical term. I just meant the problem was in the transition from the ground-effect-dominated regime to the regime of traditional flight.