Solution found for stability

Well the stability problem induced by 2 moveable engines in charge of both the balance and propulsion was resolved in an elegant way. Actually the movie does point out to the fact the MAIN propulsion comes from the back too. With 3 points to lean on there is way less issues, and a redundancy in case one of the engines stops working. Next powered flight will be in a week. *Possibly* without a cable tether.

Less noise

So the new nozzle design on the 2 experimental engines seem to do wonder. 11 minutes 30 seconds of powered flight... stability is better due to some better piloting abilities me and my sidekick have using the remote control. Basically the jets are now spread out over 100 times the area. There is loss of lift of about 30% but it is compensated b the ultra light structure. The sensors and other gizmos we added to keep track of the data will be reused into a simulation software I built to make better estimates on the real thing. Next prototype will be 1000 lb and I will compare both sets of data to be able to scale them to 250 tons with leeway. This will make for an extremely rugged and sturdy operational prototype. Too early to set a time frame but the 1000 lb version will be built by early January. This should leave us enough time to create a universal steering software and hardware that we can transpose to the bigger version.

Getting the hang of it

The noise and heat are the two things we're fighting now. I have two helpers, John and Harris. They complain too but we're driven like never before. John (made up name) is a skilled mechanic able to create any custom piece needed using cad/cam and the machinery we have. What I described below was for the most part principles and theories. Now it's sweat, practical experimentation, damn secrecy and more sweat. Not sure if picking a god forsaken patch in the desert was a good idea but no one will hear anything if it blows up. Well no need the roar of the 2 small engines lifting the prototype are enough. Movies show the quiet roar of the engines of a spaceship. The real deal deafens at 150 decibels in an orgy of hypersonic shockwaves. We do the flying tests on the hangar for now. Earplugs in. First time we tried on the desiccated ground rocks went flying like shrapnel. Having your very own space program is fun like that so to speak. Harris (made up name) is in charge of the electronics. And me and him try to pilot the damn thing. It looks a bit like a firefly from the series with rougher edges and exposed insides. The 2 tanks. The metallic body that took 4 months to build by hand and a set of cables. It hovers but unstable. This week-end we will shoot for 10 min at 100 ft of height. No ai yet to control the critical stability but Harris added a few low level assembly routines to board in charge of the attitude control. Tired.

Simulation issues

It seems the same problems that were affecting the V-22 Osprey crept up in the prototype I am building. Namely a strange resonnance effect when the reactors are being tilted from vertical to horizontal and when the body of the ship is leveled up.

Flying tests in my desert secret location have revealed it is controllable but I am thinking of applying some kind of adaptation mechanism to let the ship learn and control by itself those forces, probably using some basic AI.

So far the tests have let me fly the small prototype I created for about 5 min. The fuel is methane and liquid oxygen powering a rocket engine and a turbofan that replicate the performance curve I expected from the versatile air scooping engine that will power the real thing.

400 lb total mass vs. 250 tons for the end game... some ways to go but moving fast.

On track...

I have been busy with many detail (and real life too :)) but the project has moved to a more operational stage.

I designed a software to pilot the thing using a controller I created and to account for 2 flexible vectors used to steer and orient the ship.

The most acute problem is in managing and generating enough LOH.

Where's the hydrogen economy where you need it? Sadly a reflection of how much idiotic hype was promoted with those showcars running on hydrogen 100 miles at a time, their operating range, and followed by a flotilla of tanker trucks to dispense them the precious fuel.

When push comes to shove you have to do EVERYTHING YOURSELF. BMW had a plan with their experimental 740i and its liquid hydrogen tank but it went nowhere.

But the design is simple, and the rest can be addressed using simple solutions and common sense complex organizations do not have the luxury to do.