Thursday, August 23, 2007

Cyclonic Rocket (circa 1930)


From the 1977 book Rocketship: An Incredible Journey Through Science Fiction and Science Fact:
Paul Maiwurm's fanciful Cyclonic Rocket depends on four rocket engines, unusual rotating tubular wings (wouldn't the whole vehicle tend to rotate?), scoop propellers and happy pilots. Obviously it's a California first.

See also:
Aerial Navigation Will Never Be Popular (1906)
Commuter Helicopter (1947)
Postcards Show the Year 2000 (circa 1900)
Disney's Magic Highway, U.S.A. (1958)
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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousAugust 23, 2007 at 3:41 PM

    The whole vehicle wouldn't rotate if the engines were counter-rotating... but the bigger problem with this and other designs that adopt water screws for air transport is a failure to understand basic issues of flow and pressure. I'm surprised this is from 1930, it seems like something that should be much older, since planes were pretty well along by this point.

    The problem with air screws is that there's nothing for the air to push against, i.e., as the screw spins, the air is more likely to be displaced outwards than pushed backwards (so as to push the plane forwards). That's why airplane propellers are really analogous to rapidly spinning little wings (pulling the plane forward) than a boat propeller (pushing agains the water). I'm not an engineer so I'm sure I'm speaking inexactly, but that's the basic picture.

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  2. RenegadeAugust 23, 2007 at 4:21 PM

    LOL, great post!

    Check out Renegade's BS

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  3. AnonymousAugust 23, 2007 at 5:14 PM

    Holy cow! it's the Moller SkyCar!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moller_Skycar_M400

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  4. UnknownAugust 23, 2007 at 5:35 PM

    My dad, who just got his piloting licnse will love your blog... Will definitely share. :-)

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  5. JeffAugust 23, 2007 at 11:36 PM

    Hey great blog and congrats it totally diserves to be a blog of note, i got to say the cyclonic rocket is a perfect example of the flawed designed that originated from the most basic understanding of aerodynamics that existed early in the 20th century, but the vision videos deomstrate our continued ability to believe in something that is both isnt logical and obviously comes with some set back (i dont about you but i dont like the idea of being harassed over the phone let alone face to face in a tele conferance). Anyway great job,

    -Augustus
    http://blackdogskis.blogspot.com/

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