Jet Arcus first soaring flight

On Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at 8:04:47 PM UTC+3, wrote:
We are completely aware that turbine power has been added to gliders as far back as 1947. Indeed, Bob Carlton has researched and assembled a fine presentation on the history of jet gliders that he has presented at several SSA Conventions, as well as at Scaled Composites and a number of aviation seminars.

Bob has been flying jet powered gliders on the airshow circuit since 2004 (www.vertigoairshows.com) and began commercial development of variations as early as 2009 (www.desertaerospace.com).

The jet Arcus project is simply the latest in a line of developments going back to the Wright brothers' efforts to add a powerplant to a glider.

As far as we know, Dennis Tito's 4,000+ km in the first three flights of this modern glider with a sophisticated turbine from PBS represents a higher level of performance than previous attempts. We fully recognize and applaud earlier applications of turbines to gliders.

Didn't he previously do probably at least a 4000 km unpowered flight in just a few minutes, ending with a BRS landing in Kazakstan?

The L/D ratio was pretty ****ty, but the release altitude was unbeatable.

On Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at 12:38:47 PM UTC-6, Bruce Hoult wrote:
On Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at 8:04:47 PM UTC+3, wrote:
We are completely aware that turbine power has been added to gliders as far back as 1947. Indeed, Bob Carlton has researched and assembled a fine presentation on the history of jet gliders that he has presented at several SSA Conventions, as well as at Scaled Composites and a number of aviation seminars.

Bob has been flying jet powered gliders on the airshow circuit since 2004 (www.vertigoairshows.com) and began commercial development of variations as early as 2009 (www.desertaerospace.com).

The jet Arcus project is simply the latest in a line of developments going back to the Wright brothers' efforts to add a powerplant to a glider.

As far as we know, Dennis Tito's 4,000+ km in the first three flights of this modern glider with a sophisticated turbine from PBS represents a higher level of performance than previous attempts. We fully recognize and applaud earlier applications of turbines to gliders.

Didn't he previously do probably at least a 4000 km unpowered flight in just a few minutes, ending with a BRS landing in Kazakstan?

The L/D ratio was pretty ****ty, but the release altitude was unbeatable.

I am very sorry, but since this alleged flight that ended in Kazakhstan was not posted on the OLC, it did not happen.......and the moon landing in 1969, well that is another story...I have heard from unnamed sources that the Apollo 11 folks simply forgot their FAI approved logger....oh well...."The truth is out there......." ;-)

Bruce-

Good one!

MSM

Originally Posted by

. . . Launching from Inyokern, CA at sunrise, Dennis and designer/copilot Bob Carlton powered up to 8,000 MSL and found the wave. . . .

Cool! Now we can have a glider be the towplane for another glider!

JJJ wrote on 10/19/2016 10:07 AM:
;930557 Wrote:
. . . Launching from Inyokern, CA at sunrise, Dennis and
designer/copilot Bob Carlton powered up to 8,000 MSL and found the wave.
. . .

Cool! Now we can have a glider be the towplane for another glider!

Shucks, my Phoenix came with a towhook! If only I know how to tow ...


--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"

https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf

At 04:43 21 October 2016, Eric Greenwell wrote:
JJJ wrote on 10/19/2016 10:07 AM:
;930557 Wrote:
. . . Launching from Inyokern, CA at sunrise, Dennis and
designer/copilot Bob Carlton powered up to 8,000 MSL and found the
wave.
. . .

Cool! Now we can have a glider be the towplane for another glider!

Shucks, my Phoenix came with a towhook! If only I know how to tow ...


--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"

https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf


I presume the jet used is bigger (more powerful) than that used in the
Ventus, and what is the fuel burn?

I will take a stab at this. This Arcus uses a 250 pound trust engine, not sure about a jet ventus but the JS-1 jet and 304 jet have about 80 pounds of trust.

Just recently heard that the jet sailplanes are not allowed in Europe due to the noise. Could be why Schempp and Schliecher had not been leading the development of jet sailplanes.



On Friday, October 21, 2016 at 6:30:05 AM UTC-7, Vernon Brown wrote:
At 04:43 21 October 2016, Eric Greenwell wrote:
JJJ wrote on 10/19/2016 10:07 AM:
;930557 Wrote:
. . . Launching from Inyokern, CA at sunrise, Dennis and
designer/copilot Bob Carlton powered up to 8,000 MSL and found the
wave.
. . .

Cool! Now we can have a glider be the towplane for another glider!

Shucks, my Phoenix came with a towhook! If only I know how to tow ...


--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"

https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Dec 2014a" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm

http://soaringsafety.org/prevention/...anes-2014A.pdf


I presume the jet used is bigger (more powerful) than that used in the
Ventus, and what is the fuel burn?

They are allowed ... but Europe is a crowded place, you just can't make that much noise overhead every airfield.

We have plenty noise abatement rules, curfews and airfields where engines are prohibited.

FES is much more sympathetic for the environment which is much more of a concern in Europe than in the US.