AMPHIBIOUS CAR

Playful and fun, the amphibious car has the advantage of being able to travel from road to water and to reach the desired destination without having to spend time and money working out the logistics of getting there. Moreover, its streamlined driving wheels and its hydrojet propulsion system allows it to quickly deal with unforeseen circumstances (floods). A floating bull specially adapted for rapid de-gauging is motorized by the same engine as that carrying the wheels. The propulsion by hydrojet presents no roughness or sharp elements which could injure a pedestrian or a swimmer. The control of aerodynamic lift and support is passed on to an aerofoil with sizeable variable incidence.

This facilitates the de-gauging and road holding. The front boot can carry suitcases or picnics in the event that you wish to stop for a little break on an island. This amphibious car is entirely in compounds and is unsinkable: once again reliability and safety are maximised. The top speed depends on the motorization, but we recommend at least 200 horsepower for excellent performance and an out of the ordinary driving and navigation pleasure.


FLYING CAR

We willingly subject ourselves to the sensible criticisms of our readers as we contemplate elaborating a 'flying car' project. This is a real stylistic composition that we are embarking on here:

We must, first of ail, make a choice about our objectives according to the technical and commercial realities.

Requirements:

  • - a 4-seater vehicle with luggage (77 kg x 4 + at least 40 kg)

  • - dimensions suitable for the American road network. In fact, the European market for this type of versatile vehicle is practically non-existant

  • - it mustn't be wider than a Hummer, nor longer than an American Limousine, ie. 2,197 meters wide and 6 meters long at most,

  • - high performance at a price in tune with the expectations of potential clients.

But also:

For reasons of reliability, simplicity and cost, the motorization must not only have been approved by the American Administration, but must also prove its qualities besides that of its multiplicity of function. The fuel must be economical, easily managed and should not necessitate extreme precaution in its use, as does fuel for certain rockets.

  • - The use of propellers or blades, even if they are retractable, does not meet safety criteria for road use as the slightest roughness would need to be avoided. Also, the propulsion system would be too complex and would increase the likelihood of breakdown. The reliability of the system would have to be maximised from the start.

  • - The minimum range must allow a journey from the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States against a head wind with 45 minutes worth of fuel left as a safety measure.

  • - The productivity of the propulsion and the fittings must be significant enough to avoid penalising the range or the price per hour flying or driving.

  • -The road holding must be at least equivalent to that of the average American vehicle, which leaves a lot of room for manoeuvre.

Our project, which we will call 'Flying Car', could take the form of a twin-engined jet, (a real twin-engined plane, which is capable of flying level on an engine) to allow optimum integration of a lifting body airframe. Without VTOL or ADAV capacity, it would maximise the energy giving productivity by its high but subsonic flight speed possible because of its jet engines. This would make it possible to attain high performance levels at a better price. The choice of a swing wing arrowed aerofoil could be easily integrated into the chassis of the vehicle and appear to be perfectly compatible with the speeds and the engines. The 'Flying Car' would be very safe because it would use two engines and not many complex electrically-controlled systems.

Simplicity is synonymous with reliability, but also with safety. The 'maximum security' objective has motivated the choice of largely tested configurations and therefore the driver and passengers will not have to put up with initial problems. As regards the wheel-axle unit, it would not be tricycle but would be four wheels placed on four corners of a diamond. This particularity would allow, with a few modifications, its aeronautical use in order to permit the large angles of incidence at takeoff that a delta wing imposes. This wing makes a horizontal stabilizer unnecessary, which would have increased size, mass, cost, etc,. . The depth function would be attributed to the lifts (ailerons which play the role of depth by mixing the controls as on the Mirage 2000). Thus, the realization of the 'Flying Car' could take the form of the designs opposite.

It is obvious that the design of a successful automobile, whether a flying car or not, requires exceptional human and material resources if one wants sales to take off The acceleration in innovative techniques and their application in the field of the automobile sets a rhythm that we must keep up with so as not to be surpassed by the competition. Our present knowledge and the technical means available allow those who have chosen to lead this acceleration to combine the artistic and the functional in a coherent fashion in an innovative automobile design.

Copyright ©Omer Brans - february 1999 - © Brans studio - july 2001