Silence Twister Hybrid

I've been thinking...


With the ever rising cost of AVGAS and the ever increasing power of batteries there will come a time when the humble piston engine will have had it's day.


We are some years away from that moment but in the meantime the most logical solution is a hybrid.


Because batteries take so long to charge up again this is the only practical solution for the foreseeable future - until there is a step change in battery technology.


Click on the pic below for a bigger view which outlines my 'mark 1' configuration.

Advantages of this set up are: 


Reduced running costs (Jet A-1 can be bought for less than half the price of AVGAS here in the UK - plus the battery charging cost is a tiny fraction per KW of power output). Also the Twister would only need approx 45kw continuous as a sustainer in the cruise - so fuel burn of the turbine could well drop to 20 LPH.


Potentially quiet operation in noise sensitive areas - battery use alone for climb out to cruise (5 mins) or approach to land. 


Greater fuel availability (Jet A-1 is much more widely available than AVGAS). 


No loss of performance with altitude (actually the turbine runs better the higher it goes).


Potentially more reliable. (In the early days this will not be the case but turbines and electric motors have extremely good track records of reliability so should be able to be made this way in this set-up).


Reduced drag. (With a very narrow cowling and only a small NACA inlet on the bottom plus the thrust from the turbine this has potential to be a more efficient setup than an air cooled piston engine).


Increased performance. (The electric motor produces phenomenal torque and 135hp for a 60 second peak, combine this with the thrust from the turbine and the climb rate would be MUCH better than standard - also the cruise speed would most likely be higher, or the same speed but with a much reduced fuel burn)




Disadvantages are: 


Initial cost of turbine and battery (both unknowns at the moment and the Bladon turbine is not in serial production yet). 


Potential noise issues with the turbine (if it cannot be made quiet). 


Weight (I believe the battery will push this over the traditional air cooled piston set up for weight).


Approval. (I can see the LAA and CAA taking a conservative approach here and not liking this one bit! So the UK may not be the place to take on such a challenge - the USA or NZ with their Experimental categories would be much better for catering with such innovative thinking)




Whilst the technology and affordability are not quite there yet it certainly points the way forward.


Maybe one day we will all have a wind turbine and solar panels on our hangers charging up our plane and be able to fly for little to no fuel cost.


As Howard Hughes would say (most likely repeatedly) "It's the way of the future".


Link to a video about the Bladon Jet here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUf_NFOM1L4&feature=BFp&list=WL0DCC83F4EC5EF376