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Aviation History
1982
1982 - 0220.PDF
'^-i*^ Around the world without refuelling TWO teams at Mojave, California, are preparing to attack the ultimate dis tance record—a non-stop, unrefuelled flight around the world—and one of two prototypes should fly next month. The necessary range would be nearly twice the existing absolute record, set in 1961 by a B-52H Stratofortress, but the bigger of the two contenders will weigh around one fiftieth as much as the USAF bomber. One team has a lead of more than six months over the other, but its rival asserts that the leading group's present air craft is inadequate to make the flight. Weather and technical factors could make the contest a great deal closer before 1982 is out. The contest pits Tom Jewett and Gene Sheehan of Quickie Aircraft against the formidable combination of the Rutan brothers; Burt Rutan has designed and is building a global air craft for brother Dick's Voyager Air craft Corporation, formed by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager specifically to attempt the flight. (Dick Rutan holds class distance records in Burt's Long-Eze.) The two teams are taking very dif ferent approaches to the problem. Quickie aims to go high and fast, ex ploiting the jet stream, with Jewett as solo pilot and a single engine. Voyager's aircraft is a giant flying trimaran with two engines and two seats, and is expected to stay aloft for more than twice its rival's maxi mum endurance. Quickie is well ahead of the Voy ager team. Its Big Bird global aircraft could fly at the beginning of Febru ary, and later in that month or early in March will make a critical endur ance test to determine its maximum range. Pilot and Quickie president Jewett is hoping to attempt the record flight in early April, in time to take advantage of the stronger jet- The world's absolute, distance record stands at 12,532-3 miles, set by a Boeing B-52H Strato fortress in January 1962. The world record for distance in a closed circuit—more difficult, since it is impossible to take full advantage of favour able winds—is 11,337 miles, set by another B-52H in June 1962. The first non-stop flight around the world was made by a Boeing B-50A Super fortress, Ducky Lady II. in February 1949, as part of the programme leading to the adoption of in flight refuelling by the USAF. The B-52H holds the world speed record for a refuelled circum navigation. streams of the spring. But if the night cannot be accomplished by the early part of May, it will probably have to wait for the renewed stronger winds of autumn. Big Bird is an updated version of the concept used by Jim Bede's BD-2 Love One, also designed far a global flight: both aircraft use modified sail plane wings and jettisonable landing gear, but Big Bird is rather smaller and less powerful than the BD-2. (As outlined below, the BD-2 has been re furbished and used for a new distance record, but is not in the global race.) Quickie's aircraft is based on the bonded-aluminium wings of a Laister Nugget sailplane, modified with tip and integral fuel tanks and mated to a new glassfibre/foam fuselage and T-tail. Powerplant is a 130 h.p., four- cylinder Polish-built Pezetel-Franklin engine, chosen because its fuel economy is ten per cent better than any comparable US engine. Fuel search The wing and fuselage tanks hold 360 US gal of fuel. Quickie is now talking to a number of petroleum companies, seeking not only sponsor ship for the flight but also a fuel of higher density (or higher energy per unit capacity) than standard avgas. Jewett expects that this will give him enough endurance to make the flight in still air. Big Bird is designed to cruise at 175kt at 24,000ft, and Jewett is cal culating on a 50kt average tailwind. His intended route crosses the Medi terranean and rides the Jetstream south-eastwards over Saudi Arabia before cutting north-east to pick up the trans-Pacific Jetstream over China. To accomplish the 22,800-mile flight regarded as a circumnavigation by the FAI, Jewett needs 80-90hr of still- air endurance. The design has poten tial for modification to carry 550 US gal of fuel if necessary, but this will be avoided if possible because it would delay the flight until autumn and erode Quickie's lead over Rutan and Yeager. Jewett will be on oxygen through out the flight; Big Bird is equipped Private Official organ of tha Royal Aero-Club with a cryogenic LOX system rather than gaseous oxygen. He expects to get about ten hours' sleep, his safety assured by a specially developed S-Tec AFCS with a three-axis alarm system to warn of excursions from track. A lightweight Litton Omega/VLF navigation system and lightweight weather warning equipment are being installed. Jewett will carry 10 US gal of drinking water and will be placed on a low-residue diet similar to that used by astronauts. The take-off and return airport for the flight has not been selected (under FAI rules the aircraft has to return to its original departure point), but the south-western USA is favoured because it is most con venient for the Jetstream. US Air Force facilities may be ruled out be cause a Shuttle flight is scheduled at the time planned for the record attempt, and sponsorship may have some influence on the final choice. With 130 h.p. pulling some 5,0001b of gross weight, a long runway will be vital; the climb to cruising height will take almost two hours. Landing will be made on a teak/Kevlar skid faired into the belly. Dick Rutan's Voyager, in complete contrast to Big Bird, is designed to dispense with the Jetstream, flying at 15,000ft on a leisurely ten-day amble around the equator. Such a colossal unrefuelled endurance (more than three times anything previously achieved) calls for an unprece- dentedly high fraction of the weight to be available for fuel, as well as extreme aerodynamic efficiency. 214 FLIGHT International, 30 January 1982
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