Ground Effects in the outside world:

[Tom]

Ever heard of an Ekranoplan? This Soviet masterpeice of engineering, thought out before Chapman's Lotus 79, yet not built till later, is basically a flying boat, except it uses the exhaust from its huge 4 forward mounted jets to create a cusion of air between its short wings and the water. This was enough to lift it out of the water, though not more than a few meters, creating a boat without the drag of the water therefore allowing it to reach speeds of upto 400mph! (although Wiki states that figure in kilometres)

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

[tomislavp4]

I remember reading about new one planned for 2010 somewhere....
I can´t remember where

[miqi23]

Russian Engineering, Simply Awesome!

There was a documentry on this shown on UKTV History a few weeks ago covering most of its aspect and how secret it was while it was being developed. I think its too expensive to run or something and now it is lying in its hanger.

Correct me if I am wrong, was it being developed during the World War?

[tomislavp4]

Downside is that it can only run over a water surface not land

[manchild]

When engineers have a deadline and I mean deadline than sometimes they create wonders. Imagine being an engineer working on important government projects knowing that if you f*** up you and your family might end up in Gulag, be transfered to some neverland or even worse. No freedom of traveling from city to city, no privacy, constant surveillance by gov. secret police, constant phone tapping, no chance to travel abroad etc. Reward for good engineering usually meant job in the bigger or in one of specially built cities, better food and clothing from government supplies for privileged so it s the fear that was main motivating factor.

[pyry]

Downside is that it can only run over a water surface not land

"Once moving at speed, the ekranoplan was no longer in contact with the water, and could move over ice, snow, or level land with equal ease."
quote from wiki

[flynfrog]

The spruce goose worked on the same principal and air foil is more effecint in ground effect.

There was a special on both plane/boat things the other da on discovery channel

[Carlos]

I believe the Spruce Goose was designed as a conventional flying boat, mean't to reach conventional altitudes rather than, proceed on a cushion of air at low altitude. The initial and only flight was at low height and limited range Wings were of a conventional design; Although I think any conventional aircraft could generate a "ground effect" if flown at a low enough altitude by a brave pilot or with a high tech autopilot

The value of these Russian "ground effects" transports is their extreme capacity to very high load of frieght. With the advances in Turboprop engine fuel efficency - they will become more efficent payload per pound, the original flyingboats ranged around the world landing at ports and cities without conventional or adquate airports. With the mounting airtraffic at the worlds major airports, and high landinfg fees. This type of highbreed aeroplane/ ground effects flyingboat may become economically efficent. There are also lifting body gas fillled airships that may come on stream in the future. Actually I think there could be a return to sail ships as carbon fuels become more expensive, perhaps solar sails that utilized both wind power and acted as solar collects to power electric motor propellers for a duel source of propulsion.

[tomislavp4]

pyry
it can move over land only for short distances with max throttle. Only water has area to suport it´s ground effect completly.

[Tom]

I think it was on the history channel that I first found out about it. Manchild, you probably have a wealth of knowledge stored about this thing that the rest of us have no idea about, but from what I heard the plane was not built under any real pressure, I believe it was an ongoing project over several years.

miqi23: I think it was built during the cold war, I can't find any specific dates but later models were designed in the 70s and not finished till the mid 80s, also it was discovered by an American satelite and 1,I don't think there were satelites during the world wars. 2, I don't think America were all that interested in Russia during the world wars.

Apparently most of the original prototypes are still airworthy or at least still in one peice.

[Scuderia_Russ]

Russian Engineering, Simply Awesome!

And it's not very often you get to hear that!

[flynfrog]

I believe the Spruce Goose was designed as a conventional flying boat, mean't to reach conventional altitudes rather than, proceed on a cushion of air at low altitude. The initial and only flight was at low height and limited range Wings were of a conventional design; Although I think any conventional aircraft could generate a "ground effect" if flown at a low enough altitude by a brave pilot or with a high tech autopilot

The value of these Russian "ground effects" transports is their extreme capacity to very high load of frieght. With the advances in Turboprop engine fuel efficency - they will become more efficent payload per pound, the original flyingboats ranged around the world landing at ports and cities without conventional or adquate airports. With the mounting airtraffic at the worlds major airports, and high landinfg fees. This type of highbreed aeroplane/ ground effects flyingboat may become economically efficent. There are also lifting body gas fillled airships that may come on stream in the future. Actually I think there could be a return to sail ships as carbon fuels become more expensive, perhaps solar sails that utilized both wind power and acted as solar collects to power electric motor propellers for a duel source of propulsion.

from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_H-4_Hercules

Though he encountered skepticism and even hostility from the committee, Hughes remained unruffled. During a break in the hearings, he returned to California, ostensibly to run taxi tests on the H-4. On November 2, 1947, with Howard Hughes at the controls, the Hercules lifted off from the waters off Long Beach, remaining airborne 70 feet (20 m) off the water at a speed of 80 mph (130 km/h) for just under a mile (1.6 km). At this altitude the plane was still experiencing ground effect and some critics believe it lacked the power necessary to truly fly.

[RH1300S]

Ground effect was known about long before the Lotus 79

Previously it was the situation when an aircraft flew very close to the ground (still is ) and rode a cushion of air. Nothing to do with sucking the vehicle down. Purely the relationship of a body moving through the air and interacting with the ground. What we understand as ground effect is exactly the same thing (body moving through the air/close to the ground) - but putting the energy to a different purpose.

A little story that lives with me. When I was a lad at school one of my class-mates (name of Brian Keylock) did a sketch of something his Dad/Uncle (I forget) was working on (or had seen) at Lotus. It was a car with a strange concave dip in it's underside. BK claimed it made the car go round corners faster, I still remember him talking about a vacuum. We all thought he was nuts and giving some BS out. This must have been 1973/1974 (no later than 1975). I will never forget this and would love to know what exactly he knew and what the project was.

The sketch he did was nothing like the Ground Effect car as we know it; but frankly what else would a teenage boy be able to draw about something he had probably only glimpsed.

It haunts me because I have no doubt now - I was given a preview of a staggering future and had no idea of it's relevance.