Clint_K_C
Posts: 33
Joined: 8/4/2003
From: Springfield, Missouri, USA
Status: offline
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Mike,
I don't know if you remember me or not, but I was in contact with you for quite some time about a custom 1/4 scale composite demonstrator aircraft that I had contracted to build for a customer. You may remember... a full VTOL 2-place private/corporate jet with 2 turbines and a somewhat radical lift design? Perhaps the name JetCoupe will stir your memory?
I joined RCU just a couple of days ago, and a light went off in my head when I saw your name. It's good to see you're still in the R/C business.
The JetCoupe project is currently on hold, due to lack of funding. The Williams Research no longer plans to produce the FJ-22 turbines that the aircraft was supposed to use... 18" diameter axial-flow compressor turbines with 800 lbs of static thrust. The full scale prototype should have been very impressive.
We did manage to get a test platform built, in order to test our VTOL flight control surfaces, which were very radical in design. The test platform was in 1/8th scale, and operated just as designed, save for the fact that it did not have enough thrust for a true hover (we had to use an articulated arm to assist the vertical lift).
We also purchased one of the 6" Hurricane ducted fan units for testing purposes, since we intended to use 2 of them in the model. The quality of the fan was very impressive, but we haven't made it to the testing phase.
As we talked about several months ago, I was able to test several different styles/weights of fiberglass cloth, plus some 5oz Kevlar. The Kevlar was very tough, but lacked the rigidity we needed for the fuselage/wing structure. Plans are to go with a carbon fiber, and we intend to subcontract that work to a professional. Perhaps you'd be interested, if/when my customer gets the financing he needs to finish the project?
As of now, the project is at a stand-still. I crated up all of the JetCoupe model parts and shipped them to Georgia, where they sit collecting dust. Our guy at Lockheed-Martin is supposed to be giving us some more specific information about the design, such as specific airfoils, wing incidences, V-stail stabilator incidences/deflections, et cetera. Without that information, I can't continue my end of the deal... this project is so vastly unique that I simply can't handle all of that work myself.
Luckily, we were able to acquire the help of 2 former Hughes Aircraft test pilots, who originally flew the VTOL X-5A. They are quite old, but are full of very useful information.
At any rate, I just thought I'd drop you a line and let you know what has been going on. I would really like to wrap this project up, as it has been a constantly mind-numbing process. 
Good to see you, and hope you're doing well....
Clint K. Campbell
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In a perfect world, all pilots would have the same number of landings and takeoffs. But there would be no people to screw t
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Re: Re: I can help with the shared library!!! - 
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The R/C CAD Library -