More pictures of the MK4 can be found here. The MK5 left is pretty much identical to the MK4 in overall form but has quite a different construction method hence slightly different shape and improves upon stability in many respects. MK6 is a build to the WhizzyWig XGE plans but has been modified to try out some experimental features, notably 'through-wing-flaps' which were intended to help turn the craft at high speed.
This works to some extent, but not as well as I anticipated. More pictures of the MK6 can be found here. My next experiment was with a ' Bixel double-wing ' configuration. The originator of this configuration, Mr Chuck Bixel, had been in touch with me about his design many years earlier but his work was not being taken seriously by others in the WIG community.
I had wanted to experiment with this for some time but other commitments got in the way. Eventually my ' Bixel Gem ' was designed with the aim of exploring the basic 'double-wing' configuration and a range of scope of other lift off aids such as retractable air cushions and hydrofoils. In its original guise left it featured an ACV type air cushion under the main hull with a retractable bow skirt. This cushion was fed from a duct in the engine pylon that supported two electric motors mounted back-to-back so that their propellers contra-rotated; the layout being inspired a mix of Bixel and Fischer HoverWing.
It was my first proper attempt at a skirted model and held a lot of promise. Unfortunately insufficient cushion strength a whole raft of other issues prevented it from doing anything spectacular on water.
The model was then continuously and extensively modified, with weeks of deep thought going into each step, only to be disproved after moments on water. More pictures of the Bixel GEM can be found here. One day I might try this configuration again with a whole new model. MK7 is a return to the WhizzyWig XGE, but built an entirely new, experimental construction method, and the intention to upgrade to latest electric propulsion technology of brushless motors.
This technique is often used for model aircraft, but I have never heard of it being used for a boat. MK7 is slightly longer than WhizzyWig and has the canard wing fitted under the bow instead of through it.
XGE trials of MK7 are underway but have already lead to the cutting out and re-setting of the main wing incidence as somehow I managed to goof on the alignment of main wind and sponsons. Subsequent trials show great promise and the model is currently awaiting new trials with her new brushless motor setup. You have to admit, she does look pretty! More pictures of the MK7 can be found here.
All above images of my models copyright of Graham Taylor. I am often asked where further information on the technical design of WIG craft can be found. The following contain interesting discussion on the technology:.
This group is a mix of amateurs, professionals and learned people that discuss and keep abreast of development in Wing in Ground Effect technology around the world. Outside of its stated humanitarian and support missions, the "Rescuer" is a fast ski-skimming target around mph that is impervious to submarine torpedoes or mine warfare.
In essence, this is an access weapon as much as anything else. Ekranoplan: It seems a distant memory now, but once upon a time the West and the Soviet Union were Allies in World War II, only to become fierce enemies shortly thereafter in what is known as the Cold War. Beginning in , this period of military antagonism persisted until the early s, not long after the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union came apart, becoming again what today we simply call Russia. But during those anxious years, the Soviet Union was determined to beat its western competitors in any way it could — including inventions of military equipment that outshone American ones.
A case in point is the Ekranoplan, a kind of half boat, half plane curiosity that the Soviets built several of, although only one was meant for conflict. And in a rather apt ending for this odd invention, it now sits stranded on a beach in the Caspian Sea, apparently abandoned by those who once thought it a brilliant combination of aviation and marine technology. By flying over the water surface, ekranoplans avoid the danger of naval mines. Still, there are some serious disadvantages as well.
Their low-level maneuverability, light armor and lack of anti-air systems make them vulnerable to fighters. Ninety-two meters long and with a wingspan of It carried up to service personnel or two infantry fighting vehicles. The Orlyonok could take off and land even in a category 5 storm.
The Lun -class ekranoplan, which appeared in , caused many concerns among the US military. As powerful as a missile cruiser, but five times faster, a Lun armed with P Moskit anti-ship cruise missiles could pose a danger to any carrier strike group.
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