|
Three additions
- Expansion outside Utopian walls -- Building and installing Alphas, Betas, or Gammas, not just within the Utopian wall, but everywhere a 40 foot ['] circle, free of obstructions, over the roof or adjacent to the area occupied by the house, is available and close to a railroad allowing for running a train allowing for landing and taking off by Gavin Hawks (autogyros), while already moving along the track at an airspeed of at least 30 mph with respect to the current wind, relative to the speed along the track. If residents are not interested in using Gavin Hawks, in combination with nearby railways trains, this qualification can be ignored. In certain areas, a) where a mini-airport [MMA], with two runways, at 90 degree angles, each 250 feet long, can be built to tend up to 20 autogyros, at the rate of 10 landings or takeoffs per day (used 18 hours/day) and b) enough available land to accommodate residences which can accommodate the number of people who want to use the airport, can be developed. Current estimates are that the average number of people/residence is four, and each residence will employ the airport, to land or takeoff on the average of once every two weeks. With 10 transits per day at 7 days /week, on average carrying four people, each, means the number of people whose needs can be met is 280. The number of residences would be 70, but bad weather can reduce the maximum number of transits and lack of need or desire to travel during inclement weather counteracts demand, thus lowering it. This leaves the number of residences supportable, the same. Overall the demand for land is 1.3 to three acres for the mini-airport. Twenty to 40 acres for residences are required. The range of 21.3 to 41.3 acres overall is necessary for Mini-Utopia-Villages
- Railcars designed to be autogyro (Gavin Hawk) carriers -- Forty foot long ['] platforms can be folded to be only 8' wide. Autogyros can be folded to be less than 7' wide, while not actually flying.Using railcars as autogyro-carriers can be used for autogyros whether they are able to takeoff and land vertically, or not. When the train is traveling at normal speeds, ie not sitting in the station, there is the same effect as aircraft carriers sailing into the wind, so their aircraft can takeoff and land into wind at a higher airspeeds, relatively, than for prevailing headwinds. Sailing into the wind, at 35 knots, adds the 35 knots to the head winds, to relative airspeed. Sometimes, when the winds are low or it is difficult to head into the wind, it is necessary to launch aircraft with steam-powered catapults. However, trains (and trucks) can, and usually do, travel much faster than any aircraft carrier can sail, and faster than the wind normally blows. This means that the airspeed of the train can be up to 200+ mph in still air and the relative airspeed at 30 mph, even if there is a following wind of 170 mph. Nobody will fly anything (and most trains will not leave the station) if winds are over 100 mph.
- So, in almost all possible conditions, the relative air speed, while matching the speed of the train running along the track, to land or takeoff, there is more than sufficient wind passing over the autogyro’s rotor blades, to rotate the rotor, supporting the autogyro, without any assistance from the autogyro’s propulsion or rotor tip mounted (probably, scram) jet engines or having to carry weights in the tips. The only things special about an autogyro-carrier railcar is a) to be able to drop the sides of the platform (over the roof) extending more than the 8'-width-limit of the car, when not needed for landing or takeoff, and b) after landing, the autogyro’s wings have to be folded so that the overall width of the autogyro is less than 7', and c) the rotor blades must be nearly aligned with the center line of the fuselage (or removed from the rotor). The autogyro can then be lowered in a hatch opening in the roof, so that it can be stored below the roof deck, to leave room on the roof deck above, for other autogyros to land or takeoff. After being stowed below the top deck, autogyros may be carried through the Euro Tunnel, or any normal tunnel, and launched, if desired, any time after leaving the tunnel, unless the train is nearly stopped. (Electric railways using overhead electric distribution lines and pantographs, instead of “third-rails” are excluded from pulling autogyro carrier rail cars, for obvious reasons.)
- Where roads are available -- With no obstacles alongside or crossing over, along several hundred feet: a similar arrangement can be used. That is: A 40'-long trailer towed behind a truck at constant 30 to 60 mph, for a minute or two, can be used by any autogyro to land or takeoff. If there is a roof, autogyros can be stowed below, leaving space for more autogyros to land or takeoff or to pass the trailer through a tunnel or under a bridge.
- Limitations on using autogyro carrier railcars -- Electric trains, as opposed to diesel trains, use distribution lines to distribute electricity along the tracks, either by: a) overhead lines collected via pantographs, or b) third rails, adjacent to, or within, the tracks. A) is likely to be a problem as the overhead lines are supported between the stations and over the tracks by closely spaced poles and “yardarms” extending to over the tracks. Near the stations, a “bridge” supports the distribution lines over the tracks. In either case, an autogyro attempting to land or takeoff is likely to collide with the distribution lines. If not, the rotor blades are likely to be removed by the poles, unless the nose has already collided with the yardarms, or the bridges, over the tracks. Third rails, 4.b), above, and tracks for diesel trains, are no problem, in an area without other obstacles adjacent to, or over, the track. Near tunnels, or stations with roof overhead, obviously, autogyros which cannot takeoff or land vertically, cannot land on or leave trains at rest, unless there is at least 100' of runway, and not within tunnels or roofed stations, at all. Otherwise, for vertical takeoff or landing on trains at rest, the autogyro's carrier railcar must extend outside the tunnel or beyond the roof of the station. For long trains, using third-rail-tracks, where the carrier railcar is at the rear end, foot passengers normally leave and embark from the front and autogyros can leave and land from the rear without interference with foot passengers.
- There are some: existing, sailing, trimarans -- Which could be modified to allow Gavin Hawks to land and takeoff, eg Amalric III. Under reasonable wind conditions, matching the speed of a trimaran with the 30mph wind , with help from a couple of light, stern-mounted Mercury, Yamaha or Suzuki outboard engines, and with an extremely light, 10' or 12', retractable platform, at the extreme prow (or stern), could be landed on by a Gavin Hawk MK1, not ordinarily capable of vertical operation. After the vertically-capable Gavin Hawks are really perfected, it would be much easier and could be managed in light, or no, wind. Round-the-world-relay-races combining Gavin Hawks (over land), refueled by Amalric III (at sea), would conquer everything other than airplanes, even airplanes, if they were penalized for CO2 emissions. Sailing trimarans, which need to pass bridges, need to have masts which can be lowered, to avoid waiting for the bridges to rise up, or turn aside, out of their path.
| |