>Focusing and streamlining my concepts into 5 steps or tiers

>I have apparently so many ideas that they can not be incorporated in one aircraft. Therefore I have concluded that there needs to be several steps or tiers with a slightly different themes.

So these are now:
Tier 1: Conventional simplicity: Low drag low power low cost twin. Small wing but high aspect ratio. Compromise: Medium power to weight ratio required. Concept usable for personal aviation.
Potential outcomes: RC-models, UAVs, Private aircraft.
Budget: Shoe-string

Tier 2: Flying wing: Suitable for diesel power, series hybrid and other non-optimal power/weight ratio powerplants. Large wing. Compromise: Poor power to weight ratio is ok.
Potential outcome: Plane with long range and diesel economy. UAV applications possible.
Budget: Shoe-string, external funding possibly needed for the large craft

Tier 3: Ladder: Large aspect ratio, climb machine. Compromise: High power to weight ratio beneficial, has impact in fuel consumption. Interference drag from multi-fuselage configuration.
Budget: External funding required. Implementation requires substantial investments in infrastructure and machinery.

Tier 4: Scissor wing delta: Aircraft that are optimized for speed and altitude.
Budget: Requires substantial investments.

Tier 5: Will happen only if tier 1-4 succeed. Idea not announced. Not all of these will be guaranteed to produce real flying aircraft, these are just categorization for a family of concepts.

60000 feet with Rotax 912, 80 hp

Here is an article which includes some text about Burt Rutan’s Raptor UAV.
www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1993/1993%20-%202623.html

Just accidentally when searching about Raptor UAV (this is off-topic to this posting, but anyhow contains interesting information including patent numbers), I found this: Burt Rutan’s CV. Needless to say “Burt Rutan is my hero”, but here is the CV of Mr. Rutan:

http://www.roycecarlton.com/speaker/Burt-Rutan-Curriculum-Vitae/

>60000 feet with Rotax 912, 80 hp

>Here is an article which includes some text about Burt Rutan’s Raptor UAV.
www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1993/1993%20-%202623.html

Just accidentally when searching about Raptor UAV (this is off-topic to this posting, but anyhow contains interesting information including patent numbers), I found this: Burt Rutan’s CV. Needless to say “Burt Rutan is my hero”, but here is the CV of Mr. Rutan:

http://www.roycecarlton.com/speaker/Burt-Rutan-Curriculum-Vitae/

Links

Aerospaceweb’s Atmosphere calculator
MicroMAPS Team Spring 2005 Final Report AOE 4065
Predator fact sheet
NASA tech paper TM-1998-206636 – Propulsion System for Very High Altitude Subsonic Unmanned Aircraft
CReSIS UAV Critical Design Review: The Meridian
Wikipedia: Altus UAV
History of HALE aircraft

>Links

>Aerospaceweb’s Atmosphere calculator
MicroMAPS Team Spring 2005 Final Report AOE 4065
Predator fact sheet
NASA tech paper TM-1998-206636 – Propulsion System for Very High Altitude Subsonic Unmanned Aircraft
CReSIS UAV Critical Design Review: The Meridian
Wikipedia: Altus UAV
History of HALE aircraft

Scaled Raptor UAV Rotax 912 modification

I found an article about high altitude UAVs, and the Rotax 912 modification for Raptor UAV is mentioned here:
http://www.cre8tivenergy.com/uav.htm
(Quite interesting two stage turbo installation)

>Scaled Raptor UAV Rotax 912 modification

>I found an article about high altitude UAVs, and the Rotax 912 modification for Raptor UAV is mentioned here:
http://www.cre8tivenergy.com/uav.htm
(Quite interesting two stage turbo installation)

Solar plane makes record flight

A solar UAV utilizing Lithium-Sulphur batteries and amorphous silicon solar arrays has made a record flight. Read the BBC NEWS story: BBC: Solar plane makes record flight

>Solar plane makes record flight

>A solar UAV utilizing Lithium-Sulphur batteries and amorphous silicon solar arrays has made a record flight. Read the BBC NEWS story: BBC: Solar plane makes record flight