flying racing cars

[IsaacAsimov]

Here's how to make racing cars fly:

Put raised spoilers on the front and back of racing cars to create lift. The more speed the racing car has, the more lift it will have, and racing cars can go really fast.

When the car starts flying, turn on jet propulsion on the back. The spoilers will continue to create lift, and the car will fly. There, you have it!

Sincerely,

Marlon Schmitt
 

[Phi for All]

Sort of a one-off flight, right, with no way to turn or land? The spoilers on a dragster are angled to avoid just such an emergency. It's ugly when the wheels that steer come off the ground going that fast.

[IsaacAsimov]

I didn't think about turning or landing. How about having two wings underneath the car that spread out just before the jet propulsion goes into effect?

[Ghideon]

24 minutes ago, IsaacAsimov said:

How about having two wings underneath the car that spread out just before the jet propulsion goes into effect?

How large do you propose the wings to be? 
I guess that wings of suitable size will make the vehicle more of an airplane and not a car. 

[IsaacAsimov]

There would be a giant fan running from the front to the back of the racing car that would fold out like a hand fan in both directions (left and right) at the same time.

It would probably look similar to the flying car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I know it sounds crazy, but it just might work!

Since a racing car usually only holds 1 person (the driver), the car could probably lift the weight of that person into the air easily.

[Phi for All]

11 minutes ago, IsaacAsimov said:

There would be a giant fan running from the front to the back of the racing car that would fold out like a hand fan in both directions (left and right) at the same time.

Make sure those wings can stand the stress you'll place on them when you inevitably decide your flying race car should be submersible as well.

[Ghideon]

23 minutes ago, IsaacAsimov said:

There would be a giant fan running from the front to the back of the racing car that would fold out like a hand fan in both directions (left and right) at the same time.

Then the car will be really long and not very useful for racing?

 

25 minutes ago, IsaacAsimov said:

It would probably look similar to the flying car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Probably not. 

23 minutes ago, IsaacAsimov said:

I know it sounds crazy, but it just might work!

It sounds very impractical. What is the purpose of the vehicle?

[Halc]

2 hours ago, IsaacAsimov said:

Put raised spoilers on the front and back of racing cars to create lift. The more speed the racing car has, the more lift it will have, and racing cars can go really fast.

I hope you realize that spoilers on race cars do not create lift, but rather the opposite, preventing the car from flying.  Lift would slow the cars.

[IsaacAsimov]

37 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

Make sure those wings can stand the stress you'll place on them when you inevitably decide your flying race car should be submersible as well.

No, the car doesn't have to be submersible. However, this is one of the best ideas I've ever created. I think it could actually work.

29 minutes ago, Ghideon said:

Then the car will be really long and not very useful for racing?

 

Probably not. 

It sounds very impractical. What is the purpose of the vehicle?

The purpose of the vehicle would be to transport people from place to place 1 at a time. It would be a modified racing car designed to fly. However, there might be a problem with the fan. The middle of the fan would touch the jet engine, so the central jet engine wouldn't fit. Instead, there would be 2 jet engines, 1 on each side of the back of the car, stabilizing it. If 1 of the engines failed, a parachute near the back of the vehicle would open, and the car would drift to the ground.

11 minutes ago, Halc said:

I hope you realize that spoilers on race cars do not create lift, but rather the opposite, preventing the car from flying.  Lift would slow the cars.

Sorry, I didn't mean spoilers. I meant short wings in place of the spoilers. The wings would create lift on the front and back of the car.

[Phi for All]

14 minutes ago, IsaacAsimov said:

No, the car doesn't have to be submersible. However, this is one of the best ideas I've ever created. I think it could actually work.

The purpose of the vehicle would be to transport people from place to place 1 at a time.

Transporting a single person using a jet engine, at a time when jet travel is being singled out as a component of global warming? Pick a different purpose. 

[IsaacAsimov]

3 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

Transporting a single person using a jet engine, at a time when jet travel is being singled out as a component of global warming? Pick a different purpose. 

Okay, maybe we shouldn't use jet engines. How about 2 electric powered rotating turbofans mounted on the left and right side of the back of the car? If 1 of the turbofans failed, a parachute near the back of the car would open and the car would float to the ground.

You may ask: Don't racing cars cost millions of dollars? That's true because they have a lot of safety features. The cars could be mass-produced on assembly lines, driving down the price.
In addition, we could put advertising all over the cars, just like the real racing cars, which would also reduce the price. Of course, the cars would be really safe to drive or fly.

Hello, fellow scientists. Thank you for replying to my post on flying racing cars. I think it is a feasible idea. Do you have any more questions about it?

[Ghideon]

 

7 hours ago, IsaacAsimov said:

I think it is a feasible idea. Do you have any more questions about it?

For each question you have introduced large changes, for instance from one jet engine to two jet engines to two turbo fans. The central idea seems just to be "flying race car" so let's try some more overview questions instead. Flying cars, or maybe more suitable "roadable aircraft" have been attempted since at least 1917* but there are not many working models as far as I know. A flying car is a pretty simple idea but making it happen seems really hard. Question:

What are the main differences between your idea and earlier attempts? 
 

*) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_Autoplane

[Sensei]

13 hours ago, IsaacAsimov said:

Here's how to make racing cars fly...

...make a computer game and put VR helmets on players' heads...

Disable players' memory so they don't know they're in a simulation and simulate their entire lives in Career Mode.

Load them onto a spaceship flying to other planets in space.

The creator, administrators and moderators will properly punish misbehaving players, spoiling the careers of other players.

ps. Think big Asimov, think big!

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by Sensei

[Eise]

You mean something like this, but then bigger?

 

[John Cuthber]

14 hours ago, IsaacAsimov said:

Sorry, I didn't mean spoilers. I meant short wings in place of the spoilers. The wings would create lift on the front and back of the car.

YOu have missed the point.

The reason for the  aerofoils (whatever you call them) on the backs of race cars is to push the cars DOWN.

That way you get more grip  and can take the corners much faster and win the race.

[dimreepr]

52 minutes ago, John Cuthber said:

YOu have missed the point.

He just wanted to see a race on the ceiling, I'd watch that...

[iNow]

6 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

He just wanted to see a race on the ceiling, I'd watch that...

If a track could be built to allow this, Formula 1 cars generate so much down force that they could, in fact, drive upside down once at speed

[dimreepr]

1 minute ago, iNow said:

If a track could be built to allow this, Formula 1 cars generate so much down force that they could, in fact, drive upside down once at speed

I've been a fan of F1 for thirty plus years, and I've always wanted to see a race where this is demonstrated at least once a lap...

[IsaacAsimov]

2 hours ago, Eise said:

You mean something like this, but then bigger?

 

That was hilarious! I've never seen a flying lawnmower before. Yes, it would be something like that, only it would be a full-size racing car. Cheers!!!

7 hours ago, Ghideon said:

 

For each question you have introduced large changes, for instance from one jet engine to two jet engines to two turbo fans. The central idea seems just to be "flying race car" so let's try some more overview questions instead. Flying cars, or maybe more suitable "roadable aircraft" have been attempted since at least 1917* but there are not many working models as far as I know. A flying car is a pretty simple idea but making it happen seems really hard. Question:

What are the main differences between your idea and earlier attempts? 
 

*) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_Autoplane

With racing cars, you can get up to aircraft speed before taking off, making it easier to get airborne. Turbo fans can rotate very fast, so they also make it easier to take off, and they don't use as much fuel as jet engines, so they wouldn't harm the environment as much.

[Ghideon]

49 minutes ago, IsaacAsimov said:

With racing cars, you can get up to aircraft speed before taking off, making it easier to get airborne. Turbo fans can rotate very fast, so they also make it easier to take off, and they don't use as much fuel as jet engines, so they wouldn't harm the environment as much.

Ok. 

High speed takeoff: Noting new, just more impractical. You need to have a straight road, free of traffic, and suitable safety measures in place to be able to take off. That implies an airstrip rather than a public road. And the same is needed when landing. 

Turbo fans: Nothing new; google for car flying turbo fan to find loads of designs. None of them are generally available as far as I know. But if any of those existing designs would successfully be delivered to the market many of them seems more practical than your suggestion. Vertical takeoff and landing for instance. Having a car that can fly away from any location that a helicopter can reach (and legally use) seems more appealing than having to drive on the ground to an airport.

 

 

[Sensei]

1 hour ago, IsaacAsimov said:

I've never seen a flying lawnmower before. Yes, it would be something like that, only it would be a full-size racing car. Cheers!!!

But it is fake! It just looks like lawnmower but it is just paper/plastic shape. These days anyone can print such on 3D printer. Entire surface is just one big wing. You can see it on this closeup video:

Everything is done to make it as lightweight as possible. e.g. replace Aluminium (2.7 g/cm^3) by Magnesium alloys (1.7-1.8 g/cm^3).

https://www.google.com/search?q=magnesium+alloy+aircraft

 

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by Sensei

[IsaacAsimov]

If they could get a real lawnmower to fly, that would be something. It would already have a motor, a propeller on the bottom, and a gas tank.

Racing cars aren't that heavy, either, so they can gain more speed. It's just a matter of building one that will fly, sort of like the fake lawn mower.
 

2 hours ago, Ghideon said:

Ok. 

High speed takeoff: Noting new, just more impractical. You need to have a straight road, free of traffic, and suitable safety measures in place to be able to take off. That implies an airstrip rather than a public road. And the same is needed when landing. 

Turbo fans: Nothing new; google for car flying turbo fan to find loads of designs. None of them are generally available as far as I know. But if any of those existing designs would successfully be delivered to the market many of them seems more practical than your suggestion. Vertical takeoff and landing for instance. Having a car that can fly away from any location that a helicopter can reach (and legally use) seems more appealing than having to drive on the ground to an airport.

 

 

Yes, but racing cars have superb acceleration, so the takeoff and landing strip (you would take off and land in the same direction) could be really short. I agree that vertical takeoff and landing would be better, but so far nobody has been able to do it. You take what you can get. Of course, if you could simplify the controls on a helicopter so that you only need 1 joystick with a fire button and a keyboard to pilot it, then helicopters would be safer and more practical.

[studiot]

23 hours ago, IsaacAsimov said:

Here's how to make racing cars fly:

Put raised spoilers on the front and back of racing cars to create lift. The more speed the racing car has, the more lift it will have, and racing cars can go really fast.

When the car starts flying, turn on jet propulsion on the back. The spoilers will continue to create lift, and the car will fly. There, you have it!

Sincerely,

Marlon Schmitt
 

 

Has anyone read Matthew Reilley hovercar racer series ?

This Australian author really packs in the action in all his works.

[Ghideon]

49 minutes ago, studiot said:

Has anyone read Matthew Reilley hovercar racer series ?

No, at east not yet.

Side note: The opening post reminds me of an old documentary* "The Devil at Your Heels". A driver uses a rocket powered Lincoln, with tiny wings/spoilers, to attempt a 1 mile jump. Phi's comment "Sort of a one-off flight, right, with no way to turn or land?" could be a good description of that video. 

 

3 hours ago, IsaacAsimov said:

Yes, but racing cars have superb acceleration, so the takeoff and landing strip (you would take off and land in the same direction) could be really short. I agree that vertical takeoff and landing would be better, but so far nobody has been able to do it. You take what you can get. Of course, if you could simplify the controls on a helicopter so that you only need 1 joystick with a fire button and a keyboard to pilot it, then helicopters would be safer and more practical.

Yes there are race cars with superb acceleration. And there are extremely few flying cars. As far as I can tell the idea is the same or similar to lots of existing ideas of combining a car and an aircraft. As an engineer I'm always sceptical when someone:
- takes an old** idea that so far have not really come true 
- neglecting (intentionally or unintentionally) how existing iterations of the idea have failed or are delivering poor results. 
- adds practically noting new to the idea (scientific or engineering)
- thinks the idea suddenly is plausible.

Let's say I am an investor having the resources to build the proposed flying car. What makes your idea stand out? Why should I invest in your idea instead of a more practical or useful one? What are the major engineering achievements you have done that will make this idea works when others have failed? 

 

Also note that you of course can take old ideas and create something successful. But you have to add, or have, something new and/or different than those that already tried without success. 

 

*) Or mockumentary, I do not really know. 

**) 100+ years 

[John Cuthber]

7 hours ago, dimreepr said:

I've been a fan of F1 for thirty plus years, and I've always wanted to see a race where this is demonstrated at least once a lap...

I am intrigued by the idea that it doesn't show the effect on every lap (or none- but that's easy).

1 hour ago, studiot said:

Has anyone read Matthew Reilley hovercar racer series ?

No. But I have tried racing hovercraft. Great fun and I did quite well. I cam second of a bunch of about 10 of us.
The interesting thing is I don't drive- never learned. And I'm not normally in any way a "sport" type- I don't even bother with computer games.
 

It turned out to be an advantage.
Other racers were expecting the hovercraft to "drive" like a car. It doesn't so they were flying off at every corner.

I didn't have the "expectations" that the divers did, so I was able to cope with the fact that whereas , in a car, if you turn the steering, the vehicle considers it to be an instruction.
In a hovercraft, at best , turning the steering wheel is a "suggestion" which the vehicle might follow eventually.

If you want to steer, you lean hard towards the corner of the vehicle so it digs into the ground a bit. Art that point, the steering wheel is really useful- you can hold on to it for dear life.

I had the advantage that I didn't have to "un -learn" how to drive a car.

Without the benefit of a spoiler supplying a downforce equal to more than the weight of the racing car, I suspect the effect would be rather like  trying to drive a hovercraft.

Great fun, as long as you don't reach a speed where being tipped onto the grass will do any harm.