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Ion-Propelled Aircraft -
August 1964
Major de Seversky's Ion-propelled
Aircraft - 07/07/01
Originally posted on KeelyNet BBS
on 12/13/94 courtesy of James Hartman
An ion - generated wind will lift and propel
this incredible magic carpet of the future - By Hans Fantel
IT WAS DOWNRIGHT SPOOKY. Without a sound, the peculiar, spiky
contraption rose straight up, hovered awhile, climbed higher. Then it
did a few graceful
turns, stopped again, and just sat there silently in midair.
It seemed like levitation - some trick to overcome gravity. I could
not shake off the feeling that I was attending a kind of spiritual
seance, or maybe a Buck
Rogers show, instead of an engineering demonstration. The eerie
scene took place in the big barn like laboratory of Electron-Atom Inc.,
research firm in Long
Island City, New York, devoted to the development of a new kind of
flying machine. I had been invited to watch a scale model being put
through its paces by
remote control. What we saw was by far the oddest aircraft since
the Wright Brothers' motorized kite.
It had no prop. No jet. No wings. In fact, it had no moving parts
at all looking somewhat like an old-fashioned bedspring, the rectangular
rig is the nearest
thing to a magic carpet. It needs no runway, takes off vertically
and is expected to climb as high as 60 miles. It can crawl through the
air like a snail, or go
faster than a jet. Nobody yet knows the speed limit.
After a while, I closed my mouth. But David Yorysh, one of the
project engineers, noticed my puzzlement.
"Any questions?" he grinned.
"Yes. What holds it up?"
"Ions," said Yorysh, as he launched into an explanation of a
wholly new flight concept.
The magic carpet, called the Ionocraft, flies on pure electricity.
It depends specifically on the fundamental principle of electricity that
electric current always
flows from negative to positive, and it uses two basic pieces of
equipment to take advantage of this principle - tall metal spikes that
are installed above an open
wire-mesh grid.
High negative voltage is shot from the spikes toward the positively
charged wire grid, just like negative and positive poles on an ordinary
battery. As the
negative charge leaves the spike arms, it peppers the surrounding
air like buckshot, putting a negative charge on some of the air
particles. Such negatively
charged air particles are called ions, and these are attracted
downward by the positively charged grid.
"Okay," I said. "But I still don't see what holds it up." "I'm
getting to that," Yorysh assured me as he spelled out the rest of the
Ionocraft principle. In their
mad rush from the ion emitter to the main grid, the ions bump into
neutral air molecules-air particles without electric charge.
The terrific wallop in these collisions hurls a mass of neutral air
down-ward along with ions. When they reach that air grid, the ions being
negative are trapped
by positive charge on the grid. but the grid has no attraction for
the neutral air particles that got bumped along. So the air flows right
through the open grid
mesh, making a downdraft beneath the Ionocraft. The contraption
rides on this shaft of air, getting lift just like a helicopter - by
sucking air down from the
top.
"Aerodynamically, it works just like a chopper," Yorysh summed it
up. "But instead of using a rotor and blades, we create the downward air
flow electrically
by means of ionic discharge. the ions act on the air like a man
treading water. They just push down."
The engineers working on Ionocraft are the first to admit that
their present rig is still a long way from any kind of practical
aircraft. the model we saw
measures only 1296 square inches and consists of about $5 worth of
balsa wood and aluminum wire. But the principle holds an important
promise for the future
of aviation.
The problem now is improving efficiency - getting enough lift from
a given grid area and a given amount of energy, Present models cannot
yet lift their own
electric generators. they get power through a feeder cable,
dangling down like an umbilical cord. Ionocraft engineers tend to be
close-mouthed on performance
figures.
But they will tell you that at present it takes 90 watts (30,000
volts at 3 milliamperes) to fly a two ounce model. translated into
ordinary power-to-weight
ratios, this works out to roughly .96 hp. per pound, as compared
with a typical .1 hp per pound of helicopter or .065 hp for a pound
Piper Cub.
But Ionocraft designers are hard at work upping efficiency. One
possible power - boosting technique is to pulse the power in short high
energy bursts rather
than apply steady voltage. They are also trying out various grid
patterns and ion emitter layouts to minimize energy loss through
turbulence in the downdraft.
Despite such unresolved problems, the development crew almost
bristles with optimism, and the most optimistic of all is the
Ionocraft's inventor Major
Alexander P. de Seversky. No crackpot, Major de Seversky is a
practical visionary who in many areas has been far in front of his
field.
"We hope to fly a model with self-contained power, perhaps by the
end of the year," he told me, confidently. "Ultimately, the ionic drive
will prove more
efficient than either propeller or jet as a method of aircraft
propulsion.
"It will achieve lift at less expenditure of energy and fuel than
existing form of aircraft. In fact, it will prove the most efficient
method of converting electricity
into motion."
Coming from a man of de Seversky's background, such a statement has
an almost prophetic ring. A leading aircraft designer and ace flyer for
the past 50 years,
de Seversky's idea's have often been ahead of their time-sometimes
to the embarrassment of other aviation experts. Losing his right leg
during his first flying
mission in World War I didn't deter him from downing 13 enemy
aircraft in later flights. After coming to the United States from
Russia, de Seversky developed
bombsights and course computers during the 1920s that were the
forerunners of today's inertial guidance systems.
Worked with Billy Mitchell
Later he pioneered the design of the cantilever-skin stressed wing
that is now in general use. He was consultant to General Billy Mitchell
in the historic
airplane-verses battleship tactical experiments of the 1920s, and
as a special consultant to the U.S. Chiefs of Staff helped formulate
basic air strategy in World
War II. He also contributed to the designs of the P-35 and P-43
which led to the development of the P-47 Thunderbolt, one of America's
most effective
wartime fighter planes. Now a trim and sprightly man of 70, he
still likes to take out experimental jet planes for a spin.
"The idea hit me as I was working on an electric air-cleaning
device which I had invented," the major recalled. "That gadget was
designed to fight air pollution
by electrically charging the particles in industrial smoke and then
trapping them on a liquid electrode with the opposite charge." De
Seversky noticed an air
flow developing between the two electrodes, caused by ionization
process previous explained. "To an old flyer like me," said the major,
"anything that stirs up a
wind is a flying machine. So I began to develop the idea." The
major seemed concerned that the Ionocraft might be mistaken for a kind
of space vehicle.
"This is not a spacecraft," he explained emphatically to forestall
any misunderstanding. "It's an airplane, designed to operate within the
atmosphere. But it will
be able to do things no present type aircraft can accomplish."
Pointing out the potential advantage of Ionocraft over conventional
planes or helicopters, de Seversky ticks of a whole string of radical
notions:
High-altitude flight. Helicopters whirl their blades in utter
frustration at altitudes where the air gets thin. Beyond 20,000 feet,
they get almost no lift. By
contrast, experts calculate that Ionocraft can kick up (rather kick
down) enough air to stay aloft at 300,000 feet.
Unlimited size. The bigger it gets the better it flies. Efficiency
increases with grid area. Distributing airflow around the grid edge
becomes proportionately less
important in larger craft. the reason:
Grid area increases faster than circumference with growing size.
"We'll be able to build them as big as a city block" claimed de
Seversky.
High speed. No practical speed limit has been determined. The ions
themselves flash from emitter to grid impart to the very high-velocity
impulse. Aerodynamic
drag would be the chief speed-limiting factor. But, streamlining of
the grid edge and careful contouring of the craft, could minimize air
drag.
Safety. No moving parts in propulsion and no wear, means less
chance of failure, simpler maintenance.
Steering with Voltage
Steering control is accomplished by applying different voltages to
various parts of the craft. The part with the high voltage gets more
lift, hence tilts up. The
form of the Ionocraft does not matter. Any shape will fly, but de
Seversky assumes that round models in the from of a flying saucer will
be the most easily
manuverable.
By a simple joystick control, the pilot can lift any edge of the
craft, producing pitch and roll as if the Ionocraft had elevators and
ailerons. He can put the craft
into any flight attitude-noise up or down, or banking to either
side. Like the tilt of a helicopter rotor, this inclination pushes the
craft forward, rearward, or
sideways.
J.F. Bruno, the technical director of de Seversky's staff, spoke of
a passenger gondola in future models, suspended from gimbals below the
main grid so that it
remains level regardless of how the main deck is tilted. Locations
below the main grid also shields passengers from high energy flow. But,
even if the passengers
somehow got into the ion stream, it wouldn't electrocute them
unless they got "grounded" to the main grid. "It would be just like
birds sitting on a wire," said
Yorysh, the man in charge of electronic design.
Until patents for Ionocraft were firmly nailed, de Seversky kept
his ideas carefully under raps. That's another reason no full-scale
prototype has yet been built.
But even present scale models set the imagination buzzing. Manned
craft are envisioned for:
Commuter transport, With no size limit, you can pack trainloads of
people into this VTOL craft, relieve traffic congestion around urban
centers. The type of
craft used as long-distance transport possibly at supersonic
speeds-would not need big airports with long run ways.
Airborne traffic monitors. Hovering above bridges and major
intersections, or patrolling above highways, one-man Ionocraft would
provide a panoramic view of
traffic conditions, radio information to ground traffic-control
centers.
Grid Is Hard to Hit
Military reconnaissance and rescue. Without moving parts, the
Ionocraft is less vulnerable to small-arms fire than helicopters. the
open grid makes a poor
target. Most bullets would whizz right through it. Even if the grid
is hit, the electric charge would be maintained despite the damage to
some portions. Unlike a
copter with shattered blades, the Ionocraft would not crash.
Weather observation. While satellites like Tiros look down on the
atmosphere from outer space. Ionocraft could sail right into the
weather-making air layers,
providing valuable supplemental information. Being steerable,
Ionocraft would not drift with the wind like weather balloons, but could
hold a position over
crucial areas, making local forecasts more reliable.
Skyborne antenna, kept aloft indefinitely in a fixed position by
ground based energy supply. Ionocraft could also act as a skyborne
antenna, extending the range
of defense radar. "It would be like raising the DEW-line 60 miles
up into the air," suggested de Seversky, "adding 15 to 25 minutes
warning time against
missiles."
Anti-missile machine. Always alert to military tactics, de Seversky
believes that Ionocraft could be used as missile interceptors. Normally
the craft would hover
at high altitudes, scanning the horizon for a 700-mile range. As
soon as it spotted and identified a hostile missiles through an infrared
detection system, the
Ionocraft would hurl itself at the enemy rocket on a collision
course and blow it out of the air.
When practical craft are built, their designers expect to have a
choice of several power supply systems now under development for NASA's
space program. Some
of these include:
Gas-turbine generators. Several firms, notably General Electric and
Allis-Chalmers, have come up with compact, light weight, kerosene-
fueled turbines,
originally intended as power sources for spacecraft. These may be
used to generate electricity aboard Ionocraft.
Fuel cells. these are chemical reactors producing electricity like
a storage battery, but drawing their chemicals from external supply
tanks. NASA is currently
testing fuel cells converting hydrogen and oxygen to electricity,
with drinking water as a byproduct.
Solar cells, directly convert sunlight to electricity-the present
energy source of most satellites. When high-efficiency solar cells are
available, they may keep
Ionocraft aloft for indefinite periods.
Power from Boiling Mercury
Sunflower - a code name for another project aimed at deriving
electric power directly from sunlight. It employs an umbrella-like
reflector that focuses the sun's
heat to boil mercury, which expands through a turbine and drives an
electric generator. (Solar-power supplies would be back-stopped by other
kinds of power
generators to take over whenever no sunlight is available.)
Microwave radiation. Concentrated beams of high-frequency radio
waves may transfer energy from ground stations to the Ionocraft if the
craft is to be used as
a hovering platform in a fixed position. Raytheon has pioneered
this type of energy transmission through its Amplitron tube and has
recaptured as much as 72
percent of the radiated energy at the receiver site. High-power
laser beams may be similarly used for transmission.
Experimental hardware has already been produced for each of these
off-beat power-supply systems.
None of the men working on the Ionocraft will be pinned down to any
production timetable. "It's a pretty wild project," admitted technical
director Bruno, a
veteran 20 years in the missile business. "But that's what they
said when we started working on rockets."
Major de Seversky, whose own career goes back to the beginnings of
aviation, views his invention in historical perspective:
"We are exploring an entirely new principle of flight. We're just
at the spot where the Wright Brothers were in 1903. We are just
beginning to see the
possibilities."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The following were captions for pictures or diagrams which
were not
included in the computer version of the article as sent to
KeelyNet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ION - PROPULSION is produced when negative charge from
upright arms charges surrounding air particles into
ions.
Negatively charged ions rush toward positively
charged
grid, pushing neutral air particles before them
Figure 1:
IONS RUSHING TOWARDS POSITIVELY
CHARGED GRID COLLIDE /\
WITH NEUTRAL AIR / Þ \
MOLECULES AND / Þ \
THRUST AIR - é Þ é -
DOWNWARD, IONS / \ / \
STOP AT GRID - / \- - / \ -
+ -------------------------------------- +
GRID
| | | |
| | | | (NEUTRAL
+/-)
\/ \/ \/ \/
NEUTRAL AIR MOLECULES WHACKED DOWNWARD BY
IONS, PASS THROUGH MESH OF ION-ACCEPTOR
GRID. DOWN WASH KEEPS IONOCRAFT ALOFT
--------------------------------------------------------------------
MAJOR DE SEVERSKY became interested in ion propulsion when he
noticed air flow between two electrodes while working on another of his
inventions.
IONOCRAFT MODEL takes to air, completely unsupported except for
downwash of air. Next step is to develop model that can carry its own
power supply
IONOCRAFT COMMUTER maybe solution for suburbanites of the future in
congested areas, speeding hundreds of them short distances over heavy
city traffic.
Power would be supplied by chain of ground-based master stations.
ONE MAN IONOCRAFT could be tomorrow's traffic patrol car or, in
combat, hovering vehicle for guerrilla wars, all but impervious to some
minor grid
damage
ANTI-MISSILE IONOCRAFT, powered by sunlight, could hover
indefinitely in upper atmosphere, then home in on incoming warhead and
blast it out of sky.
Vanguard Notes...
This file was updated October 30th, 1993 when the MAJORDE1.GIF was
uploaded to us.
One more point of interest here based on modern developments is the
invention of the RECTENNA. This is an antenna array that is mounted on
the flying
machine and RECEIVES high density microwave transmissions FROM a
ground transmitter.
The antenna has a built-in diode network that rectifies the
alternating current into direct current. Note the Ionocraft requires
30,000 volts at about 3
milliamperes (90 WATTS) which is relatively LOW when speaking of
high voltages. This could be achieved in multiple ways.
As stated in the text, the larger the surface area of the grid, the
GREATER the weight (payload) the craft can lift. The idea of an attached
gondola to the
bottom of the craft would not only provide for a payload carrying
area but also help to stabilize the craft much as a basket beneath a
balloon.
A final comparison is the work of Townsend Brown with the
Bifeld/Brown Effect. It requires a minimum of 50,000 volts, again with
the larger payloads
requiring higher voltages. Spin can also increase the payload
capacityby vortex amplification.
Transdimensional
Tech Power Cubed
this is the exact same thing which
barely lifts itself and won't lift a power supply
they should do their homework,
see how easy it is to get money???