RE: GEV/Grav

OK, here's another 2 cents worth...

As some have pointed out, large fans on GEV's are impractical. Rather I
imagined an engine similar in power to a jet engine, powered by HMT or
Fusion, with vectored ducts (ala, the Harrier Jump Jet). Skirts are
there to
add efficiency, but are not necessary. 

But wait, you say, now it's not a GEV, its a VTOL. Yes and no. The main
difference would be in the role that it is assigned and its designed.
Just
because an engineer carries a gun and can use it does not mean that you
would use him in the role of a sniper (no disrespect intended to either
the
engineers or snipers). VTOL's are designed to operate at a greater
ground
clearance. They have their armor distributed for this role (increased
belly
armor). The GEV is designed to stay close to the ground (to take
advantage
of ground effect where possible) and act in a role similar to a
traditional
tank. 

At this point the two major problems would be fuel and noise. Fuel would
not
seem to be a problem as energy appears to be cheap in the GZG future
(HMT,
Fusion). Noise presents a greater challenge, but not an insurmountable
one.
There are sound deadening and sound canceling technologies in use today.
I
don't know the term but there is a sound canceling technology that
projects
sound with the exact opposite wave form. The result is the canceling of
the
noise. I don't know how well it works at present (it may just have the
effect of creating white noise), but perhaps an improved version of this
could be employed.

-----
Brian Bell
bkb@beol.net
http://members.xoom.com/rlyehable/ds2/	    
-----

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roger Books [SMTP:books@mail.state.fl.us]
> Sent: Thursday, December 02, 1999 9:02 AM
> To:	gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
> Subject:	Re: GEV/Grav
> 
> On  2-Dec-99 at 00:54, Allan Goodall (agoodall@interlog.com) wrote:
> > On Wed, 1 Dec 1999 12:15:34 -0500, kaladorn@fox.nstn.ca wrote:
> > 
> > >2) Your comment about GEVs mountains might apply... but you should
> > >call them hills. Mountains are bad for tracked vehicles (they can't
> > >climb those kind of slopes either...). And I still think with
enough
> > >rearward fan power (imagine a turbine jet for example), a GEV could
> > >climb a big hill. Power is cheap, as we both admit.
> > 
> > How do you tilt the front of the GEV so it can start climbing the
slope
> > without it spilling air out of it's cushion, or grounding the front,
or
> > grounding the back? 
> 
> Active skirts that follow the terrain.  Mollecular monofilimant that
drags
> the ground.
> 
> Small, short duration, high output null-G packs.  They take ten
minutes
> to charge and can lift the hovercraft for about a minute.
> 
> Come on, you're accepting anti-gravity but won't accept that we can
figure
> out how to make a hovercraft go up a hill?
> 
> Roger