Very funny! And with the addition of a simple $9.95 pressurization kit, we
should be able to take this baby into orbit! Of course, it might look a
little odd with that lunar lander strapped to its nose.
-----Original Message-----
From: Europa Club Internet Rep <europaclub@avnet.co.uk>
Date: Saturday, 6 June 1998 20:31
Subject: Why stop at just small turbines?
From: Ronald Monsen <MONSENRM@mail.aramco.com.sa> Message was originally
>bounced !
>
>The ultimate Europa,
>
>The Europa is assembled on a modified trailer. A new set of wings
utilizing
>a low aspect ratio F-104 configuration are placed on the aircraft. Once
>preflighted, the pilot and passenger board the aircraft on the trailer.
The
>trailer is then raised to a 60 degree elevation and a countdown is
>initiated. At T-minus 0 the JATO bottle is fired and the Europa leaves the
>trailer/launcher accelerating at 100kts/sec/sec. Passing through 600kts
the
>JATO bottle is jettisoned and the ramjet is then lit. This carries the
>Europa on to a Mach 2.3 cruise. Both the JATO bottle and ramjet are
>contained in a single bolt on pod below the fuselage. Once the destination
>is nearby the ramjet is shutdown and the Europa glides to the field.
>Normally one would expect the short field landing performance would be
>downgraded with the F-104 like wings, but in this case Russian surplus
>breaking rockets are fired from pods on the wing tips. They are angled in
a
>way that arrests both forward and ve!
>rtical speed. The Europa touches d
>own lightly on the field at less then 20kts.
>
>There are some very slight modifications that will need to be done to
>convert existing Europas to the Mach 2.3 version. These include some minor
>reinforcement of the cowling and larger pins on the doors. The F-104 style
>wing is sold separately and is easily assembled with simple hand tools.
All
>of the JATO, breaking rockets, ramjets, and other accessories can easily be
>obtained via Russian surplus suppliers.
>
>Two major improvements to the Europa design can be summed up by:
>
>INCREASED SPEED
>The Europa speed is increased from 200mph to over 1500mph
>
>ENHANCED SHORT FIELD PERFORMANCE
>Landing and take off distances are measured in single digit feet.
>
>
>Turbines are for wimps.
>
>Ron M
>
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