Date:         Fri, 7 Apr 2006 20:12:46 -0500
Reply-To:     Joel Walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Re: mpg; Fly Carefully...VERY Carefully!
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
              reply-type=response

> Well, that just leads me to way more questions for the sages of the
> list:
>         How much wing area do I need to lift my Westie off the
> ground?

wings? we don't need no stinkin WINGS!!!
just strap enough horsepower on that puppy and light the fuse!! :)

>         Do I need a bigger wing on the left, to provide extra lift
> for the
> camper equipment (and the driver)?

no, but a vortex generator on that side would be helpful to counteract
the drag induced by the
water/electrical inlet boxes and that mudflap behind the driver's
front wheel.

>         How long a runway to get airborne? (I should get this info
> before
> I have the driveway re-paved)

depends on the elevation angle and the horsepower. with a good SRB
(solid rocket booster)
of sufficient size, i figure it shouldn't take more than a hundred
yards or less, if your angle
is less than 30 degrees from the horizontal.
for the distance at higher angles, subtract the hypotenuse from the
cosine - pi
and divide by the square root of the angle of the dangle.

>         What is the airspeed of an unladen Vanagon? (just European,
> I
> don't have a S. African van).

before or after the SRB burns out?

>         I don't know if this will affect the answers, but I have an
> '85
> 2WD westie with an original 1.9 wasserboxer.

oh.

well ...

in that case, we'd better use TWO SRBs. :)

unca joel
ex-D+ student in Aerospace and Aeronautics at a major university
somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
:)