LNG VTOL Plane

The VTOL assistor I proposed earlier would be used to takeoff and land the LNG powered plane I proposed earlier. Some features of the LNG powered plane allow this assistance to work. The plane has no engines below its wings. This allows a larger obstacle free area for the assistor to grip the plane. The placement of a thrust vectoring single engine helps the VTOL assistor during takeoff by generating vertical lift and during landing by reducing stall speed. Lower stall speed allows the assistor to catch and engage with the plane more easily.

The operation of VTOL assistor was explained on my previous article. Once the assistor engages with the plane, it would be in control of the pilot of the plane. The pilot with the assistance of computers would control the assistor together with the main engine of the plane.

The LNG plane would also have safety features for emergency landing without an assistor. First, it would deploy strong parachutes to reduce the landing speed. The wings would have improved flaps to increase lift and drag. The lack of engines under the wings eliminates the risk of engines catching fire in case of impact and the shrapnel from the smashed engine injuring people in the cabin. The LNG expands approximately 600 times when turning into gas from liquid. This becomes useful during emergency landing. During emergency landing, the excess fuel would be released to reduce weight and avoid fuel leakage on landing site. On an LNG powered plane, the liquid natural gas would be released via special nozzles on the bottom of the plane to generate additional lift. It is how the cold gas thrusters work on satellites. This is a passive thrust to reduce the falling speed of the plane in case of engine failure.

During emergency landing, the parachutes and the wings with special flaps would reduce the speed of impact. The plane would hit the ground aft first. The super strong LNG tanks at the back of the plane would absorb the initial impact of crash. It would withstand impact much better than a typical plane fuselage. Once most of the kinetic energy of landing is dissipated by the aft section, the front section of the plane would hit the ground with much lower potential energy. The lack of engines under the wings would reduce the impact of crash on the wings dramatically and they may remain in one piece.

As a result, an LNG powered plane can takeoff and land vertically with assistance. More importantly would survive an emergency landing without landing gears.