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| Travel Air with a Steam Engine https://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=26895 |
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| Author: | AviaS199 [ Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Travel Air with a Steam Engine |
Maybe you've seen this before, but if not, check this out. Yeah, it really flew. Granted, at five hundred pounds/150 horsepower, the power to weight ratio wasn't that great. But still - can't help but wonder ... With modern alloys and other improvements, who knows? Run it on biodiesel, and you could have one Lean Mean Green Flyin' Machine. 
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| Author: | wacoykc [ Fri Jan 02, 2009 11:50 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Apparently it flew and ran just fine. Just seems odd....a steam-powered airplane...although coal is pretty cheap! |
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| Author: | stumac [ Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:22 am ] |
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Forget the coal think about using nuclear power to heat that water. It has been attempted but the nuclear programs were never carried thru to perfection. Forget all that stuff I still have fun burning up dead dinosaurs (I am doing a lot of it sitting always behind round engines) |
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| Author: | RyanShort1 [ Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:38 am ] |
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Now frankly I'd like to have the design plans for that - just in case it'd be useful in 40 years or so... Ryan |
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| Author: | AviaS199 [ Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:52 am ] |
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IIRC, the original shop drawings are in the Smithsonian. |
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| Author: | Baldeagle [ Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:54 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
The engine itself is: http://picasaweb.google.com/travelerpai ... 3499529314 - |
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| Author: | AviaS199 [ Sat Jan 03, 2009 4:39 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
Thanks for the photo. Next time I'm in DC, I'll have to check that out. Something I found on YouTube: Newsreel footage of the Besler Steam Car and Airplane. Love it when he throws the Travel Air into reverse! |
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