1/72 Lippisch P.13a "The Coal-burning Delta Fighter"

[carter478]

The P.13a was an experimental interceptor aircraft designed in late 1944 by Dr. Alexander Lippisch, as conventional fuels were in short supply, proposed to powered by coal-burning ramjet. It never past the drawing board.

 

 

 

 

The mesh drum holding coal granules and revolving, ignited by gas burner once it reached operating speed(red box). Huh......yes, it could not get there on itself, maybe need to shot off or towed.

 

 

 

 

This PM Model's kit was extremely simple and not fitted well, must have to add some panel lines on it.

 

 

 

Here is the result:

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your watching!

Edited February 22, 2018 by carter478

[Graeme H]

The few photos I can see, show a really nice model of this truly weird aircraft

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

I will say I really do like the colors on this. 👍 They look like future variants you would expect with a Luft ‘46 project. 

 

Hello @carter478 ... No need to apologize. Photo’s can be temperamental like that. 

Edited February 22, 2018 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[carter478]

I have reupload the photos, sorry about that!

[Gorby]

You've made a very good job of a very weird aircraft. I love a bit of Luft-46.

I've often wondered how the coal burning process was supposed to work in practice, doesn't seem very practical, but I suppose they were pretty desperate.

[Aeronut]

1 hour ago, Gorby said:

I've often wondered how the coal burning process was supposed to work in practice, doesn't seem very practical, but I suppose they were pretty desperate

The science library at work used to have a book of English transcripts of WW2 German rocket research. (I wish I'd grabbed when they closed the library) It contained the descriptions of ram jets such as in the Lippisch where powdered coal was pumped and burned like a liquid.

The rocket that intrigued me most was the lump coal rocket which required lumps of coal that wouldn't look out of place in the Flying Scotsman's tender to be piled on a grate in a rocket chamber and there have pressurised , heated, Nitrous Oxide flow over the coal igniting it and producing thrust.

As you say, they were desperate but they were also imaginative and today the process the Germans developed for producing jet fuel from coal is again being looked at as the price of oil rises. 

[invidia]

great looking model, built the pm kit years ago.  

[Buzby061]

Very nice indeed.

 

Wouldn't have liked to have been a stoker on one!

 

Pete

[goggsy]

God help us, I’ve heard it all now. Mind, powder explosions are a real threat in grain elevators etc so it’s not inconceivable that someone could harness that quirk of physics to make a type of engine.

 

Nice build by the way, looks like quite a challenging little kit. 

[spiton]

Very interesting painting !!!