The New Air Fares

SECOND PLACE: IKELOS


Ikelos, named for the Greek god of dreams, is the product of a joint effort by students at Virginia Tech and Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England. It's a box-winged, ducted-fan-powered aircraft that would be capable of extremely short takeoffs and landings. With an estimated 575-mile range and a top cruising speed of 161 mph, Ikelos is not as muscular as the jet-powered Alaris, but its wing design-a swept-back front wing joined with vertical winglets to a high rear wing, which connects to the rear fin-could enable dramatically steep ascents and descents from very short runways.


The box-wing configuration provides the effect of a wider-spanned aircraft in three-quarters the width, generating better lift and lower drag than an ordinary wing of the same span. "This allows a ground run of only 150 feet on both takeoffs and landings-but it also requires a steep approach angle on landing that would necessitate special training for pilots," says faculty advisor James Marchman III, a professor of aerospace and ocean engineering at Virginia Tech.


Ikelos' engine is called Rand Cam; it's a diesel rotary engine with no pistons, valves, or spark plugs. Currently under development by Reg Technologies in Richmond, British Columbia, it's expected to be a lightweight and fuel-efficient alternative to traditional general aviation reciprocating engines. It would power two rear-mounted ducted fans, which generate higher thrust values per horsepower than propellers and are also quieter. The student design team estimates that Ikelos would cost about $200,000. Though the plane wouldn't function well as an air taxi because it seats just two people, its short takeoff and landing capability would make it appealing to recreational pilots by providing them access to a greater number of airports. Still, judges carped that the plane is too hard to board (entering it requires climbing onto the wing and stepping over a high entranceway) and that the choice of the Rand Cam engine was "premature," given its conceptual status.

IKELOS


Horsepower: 150 hp

Length: 23.4 ft.

Height: 9.4 ft.

Wingspan: 19.7 ft.

Seats: 2

Max. cruise speed: 161 mph

Max. alt.: 20,000 ft.

Range: 575 miles

Takeoff dist.: 150 ft.

Landing dist.: 150 ft.