Heinkel Wespe (Wasp)

[BigMacDaddy]

Tom Beck posted on Facebook about the Heinkel Wespe which was designed but never built - a VTOL concept plane in Germany around the end of WWII. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_Wespe (related concept was the Lerche - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_Lerche). Anyway, he challenged the person who had made the Coleopter so of course I had to step up...





Not sure if this would fly or not but here is my first prototype (made early this morning and tonight after work)... This was never built so all that seems to exist are some rough scetches (hence variations in the designs above). Built for BT60 body tube with motor mount sized for D-size engine. Should let me put a couple of ounces in nose and try to make this crazy bird stable.



I already modified my design a bunch in the last couple of hours after dinner... Made the canopy larger, increased motor mount contact (this will be friction fit at this point), standardized fin mounts on ring-wing, shortened front ring-wing mounting fins/wings and added rear ring-wing mounting fins... Here are the parts for a first print run w/ fin templates:



Around 66 grams and bit more than 9 hours to print (w/o fin templates)...

 

[Daddyisabar]

With power and lots of yummy nose weight it will fly!

 

[Cape Byron]

Anyway, he challenged the person who had made the Coleopter so of course I had to step up...

'Cause that's what life is like in Dodge City...

 

[boomtube-mk2]

I'll bet landing that thing would have been a barrel of laughs.

Seeing things like this makes you wonder if the German High Command actually thought these weird "Super Weapons" would have made any difference or if they were just grasping at straws.

 

[BigMacDaddy]

Seeing things like this makes you wonder if the German High Command actually thought these weird "Super Weapons" would have made any difference or if they were just grasping at straws.

Germans definitely believed in investing in R&D and lots of their military technology was very effective (V-2 for example). If they had not chased out (or worse) all the Jewish scientists they might have developed the Atom bomb and then the war would have gone much differently.

I guess all of Europe / USA had this idea of rapidly deployable VTOL aircraft that did not rely on airstrips since everyone was so vulnerable to bombing once air strips were disabled. This would be the 3rd WWII era (broadly defined) VTOL that I would do -- 1st French Coleopter, 2nd US Pogo, 3rd German Wespe.

As a side note, it bugs me that so many rockets are from the N@zi regime... This was a problem in trains also, so many cool looking steam engines (especially military ones) are from Germany in this time frame. I actually would have issues doing the paint schemes with the symbols from WWII Germany. I feel a bit better about this one since it was fictitious so no one was hurt by them. Also the V-2 is such a historical rocket that the USA and other then used to learn about rocketry. I also made (well still making) an R1 and that one never went beyond the prototype.

 

[boomtube-mk2]

This was a problem in trains also, so many cool looking steam engines (especially military ones) are from Germany in this time frame.

There was a lot of steam locomotive technology that was invented in Europe and perfected in the U.S.
The fact is that no European Railroad had any steam locomotives that compared to the likes of the 4-6-6-4 Challenger the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy the 2-6-6-6 Allegany or any of Southern Pacific's famous Cab Forwards.

 

[BigMacDaddy]

There was a lot of steam locomotive technology that was invented in Europe and perfected in the U.S.
The fact is that no European Railroad had any steam locomotives that compared to the likes of the 4-6-6-4 Challenger the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy the 2-6-6-6 Allegany or any of Southern Pacific's famous Cab Forwards.

Wonder if no big locomotives in Europe is the result of tighter radius turns??? Poor 4014 cannot even come to the North Eastern US...

Funny thing, for me the red wheels on the European steam engines remind me of Christmas... Not sure why...

 

[Bat-mite]

This vehicle was intended to defeat Wonder Woman's invisible plane, but unfortunately, they did not count on her Lasso of Truth.

 

[boomtube-mk2]

Wonder if no big locomotives in Europe is the result of tighter radius turns??? Poor 4014 cannot even come to the North Eastern US...

That was part of it along with very narrow tunnels but mostly it was the fact that European trains simply weren't as big and heavy as those in the U.S.
By the early 20th Century U.S. railroads were clamoring for rollingstock that could handle 50+ tons while most European rollingstock was rated at half that.
By 1920 U.S. trains often hauled 100+ loaded freight cars while a huge European train might have 50.

Now South Africa had what was known as the Garratt Locomotives which were something else all together.

 

[BigMacDaddy]

Early this morning I was able to get my first prototype built -- still needs lots of work (just fit things together). Also, I messed up on spacing of my tube notches so need to redo the tube (short piece so not too much waste)... The CG is just around the front of the ring fin which is pretty good. I think i will only need a small amount of nose weight to get it "stable" and I may remake the tail for a standard 18mm engine instead of a 24mm like this version was made for.

 

[BigMacDaddy]

Ok so with 1.5oz in the nose it puts the CG in front of the ring wing which seems like a good place. Now the question is can a C5-3 lift this... I really need to find my postal scale!!! I guess it is about 100 grams with 3D printed parts (based on slicer software) and the nose weight. In addition there is the small tube + small wood fins... if it is around 120-130grams I think I should be good so getting closer to test flight...

 

[Daddyisabar]

There are other 18mm motors out there much better than Estes. Try some of the new Quest 18mm or old AT Single Use or reload D10 or D21 with short delays. Composites rock!

 

[Cape Byron]

Looks absolutely fantastic, as usual. A swing test is a good idea. I have some used motors weighted to the same as similar Q-Jets* and I use those to swing test if I'm recommending composites.

*Q-Jets are as rare as Thylacine puppies around here.

 

[teepot]

That's really rare. I Googled it.

 

[BigMacDaddy]

Another of the rockets I got to test today -- This little odd-roc really wanted to glide but ultimately had a relatively stable successful flight - bit of arching over the bottom due to those side wings (and maybe the tapered nose) and a bit of tail wiggle in the beginning. Parachute deployed but I did lose one of the wheels in the dirt it landed in I guess. Everything needed C5 engines today -- so much nose weight!