Request for Information (RFI)
- Introduction
-
HybriCraft™ Technology Summary
- BAP Air Curtain Configuration
- Air Cushion Support v. Helicopter-type Thrust -
Selected Elements of the Business Plan
- The Walter Mobility Group Vision
- Proprietary Technology
- Growth Opportunities
- Strategic Alliances -
HybriCraft Draft Specification
- Overview
- Definitions
- Preliminary Design Specifications
- Preliminary Design Considerations
- Preliminary Performance Expectations
In 2005, The Walter Mobility Group incorporated in California to develop and bring to market an advanced off-surface transportation system. The Walter Group’s HybriCraft™ overcomes constraints posed by surface impediments, offering reliable, safe, and efficient travel across highly variable surface conditions and over considerably uneven terrain.
To develop, test, and manufacture this technology fully, The Walter Group requests multi-industry information on facilities with capabilities in or near Central California, which could contribute to the program.
Enclosed with this memorandum, for your reference, are:
- a brief technology summary (introduction, air curtains, air cushions, rotorcraft comparison),
- selected elements from our business plan (vision, technology, growth, alliances),
- a set of proposed technical specifications for a full-scale demonstration vehicle (overview, definitions, specifications, expectations, considerations), and
- this link to our survey, regarding your available industrial capabilities and capacities (www.walter-group.com/experts.shtml)
If you or your organization is interested in exploring possible contributions to – or simply learning more about – the development, manufacturing, testing, or marketing of the HybriCraft vehicle family described herein, we invite your response to this Request for Information.
Recipients may explore and learn more about The Walter Group and its patented technology by visiting www.walter-group.com. We request that you forward this link to affiliates you may have in mind, who might enjoy the opportunity to participate. All parties interested may review this RFI at our website. You may reply to this inquiry using the Contact link on the website or by email.
Sincerely,| Fred Kent VP; Research and Development  |
Matthew Doyle VP; Business Development  |
HybriCraft™ TECHNOLOGY SUMMARY
Conventionally skirted Air Cushion Craft (ACCs), such as hovercraft, employ physical air curtain walls to contain the cushion on which they ride. This skirt requires frequent maintenance and repair, as it remains in contact constantly with the traversed surface. For this reason also, terrain severity limits hovercraft mobility. |
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HybriCraft™ on the other hand, use two independent concentric air curtain walls to contain a pair of strong air cushions. Together, these air curtains and their associated cushions provide unique performance capabilities. We refer to this patented configuration as a Basic Air Platform, or BAP. The BAP configuration is common to each HybriCraft, regardless of size and application. The BAP depends upon a source of air mass flow, distributes air pressure throughout a ductless plenum, and delivers the air through a series of nozzles to the air cushion and curtain walls beneath the vehicle. |
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Unique in the field of ACC technology, this design provides the following four essential features, while permitting surface travel independent of surface conditions and terrain.
- Standoff height (ground clearance): Relative to a given vehicle’s diameter, the BAP determines a HybriCraft’s operating ground clearance. The operator may determine the height most suitable for a given mission or set of conditions, approaching a height equal to the vehicle’s diameter. For example, a twelve-foot HybriCraft would operate commonly on its cushion about six feet high.
- Inherent static and dynamic pitch and roll stability: HybriCraft recover from disturbances such as wind gusts in one and one-half cycles.
- Ease of control: HybriCraft employ a variety of simple, conventional control systems including spoilers, thrust reversers, elevators, and ailerons. Operator controls are similarly conventional, akin to a car, recreational vehicle, or airplane.
- Conventional power plants and standard fuels: HybriCraft are adaptable to a variety of fuels, including automotive and aviation grades, providing reasonable installed horsepower appropriate to the particular application through use of Off-The-Shelf (OTS) engines.
HybriCraft technology supports a family of vehicles capable of satisfying diverse needs and applications. Independent sources in private industry and university technical scholars qualified to assess the validity of HybriCraft have endorsed this technology repeatedly over the past three decades.
Air Cushion Support v. Helicopter-Type Thrust
Helicopter downwash produces considerable environmental disturbance, particularly to the surface immediately beneath such a vehicle, especially when operating near the ground.
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The HybriCraft air cushion support system behaves like a giant balloon tire. This cross-section illustrates how air pressure supporting the vehicle replaces the helicopter-like thrust that supports a helicopter, significantly reducing surface disturbance. |
At the surface, and within the surface-dependent (or ground-effect) environment, HybriCraft exceed the total system efficiency of other transportation vehicles, favorably overlapping some rotorcraft capabilities. Comparing features of helicopters and HybriCraft demonstrates clearly the similarities among operational capacity, and some obvious differences in operational consequence. On a total system basis, within the specified performance envelope, HybriCraft operate more safely, at a lower cost, with fewer maintenance hours, require less training, involve less operator skill, and extend mobility, because HybriCraft operate comfortably over varied terrain types and profiles, in a stable and easily controlled manner. |
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SELECTED ELEMENTS OF THE BUSINESS PLAN
The Walter Mobility Group Vision
The Walter Mobility Group, Inc. will apply its technology to overcome the remaining constraints hindering human mobility over the Earth’s surface by providing terrain-independent surface transportation solutions.
The late William C. Walter conceived an innovation more than forty years ago. He doggedly pursued the development and demonstration of his principal concept through several companies and over many years. Subsequent work with private ventures led Mr. Walter through the development of multiple variations and system applications. Today, the Walter Group holds rights to developed, patented, and unpublished principal concept technology.
The Walter Mobility Group’s Business Plan contains many alternative potential applications of Walter Group Technology. Civil and military applications include recreation (and toy models), safety services, common-carrier uses, border patrol, rural mail delivery, pipeline monitoring, medical transport, reconnaissance, supply, emergency response, and other uses. Technology properly packaged and presented provides extensive, essential markets for growth. Adequate patent protection plays an important role, supporting The Walter Group’s viable and enduring license trade.
The Walter Mobility Group will develop technology and act as a design-engineering consultant to potential buyers. In accordance with marketing and business development models, sales will close when buyers, with confidence in the promised operational capacity of their particular application, accept delivery of their respective platform design. In addition to creating a company-owned, full-scale demonstration unit, The Walter Group will generate customer confidence-based strategic partnerships with established companies, and provide support for customers during selection of fabricators and performance of vehicle manufacturing and test.
To approach potential military applications, The Walter Group may gain customer confidence by teaming with established defense and aerospace contractors. Creating effective partnerships with these companies is a management challenge and essential for successful marketing. To sell commercial vehicles for use by civilians or civil governments, we will obtain credibility through collaboration with experienced market producers, such as helicopter companies, or airframe and power system manufacturers.
It will be The Walter Group’s role to bring technological knowledge to manufacturers, who will produce the articles to meet customer needs. The Walter Group proposes to provide technology licenses, warranties, and service contracts to provide the engineering consultancy during manufacture, test, and system operations. The company will produce an operational, full-scale, demonstration unit to provide potential partners and customers with evidence of the technology’s viability. In turn, the commercial potential offers teamed manufacturers, companies, and retailers an unexploited market niche, by facilitating sales of heretofore unrealizable operational, manufacture, and service capabilities.
HybriCraft™ DRAFT SPECIFICATION
The Walter Mobility Group contemplates production of a prototype described in our Business Plan as "the company-owned full-scale demonstration unit." It is a radially symmetric, two-person (or 350-pound capacity, including operator plus load) lifting vehicle, sustaining operation (regardless of surface features and obstacles less than three and one-half feet high) at a nominal ground clearance of one-half the vehicle’s mean diameter, cruising at 50 mph, capable of coordinated turns, and ascending, descending, and traversing slopes approaching 20° to the horizon. It employs our proprietary design to manage airflow, maximizing the integration of off-the-shelf (OTS) components through sophisticated construction and advanced assembly techniques.
Following are definitions, preliminary design specifications, preliminary design considerations, and associated preliminary performance expectations.
- NTE: Not to exceed
- NLT: Not less than
- CWE: Complies with or exceeds
- SH: Stationary hover
- GVW: Gross vehicle weight as wet curb weight, without cargo, passenger, or operator, otherwise ready to operate
- OW: Operating weight calculated as GVW plus operator and full cargo load
- FAA: Federal Aviation Administration
- NTSB: National Transportation Safety Board
- RPM: Rotations per minute
Preliminary Design Specifications:
- Size: mean vehicle diameter NTE 94 inches
- Surface independence: operate at a nominal clearance of one-half the vehicle’s mean diameter between the base of the vehicle body and any underlying continuous surface (i.e. sand, grass, low shrubs, water, swamp, rocky terrain, roadways, etc).
- Terrain independence: ibid; 2
- Payload: One-third GVW (see item 8. Operating weight, below)
- Tour duration: NLT 20 minutes
- Operational duration: NLT 100 minutes
- Maximum cruise speed: NLT 50 mph at OW
- Operating weight: calculated as GVW plus operator and full cargo load; GVW NTE 1000 pounds
- Stability: See Preliminary Performance Expectations, below
- Control: ibid; 9
- Maneuverability: ibid; 9
- Range: NLT 80 miles at OW
- Power plant: See Preliminary Design Considerations, below
- Economy: ibid; 13
- Initial cost: ibid; 13
- Operating costs consideration: Maximize use of long-life-cycle and extended-life-cycle components, efficient power production plant, and power delivery system
- Maintenance costs consideration: Maximize zero-maintenance-required and elastomeric components; ready-access to all components requiring maintenance and inspection
- Environmental noise: NTE 89 decibels measured one vehicle diameter from vehicle periphery at SH@OW; incentives provided for significant noise abatement and attenuation
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Fabrication:
a. Hull manufacture CWE FAA standards for experimental airframe construction,
where ‘hull’ includes everything except the vehicle’s power train.
b. Power train assembly and mounting CWE NTSB standards for private ground
transportation construction - Classification and certification: See Preliminary Design Considerations, below
- Handling system: Simple control system provides responsive handling effect
- Operator qualification: NTE training complexity for a State of California Class C Driver’s License
- Training: training manual required, ibid; 22 to include power plant and associated systems; control, stabilization and associated systems; electrical, hydraulic, or any other systems installed
- Instrumentation: indicators with appropriate extreme alarms for operating height, airspeed, engine RPM, oil pressure, oil temperature, manifold pressure, coolant temperature, clock with fuel or trip timer
- Crash-worthiness: Operator, passenger, and payload restraints, roll cage, dead-man’s switch providing gradual power attenuation, surface skids, impeller/propeller containment, crumple zones built into hull
- Appearance: Sporty; admittedly subjective (see Preliminary Design Considerations, item 7.).
Preliminary Design Considerations:
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Power plant: (traditional or non-traditional) possibilities include, but are not limited to:
a. internal combustion two-stroke or four-stroke (reciprocating, Wankel, hybrid, radial;
gasoline or diesel)
b. turbine: axial, centrifugal, or hybrid; preferably vertically oriented - Mass flow generation: single- or multi-stage, fixed pitch or variable pitch (in air or on ground) propeller, axial fan or centrifugal fan (ducted or not).
- Body construction: wood, metal, or composite. Most likely, this will be a one-of-a-kind craft, so we consider mass production of this particular design improbable.
- Economy: Certainly, as with any non-ground-contact vehicle, both economy of weight and efficient power production are critical. Optimizing operating hours vs. maintenance hours by use of OTS components, long life (high TBO) and low maintenance parts likewise manifests high economic value.
- Initial costs: prototypes, proof of concept vehicles, and one-of-a-kind demonstration vehicle platforms, by nature of their singularity or limited production volume, involve increased costs per unit. Notwithstanding already obligated and disbursed funds, we anticipate production costs will prove competitive, with actual overall cost largely dependent upon power plant selection.
- Performance incentives: We will consider incentives for reducing noise, reducing noxious emissions, shortening schedules for design and assembly, minimizing weight, and optimizing fuel economy.
- Appearance consideration: Sporty overall, with sleek features, brisk handling and performance, low profile, and impressive visual impact
- Safety: Crash worthiness, regarding operator injury, vehicle repair, and considerable focus on fire and rollover survivability
- Modularity: replacement of systems with improved or modified versions should create as little collateral interference as possible. Manufacture and assembly approach will provide simplified modification of installed components. We anticipate broad use of this platform to evaluate future improvements and design versions (i.e. replacement power plants and mass flow generators, control approaches, etc.).
Preliminary Performance Expectations:
- Vertical control provides rate of ascent and descent NLT 1 foot per second to and from SH@OW
- Rate of axial rotation NLT 90° per second in yaw, through both right and left 360°
- Pitch and roll control input provides simple establishment and easy maintenance of NLT ± 20° attitude
- Stability characterized by inherent static and dynamic stability, recovering from a displacing force in one and one-half cycles
