The Sud Aviation/Aérospatiale SA-610 Ludion (''Ludion'' - Cadet) was a tiny, unorthodox
VTOL
A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-wi ...
aircraft demonstrated at the 1967
Paris Air Show
The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the Frenc ...
. It consisted of little more than a chair, behind which were mounted two downward-pointing augmented rocket engines with control provided by thrust vectoring. The Ludion was intended to carry its pilot and 30 kg (66 lb) of equipment up to 700 m (2,300 ft) at an altitude of up to 200 m (600 ft).
The unusual powerplant consisted of a monofuel de-composition chamber fed with pressurised
isopropyl nitrate (AVPIN), ignited by a catalyst. The high pressure gasses produced in the de-composition chamber were fed to two augmentor tubes, built by Bertin, either side of the pilots seat, angled slightly outwards. As the gasses entered the augmentor tubes through rocket nozzles, thrust was augmented by inducing airflow through the ducts which acted as aero-thermo-dynamic ducts, due to the heat and kinetic energy added to the flow through the ducts, and the carefully shaped exhaust nozzles.
Specifications (SA-610 Ludion)
See also
References
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External links
Description of the LudionAnother description of the LudionSud-Aviation SA-610 Ludion (1967-1968)
- Youtube video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aerospatiale Ludion
Aérospatiale aircraft
1960s French experimental aircraft
VTOL aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1967
Rocket-powered aircraft