RAPT system
Encyclopedia
Tigerfish Aviation is an aerospace research and development company based in Norwood, South Australia
. Since the late 1990s, the company has been developing a retractable pontoon system for the float plane industry, which has been patented as Retractable Amphibious Pontoon Technology or RAPT.
, with assistance of the South Australian Government, has performed CFD analysis and other studies on the DHC-6 Twin Otter showing that the RAPT system would result in a significant cost benefit. Unlike traditional floats, RAPT pontoons are made of lightweight composite materials, but suffer additional mass penalties due to the electric, hydraulic and structural systems required to retract the pontoons. Total mass penalty has been estimated at 1420 lbs for a Dornier 228 NG variant (comparable to existing Wipline floats).
Norwood, South Australia
Norwood is a suburb of Adelaide, about 4 km east of the Adelaide city centre. The suburb is in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, the oldest South Australian local government municipality, with a city population over 34,000.-History:...
. Since the late 1990s, the company has been developing a retractable pontoon system for the float plane industry, which has been patented as Retractable Amphibious Pontoon Technology or RAPT.
RAPT system
The retractable float concept aims to reduce aerodynamic drag by folding the floats into a streamlined pannier under the fuselage of the aircraft. The reduction in drag improves performance of the aircraft and reduces its operating cost, such as fuel consumption. Reduction in drag also increases the range, payload, speed, and productivity of the aircraft. The drag reduction occurs due to the reduction of surface area exposed to the airstream and concealing the hydrodynamic features of the floats. It is designed as a retrofit, and is potentially capable of application to any existing aircraft. The technology has been applied on a one-sixth scale Cessna Caravan for concept-proving.Technical details
As of 2010, Dornier 228 NG is the first proposed aircraft to be retrofitted for the RAPT system, besides the small-scale Cessna. The retractable float system can be used in a wide range of aircraft including regional aircraft, utility aircraft, executive aircraft, military transports, VLJs, and UAVs. The University of AdelaideUniversity of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
, with assistance of the South Australian Government, has performed CFD analysis and other studies on the DHC-6 Twin Otter showing that the RAPT system would result in a significant cost benefit. Unlike traditional floats, RAPT pontoons are made of lightweight composite materials, but suffer additional mass penalties due to the electric, hydraulic and structural systems required to retract the pontoons. Total mass penalty has been estimated at 1420 lbs for a Dornier 228 NG variant (comparable to existing Wipline floats).
See also
- Float plane
- Amphibious aircraftAmphibious aircraftAn amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft that can take off and land on either land or water. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes that are equipped with retractable wheels, at the expense of extra weight and complexity, plus diminished range and fuel economy compared to planes...
- SeaplaneSeaplaneA seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
- Flying boats
- Dornier 228 NG