The Soviet Ekranoplan: The Ultimate Flying Boat

Flying should really be like "flying". But the clickbait is less strong like that, so here we are.
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[@CelloLinuxFellow]

Simon's beard is turning into a megaproject of its own.

[@xfinitytank]

IM SO HAPPY YOU LOWERED THE VOLUME OF THE TRANSITION MUSIC !!!

[@megaprojects9649]

I'M JUST HAPPY YOU'RE HAPPY.

[@volcom290x]

@@megaprojects9649 Simon, trust me, we're all happy. Olive you.

[@burningchrome70]

This is awesome.

[@BlueBirdsProductions]

I'm happy I won't lose my eardrums five times a video

[@bneskylights1152]

Oh yeah. It was definitely coming in like a truck before.

[@Death3336]

GEVs feel like tech out of time. Like, it's something that I can imagine would'veshould've been a stepping stone between naval travel and the first airplane but we just skipped it entirely.

[@megaprojects9649]

Alternate universe tech.

[@tsartomato]

consumer models are pretty popular in the north

[@Outsider25E]

I’d like to see an episode on Battleship Yamato.

[@DarkKatzy013]

Right that would be a good one

[@pottierkurt1702]

It sank without accomplishing anything.... video over.

[@TheBalto1925]

@@pottierkurt1702 The ekranoplans are no different. It is still a megaproject, and interesting from an engineering and historical point of view.

[@garfieldsmith332]

@@pottierkurt1702 It solidified the statement "size is not everything" and it accomplished a great drain on the Japanese steel industry. Not quite what the Japanese military wanted.

[@rubiconnn]

@@TheBalto1925 The ekranoplan was a unique vehicle though, nothing like it was ever built. The was just a battleship that was a little bigger than other ones.

[@Norhaxu]

I like how the units of measurement zig-zag randomly between imperial and metric, so I go "ok, so more than 0" :)

[@janhanchenmichelsen2627]

Alexeyev! A legendary constructor. My favourite, the small Volga Strela hydrofoil. Beyond cool. Even Nixon had one, a gift from Brezhnev.

[@o.k.productions5202]

A vessel that big travelling that fast would be freaking terrifying in battle

[@profdc9501]

"My hovercraft is full of eels." - Hungarian Tourist

[@DinsdalePiranha67]

Drop your panties, Sir William, I cannot wait until lunchtime!

[@svenmorgenstern9506]

Bouncy, bouncy...

[@CaptHollister]

Did his nipples explode with delight ?

[@74aztlan]

Best sentence ever said by man.

[@reggiep75]

My tired mind couldn't remember where was from so I looked around... Yep, I remember now.. :-D

[@zylaaeria2627]

Small scale Ekranoplan drone swarms seem like they could be a terrifying idea.

[@jameskubica5463]

You should do a video on the Antonov an-225. Largest cargo plane in the world. Might be an interesting topic.

[@operator0]

Largest plane in the world, of any type.

[@enigmasshadow9435]

Do it

[@Tigermoto]

He said that it was coming this week

[@gruffen2222]

Aslong as he does the mechanics of it

[@will3346]

operator0 not exactly correct as it depends on how you define largest. If going by weight than yes it is. However if going by wingspan than the stratolaunch is larger.

[@BRUXXUS]

I've looked into these before. Apparently they're extremely difficult to turn. Don't want a wingtip striking the water at 200mph. One of the biggest reasons the idea of GEVs never really went anywhere.

[@Crymogaea]

It's not that they're difficult to turn, it simply takes a while to do as you'd effectively just be banking.

[@nocensorship8092]

yea and I'd imagine they'd have seriously trouble if a storm came up and the waves got too big

[@jaypaint4855]

That setback was difficult to turn back from

[@TinyBearTim]

It’s not hard to turn its slow to turn

[@jamiehenson7190]

SIMON!!! YOU SHOULD DO AN UPDATE VIDEO FOR THIS THE CASPIAN SEA MONSTER LIVES!! IT HAS BEEN PULLED FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE CASPIAN SEA!!

[@Arevernus]

Yes Bald and bankrupt did a video 8 months ago. (Hunting the Caspian Sea Monster)

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:50 - Chapter 1 - The caspian sea monster 2:35 - Chapter 2 - A ground effect vehicle 5:45 - Chapter 3 - The KM 8:35 - Chapter 4 - In operation 10:25 - Chapter 5 - Lun class ekranoplan 12:30 - Chapter 6 - The spasatel 14:05 - Chapter 7 - Future

[@jaypaint4855]

THANKS BRO

[@stevenwhoward87]

An idea: the Soviet's N1 rocket. Great references to use are: "Russia In Space" by Anatoly Zak, "For the Moon and Mars N-1" by Matthew Johnson and Nick Stevens

[@user-ld6is4ni3d]

YES PLEASE. THE N1 DOESNT GET THE LOVE IT DESERVED

[@atomicskull6405]

Interesting story related to the N1, the Roscosmos engineers got the bugs worked out of the engines just before the Kremlin ordered everything destroyed and buried. Not wanting all that work to go to waste they mothballed them in a warehouse instead and 40 years later they were purchased and used by Aerojet in the Delta V. What Aerojet learned from those engines is that Russia had perfected closed cycle rocket engines decades ago while the west had deemed the technology unworkable and just went with less efficient open cycle engines. And in fact the west finally learned how you could make a functioning closed cycle engine from studying the 1960's era russian design in the 1990's. The N1 engines were so good that Aerojet continued to use them into the 2000's until they ran out, then contracted an updated version from Roscosmos.

[@marcinzielen7393]

Steven W Howard I agree😀 It would be great, to see a video about this!

[@antoniomaglione4101]

The RD-170, and the current RD-180. Still a wonder with 300 atm chamber pressure. The newer full-flow engines (both oxygen and fuel rich) will only add few percent to their efficiency.

[@megaprojects9649]

This is coming :). I proof read the script yesterday, so it'll probably be out in 2 to 3 weeks!

[@attorneyrobert]

There are many stories from WWII of pilots in the Pacific using ground effect to flow low over the ocean and extend the fuel range/speed of damaged aircraft to return to base.

[@SRW_]

I imagine when krushev said the plane can jump over bridges the other soviets were like “we gotta get a new leader....”

[@speede_cms8812]

You should do a video about the B-36 peace maker. Massive flyies high somewhat fast and well armed. And you gotta say "6 turning 4 burning".

[@danieljob3184]

"Release the Ekranoplan!" Yep, I can imagine Kruschev saying something like that!

[@mrpink8951]

Woo!!! Glad to see a video about this. And on a side note, can you imagine Khrushchev sitting in the cockpit of one of these and telling a nervously sweating pilot "now, jump over that bridge!"

[@That_Thicc_Cat]

Could you please make a video on the Union Pacific Big Boy, it’s the biggest steam locomotive ever

[@operator0]

@Lucky the black cat Union Pacific has just completed restoration of a working model. UP 4014 is now the largest steam locomotive in operation, although it was not the largest steam locomotive to ever operate. That honor goes to the Yellowstone locomotive of the Northern Pacific Railway. The Yellowstone was certainly not as successful as the Big Boy. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqnYlHaZmt2Ufas

[@awolfalone2006]

@Lucky the black cat That is an Allegheny 2-6-6-6. More powerful than the Big Boy, but not as fast.

[@xara505]

I'd love to see Simon and co. throw together an informative video on the UP Big Boy!

[@jasonhesson1030]

And it's diesel electric brother the UP EMD 'Centennial'

[@matttomlinson3899]

Simon, love the work on all of your channels. BTW that beard is looking magnificent man! Big thanks for the entertainment from Halls Head Western Australia.

[@megaprojects9649]

Thanks :)

[@jacobhuff3748]

I remember this, if I remember correctly it was designed to sneak under radar and then lauch anti-ship missiles. If you're going to do more on Chimera vehicles then please do video on the V-22 Osprey. The "Heliplane" as I call it.

[@atomicskull6405]

I call it a mediocre airplane that turns into a mediocre helicopter. Problem with tiltrotors is that you have to compromise between disk loading in hover mode and prop drag in forward flight and there is literally no way you can engineer around this problem.

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

@@atomicskull6405 Mediocre? Your conclusion is way off base.

[@jacobhuff3748]

Seriously, you're focus on an engineering design rather than what capability this vehicle can give to a military operation. It's designed to fulfill a hybrid role in areas where more traditional planes and helicopter have problems.

[@phalanx3803]

Heliplane good description but not what the FAA is going with. i dont know about the V22 but the AW609 is going under a new category called Powered Lift its been a fair few years since the FAA made a whole new aircraft category.

[@phalanx3803]

@@atomicskull6405 every aircraft has a down side take an A380 it can transport a fuck tonne of people at one time but it needs a tonne of room to land and move around and its highly inefficient if its not carry many passengers. then helicopters have one massive pro they can land almost anywhere with in reason but they are slow and have less range compared to planes. a Tilt Rotor / Powered Lift Aircraft is a jack of all trades good at all master of none it can land almost anywhere a heli can and it can reach speeds and range close to a plane. one big place i see for Powered Lift is in search and rescue it can search much further then a heli like a plane and then hover and effect a rescue something a search plane cant do. for the foreseeable future Powered Lift isn't gonna replace helis or planes but its gonna fill the gap.

[@ninehundreddollarluxuryyac5958]

Wing in ground effect is most effective when the vehicle is huge. Otherwise, you need calm seas. Things get bumpy, then dangerous when waves get much longer then wing width. They were so secret that there was a death penalty for even mentioning Ekranoplan. One of the most challenging problems was because ground effect induced so little drag, machines would quickly reach high speeds followed by a brief excursion into actual flight out of ground effect where speed dropped very fast leading to stall. The huge tail fixed that, but required constant attention by pilots. Alexeyev also designed the hydrofoil river taxis seen on the Volga river. Several models of those were built, all look like something out of "the jetsons" futuristic cartoons. These are very large and go very fast while burning little fuel. They are way ahead of their time, ahead of our current time actually. There are several of them sitting unmaintained in a dry storage area near the river. Those would make awesome mega-yachts with top speeds around 70 MPH.

[@neilgoodman2885]

Dear $900 yachtsman, I wonder if a computer were put in charge of the "jiggles" that the vehicle could be much more manageable (and, presumably could handle high seas). ???

[@grevberg]

There is a viking saying "don't praise the day until it's over, the wine until you drank it, a woman until you had her and don't hit the like button until you seen the video!"

[@funkybeans7083]

I'd love to see a video on the Soviet Duga Woodpecker. That would be right up Megaprojects Street!

[@KeithKickflipmanualBennett]

Hi Simon. Love all of your work. Keith from Perth western Australia 🇦🇺

[@silk1435]

Perth as well

[@megaprojects9649]

Thanks :)

[@KeithKickflipmanualBennett]

@Rory TAYLOR hu? Can you repeat that to me in a coherent sentence.

[@--enyo--]

@@KeithKickflipmanualBennett I think he's referencing the TV show. Maybe? Who knows. Hi from the virus land AKA Melbourne.

[@14rs2]

Could you do a video on the Thames barrier?!?

[@deusexaethera]

Oh, I can tell you why the Ekranoplan never gained popularity: It's a solution in search of a problem. If you need to transport heavy cargo across the ocean, a cargo ship can carry far more cargo and thus be more economical -- while each individual item on a cargo ship might take a long time to reach its destination, the number of packages transported to their destinations _per second and per dollar spent_ are vastly higher than they could ever be with Ekranoplans. If you need to transport heavy cargo across land, trains or trucks are the only reasonable solutions because flying 10 feet above the ground over land usually results in crashing into a tree, a mountain, or someone's house. (just ask anyone who flies RC airplanes.) If you need to transport cargo around the world in a day, airplanes can already do that, and very little cargo needs to be transported that quickly so an enormous economy of scale is unnecessary. And lastly, if for some reason you _specifically_ need a a very fast _boat,_ hydrofoils are more efficient and safer than Ekranoplans. Ekranoplans would only be more practical than other over-sea transport systems in an alternate universe where water is significantly less dense and therefore unable to support heavy cargo ships.

[@julianshepherd2038]

But it's so cool.

[@v0w1x2]

I believe the original intent was to provide a rapid amphibious assault vehicle similar to , say, the Marine Corps hovercraft. It would be much faster and capable of heavier cargo loading, ideal for the Caspian, Mediterranean or Baltic areas. I, for one, admire how the Soviets were trying to think "outside of the box".

[@peregreena9046]

Not so much "a solution in search of a problem", more like "the worst of both worlds". While ships can steam through strong winds and heavy seas and aircraft can fly over them, ground effect vehicles cannot hope to survive in such conditions. Being surface craft, they cannot hope to sneak through modern early warning systems undetected. And once detected, their slow speed and limited maneuverability compared to aircraft makes them easy prey for interceptors. And they basicly have two speeds: near standstill before they climb on the ground effect, and high speed with limited maneuverability once they get going. there is no "half speed" option. Trying to use them as fast ferries on busy waterways would be challenging, to say the least.

[@Thamian]

The notion of using them for search and rescue (specifically sub surface search and rescue) seems like it would probably come closest to a reasonable use for an ekranoplan - high speed (higher even than a hydrofoil) and potentially quite a lot of load carrying capacity allowing for response to submarine disasters both quickly enough and with the requisite equipment to actually stand a chance of saving people. Sea states would be the main problem - rough seas would rule out their deployment, just as surely as rough seas would be more likely to produce a call *for* their deployment. Even then, that is a *very* specific niche and so would be highly unlikely to ever be seen in anything approaching wide use - even in the case where deep sea mining takes off, most of the proposals for that involve remote vehicles with humans staying on the surface.

[@themightymoose5047]

F-35 or F-22 would be a good project. the F-35 definitely fits the over budget aspect of a megaproject.

[@jdrissel]

Let us hope that whatever comes after the F35 is less cutting edge and more consolidation of the successful aspects of the F22 and F35 and the end of the line for the less successful experiments - AND that we get to build another fighter plane after the F35.

[@tofton1977]

The F-35 is the biggest con since US sold the F-104 to Nato members back in the 60's!

[@erichvonfalkenhayn6077]

The final form of the F-35 still isn't complete and I think there has been talks of scrapping the entire project. The billion dollar program is WAY over budget but I personally think it needs to be completed. That said, I think the aircraft itself being a "joint strike" fighter is the main reason its production has been hamstrung and may not be completed in the foreseeable future. The F-35 is still a fascinating piece of what makes up the "aerial stealth" chess game that many nations are playing in our current day. I think it would be an awesome mega project to cover! I believe China has been working on a similar fighter too. I'm drawing a blank on the name but I think it is the JU-22? Also, I'm pretty sure Russia and India have a collaborative contract to build and distribute something comparable to the F-35 but at a "budget" price to anyone who wants to buy it. Any of those next generation stealth fighters would be great to cover at some point in the future! What's also weird to me is that I think the technology of stealth itself is going to be obsolete soon(IMHO). Perhaps that's a mega project to cover, taking into consideration what the technology has done over the last 70+ years.

[@Thaidory]

F-35 would make a title like "an aircraft for a price of an aircraft carrier".

[@thomasdupont1346]

I swear you've been living in my head. The last 4 videos have all been items I was thinking of suggesting and just hadn't gotten around to it. :D THANK YOU!

[@megaprojects9649]

I take a lot of suggestions from the popular comments :)

[@listerdave1240]

@8:10 Worth noting that the eight engines at the front are used only during takeoff. Once it is off the surface the drag decreases so much that the two engines at the back are more than sufficient and the front engines are shut down. If I remember correctly at a later stage they had fitted some kind of retractable covering for the front engine intakes to reduce drag when they are not in use.

[@doubleyouwes]

This was awesome man, I have a newfound interest now. I absolutely love this chanel

[@michaelmiguelsanchez]

Smashed that like button, had to as “Simon says, smash that like button.”

[@nunyobidniz]

Nice one. Surprised I've never seen that before on one of Simon's videos.

[@mitchellforbes4716]

Ground effect is also used in some race cars to create downforce rather than lift like in these GEV's. It was effective enough to get banned in formula one not long after the first few teams started using it

[@seb9940]

Lol ground effect is still used in F1 but not so much as before those rule changes...

[@sportsmag6148]

The new regs for 2022 are using a version of ground effects in an effort to help solve the vortices/dirty air problem.

[@mukinfagic69]

Technically its venturi effect in race cars rather than ground effect I believe.

[@SIX-SH00T3R]

love your channels! keep up the good work!

[@J0man1]

Thanks Simon! So glad you decided to do a video on the Ekranoplan. I think World in Conflict was my introduction to it. At the time I thought it was a fictional construct for the game. Excellent as always sir.

[@laztoth3104]

I LOVE THIS CHANNEL AND ALL THE OTHERS. SIMON WHISTLER THE MAN WITH THE MOST CHANNELS ON U-TUBE KEEP THEM COMING 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@andrewgannon4530]

I was born in Nizhny and this checks out without a doubt. I’m glad we tried Komrades.....

[@actionknight93]

From Wikipedia: "In December 2020 a successful recovery operation resulted in the ekranoplan being hauled out of the water, nose-first, with the tail ending up about 20-30 m (65-100 ft) from the sea, as seen from satellite imagery. The ekranoplan was towed ashore on 30 December 2021."

[@thephantomharanguer]

10:33 - holy moly, them stubby wings are dragging water big time. Moar power, Scotty

[@Kobaneko2005]

"Never heard of ground effect vehicle" = "I didn't play a certain Metal Gear game."

[@Bigdeathy]

Metal... Gear?

[@Vyppaaa11]

In his defense, the over land performance depicted in MGS3 is BUUUUUUUUUUUUULLSHIT

[@TheRagingStorm98]

Or Lotus ground effect F1 cars

[@RikoJAmado]

I’m hearing mobile Gardens from Final Fantasy 8.

[@Attaxalotl]

*Spy Music Intensifies* *SNAKE DON'T EAT THE ####### DOG!* *TIME PARADOX!* *THIS TIME I'VE GOT TWELVE. SHOTS.*

[@will3346]

I highly suggest anyone who comes out of this video interested in gev, to do research beyond just the Russian ekranoplans. While Simon does a great job he mainly focuses on the Straight wing Alexeyev style. Lippisch’s reverse delta wing was far superior in terms of stability and it’s worth learning about.

[@ghostofluck1811]

Hello Simon, and crew! Awesome video yet again!

[@Switchbak]

Your beard just keeps getting better. I have been fascinated by Ekranoplan for years. Thank you for this.

[@thephantomharanguer]

Howard Hugh's spruce goose is only shown 'flying" in ground effect, errr, water effect

[@francisboyle1739]

Maybe that was the plan all along. You only have to get out of the water to be safe from u-boats!

[@fredlougee2807]

Once a flying boat is out of the water 90% of the drag is eliminated. The pilot actually REDUCES throttle at this point because he does not need as much to climb out as he did to get airborne. Hughes got that thing in the air. That meant that it easily had the power to climb to altitude.

[@zontafer1201]

I'd like to see an episode on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. It's expected to be the most expensive structure ever built and will likely allow life-changing scientific research when it's completed.

[@bondisteve3617]

Great work Simon...thanks so much!

[@brianrunyon266]

Nice one. First heard of it in a documentary a TV channel did on some Soviet secret Cold War weapons.

[@LokiSavage1]

Probably just a coincidence but I requested a video about this a few days ago! I think another great video idea would be about The UK's Blue Peacock Atomic mine project. It would have relied on live chickens to regulate temperature in a nuclear bomb Edit: Simon actually did a video about this on the Today I Found Out channel! Still deserving of a longer video imo

[@alexanderkueffler2440]

I’d like to see an episode about the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri USA.

[@STR82DVD]

Great stuff Simon. Keep the hits coming.

[@gersonboav1]

I LOVE this channel !!!!! Simon, you are absolutelly awesome!

[@commonavionics6069]

Please do the Boeing 747 “Queen of the Skies” as Boeing is now sadly ending production on the aircraft. 50 years of production and will fly many more.

[@MotoroidARFC]

At least she stayed in production longer than her competitors that had more than two engines. Still has a year of work before the final one leaves the factory. Maybe someone will order one or two freighters before the end though that's sadly unlikely. 😑

[@obelic71]

@@MotoroidARFC the 777-XF is already sold as an replacement for the 747 The 747-8F program is also a victim of the corona airlines mayhem crisis. Lots of cheap well maintained passenger 747's are now available for freighter conversions and parts.

[@MotoroidARFC]

@@obelic71 that's right, a large twin engine jet will beat a quad engine jet. Improvements in engine technology was what put an end to the Queen's reign, not another quad or tri engine jet.

[@altergreenhorn]

Funny fact parents of the main B 747 engineer Joe Sutter came to the US from the same country as Flotus is

[@obelic71]

@@altergreenhorn Nicolai Tesla and Ferdinand porsche also came from that part of the (till 1918) Austrian Hunganrian Empire. Lots of science, high tech enginering and medical achievements were achieved there Also look what that region achieved with super low supllies during the soviet era. They were never dumb people

[@bobjackson4720]

A huge amount of innovation is lost when, all too frequently the funding is withdrawn.

[@evelynlangille9481]

Hydrofoils. It was a small footnote in this piece, but I might suggest a look at a unique Canadian hydrofoil warship. It was the Bras D'Or. For a time in the late 1960's and early '70's it was the world's fastest ship, moving at wildly fast speeds. It was also uniquely named after a series of lakes in Cap Breton (part of Nova Scotia) where Alexander Graham Bell built and tested one of the first hydrofoils in around 1918. You did the Avro Arrow, have a look at the Bras D'Or and it's predecessor the HD-4.

[@victorbosch9197]

You have always interesting stories to tell us. Thank

[@pierre-mariecaulliez6285]

Is it a plane ? is it a boat ? Well... That's easy enough : it's a hydroplane ! We haven't seen those for a while (outside of canadairs), but they DO exist !

[@jamesjames8174]

"a german was placed in charge" what a nice way of putting it. Almost as good as "uncle joe"

[@teekey1754]

German from "Operation Paperclip" ?

[@BodhiCalypso]

L O (understated) L!

[@bimsbarkas]

Yes, he was a paperclipper.

[@altergreenhorn]

@@teekey1754 Of course as for other great "US" stuff: Fritz X Horton Ho 229 V-2 1229 vampir and, and, and.... almost forget there is one Soviet thing too just happen to be bought by Lockheed when soviets fall apart (1990) namely Yak 141 wonder what happened with those plans

[@teekey1754]

@@altergreenhorn Russians never sell such stuff.

[@STEVE151079]

I asked for this one- thank you Simon and team!!! 😊👍🏻

[@antoniomaglione4101]

Thanks for the video. I had heard of the ground effect vehicles, as an evolution of the flying boat, but never seen it before. The entire concept of challenging an aircraft carrier with a large Ground Effect vehicle is ludicrous, require a lot of fantasy, but is now lost in time, with the newer interconnected assets concept. Again thanks...

[@ozarktheshark8931]

Last time I was this early Stalingrad was still under siege

[@drosselmeyer76]

Imagine trying to pilot something going 300 mph, 5 meters off the ground for several hundred miles

[@RustedCroaker]

Now it will be a piece of cake with an extensive use of computer aid, but at the time...

[@frankalbe8996]

That's well and good but waves are much taller than that on the high seas. Also, how did it turn? An airplane banks and looses altitude. Makes me wonder if the Spruce Goose flew low and straight using ground effect.

[@skizzik121]

@@frankalbe8996 it's almost guaranteed the Spruce Goose had ground effect going on. A million years ago I read a paper from someone I can't remember and title escapes me at the moment that stated if attempted over land it wouldn't have flown. If I remember it I will come back and @ you with the name on this thread

[@paxwallacejazz]

It flys itself you clearly don't understand ground effect.

[@daveriddlelin9327]

@@paxwallacejazz at that time pilots had to control attitude closely. It was not hands free flying by any means. It was exhausting

[@stephenfrizza]

Im so glad you made a video on this suggestion! Thank you for making this!

[@arrond316]

Bro, this is good stuff. You are very talented. I also love Biographics, Geographics... what other channels do you master?

[@therammsteinboys]

Another idea: the japanese yamato class of super battleships, their history is very interesting

[@megaprojects9649]

Coming soon!

[@--enyo--]

Ha ha ha, I see this suggestion come up so much I didn't think he could ignore it much longer. ;)

[@holeephuk]

I just smashed that like button..

[@glyph241]

Would Smash Again?

[@nunyobidniz]

@@glyph241 repeatedly. Frequently do, in fact. Would expand further on the subject, but that like button isn't going to smash itself 73 times. (damn, I go through so many phones)

[@Lord_Foxy13]

... Allegedly

[@steeljawX]

Quick DIY demonstration of ground effect for those who still don't get it. If you fold a paper airplane and then toss it as smooth and straight as you can, you'll notice as it gets down to "land" it'll suddenly pitch up or gain altitude briefly. That's due to it hitting that "ground effect cushion" that ekranoplans were able to capitalize on. If you threw the same plane really close to the ground, if it's still in flying condition, it should pitch up not just due to the speed you're throwing it, but because it moving so close to the ground is creating ground effect. DIY try it at home. The ekranoplan was just this but heavy enough that it absolutely wants to sink down but has enough speed and wing surface to catch that ground effect and keep it on top of it. Have fun for the next . . . . 2-10 minutes.

[@richardwallinger1683]

as always a super presentation .. so informed .

[@grahamrushin4384]

We need a modern day Chinese version so I can get my ebay items here a bit quicker

[@FormerGovernmentHuman]

The USSR was our greatest rival. We are lost without them.

[@mrbyzantine0528]

That's a definite truth! America went from rivaling the Soviets to tearing itself apart.

[@brotherjim3051]

This is still my favorite episode. Between you, real engineering, curious droid, mustard, and the dark series, I learn quite a bit.

[@st.denysthemartyr791]

The Handley Page Victor is one of those uniquely 💪🏾British💪🏾aircraft that doesn't get a lot of attention online...and I can't think of anyone more qualified to tell her story than you, Simon. The V-bombers would make an amazing addition to the Megaprojects line-up - as one vid, or (preferably) as a series. Just an idea. Keep doing what you do, Simon...you're a hero 🤜✌️

[@Greyman1114]

GPS Ford class air craft carrier Autobahn Us interstate system Enigma machine A10

[@RAD6150]

😂 He sais one, not all! Trying to get a producer credit? 😉

[@scottstewart5784]

I just smashed. Now I'm going to hit the like button.

[@ztoob8898]

Point of physics pedantry: The altitude limit of the ground effect is not an absolute number, but is generally considered to be equal to half the wingspan between the ground and the bottom surface of the wing. So a U-2R (wingspan: 103 feet) can fly in ground effect to a much higher altitude than can a Pitts Special (wingspan: 19 feet). The closer you are to the ground, the more pronounced the effect. At 50% of wingspan above the surface (i.e., 51.5 feet for the U-2R), the reduction in drag coefficient is roughly 10%. At 10% of the wingspan (10.3 feet for the U2-R) the reduction is more like 50%. This is one of several reasons U-2R's are notoriously difficult to land: they simply do not want to.

[@johnburns4017]

Ground effect vehicles are superb for a ferry over local seas. The Irish and Baltic Seas for example. The Liverpool to Dublin run looks ideal maybe covering the 110 miles in around 20 minutes. They can rise quite high when seeing a ship or object in the way. They are fast, can be very large and economical. They can go faster than high speed rail trains, cheaper to run, and no rails or overhead wires. They can be on special corridors on land. As a train takes its energy from overhead wires using a pickup (catenary), these can take electricity from a ground rail. It can run on electric fans with battery backup when off he ground pickup rail. London to Liverpool in 45 minutes.

[@krocodockle2544]

S.H.I.E.L.D Carrier: Hold my beer...

[@docadams1]

Thanks for covering this topic. I've been a fan of this idea for several years. I'd like to see a solar-powered prototype once the battery technology and avionics advance a bit more.

[@_Abjuranax_]

Current hovercraft use ground effect technology, and the US has landing craft that replaced the old boats with ramps going on the beach into combat. Modern race cars also incorporate ground effects into the designs, and even the humble Yugo car came with a "Sporty Package" option that added ground effect looking skirts around the small vehicle. But since the Yugo was so cheap to begin with, most buyers opted not to add it to their cars, as it was useless, and the Yugo was by no means a sports car by any stretch of the imagination.

[@DinsdalePiranha67]

Since you brought up race cars..... wonder if the Lotus 79 qualifies as a megaproject?

[@phantomechelon3628]

Heh. Anything to do with weird Cold War technology pushes all the right buttons with Simon. Glad he got around to doing this. Ekranoplans were / are a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist. Think they're a niche / novelty vehicle at best...which is a shame because they are so cool. FYI modern F1 cars use ground effect technology, but in this case its the opposite of how ekranoplans use it - i.e. to increase downforce to help them stay on track, rather than generating lift.

[@CanisAnubis]

Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II would be a cool military craft project

[@ajpt4336]

The acranoplan in general can be called a flying ship, when the water is stable, it can rise from the sea surface when it is traveling at high speed thanks to the turbines in the front where its front and rear wings act like a huge plane, but when the sea water is unstable, it behaves like a ship but at a high speed thanks to its streamlined design The Ikranoplan is used to transport the largest number of soldiers or armored vehicles to the beaches in a short time during the landing, instead of using other means such as transport planes.

[@588148]

glad you're back simon

[@LeonBaldock]

Great video. Very much like something out of Thunderbirds. I remember being in school and hearing rumours about mysterious UFO ships in the North Sea or some where. Oh the world before google and the Internet.

[@goodchessactor]

The Anancranapan was a surgical instrument used by the famous surgeons Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, and Dr. Howard. They also used the Pittleditata. They were very successful.

[@calisthenicsharmony1767]

Man this guy and his way of communicating makes any topic so interesting.............😃😄

[@LU-nc6oy]

The Best channels on KZbin thanks Simon and the other dudes

[@bicyclist2]

I saw a really good documentary on these back in 2018. The airlines should have gotten interested used them as replacements for ferries. It's sad we didn't have anything like this in the US. I hope the idea doesn't go away, and that someone is able to keep the idea alive. Thanks.

[@xXLtDudeXx]

I think a follow on video on the only Ground Effect Vehicle to actually enter service. The Iranian Bavar 2, a 2-seater (allegedly) semi-stealth military GEV that entered active duty in 2010. As always thanks for all the excellent content a across all your teams channels Simon. 👍

[@Ayrshore]

22 seconds in, I'm not even going to watch this tonight, but I'm already clicking the like button. I love Ekranoplans and I know your video is going to be great when I get back to watch it.

[@L4JP]

Correction at 3:00: Ground effect is not "a cushion of trapped air", although that's a common misconception because that's what it feels like when you're flying in ground effect (I flew hang gliders for 14 years and could always feel it before landing). It is actually due to the ground/water interrupting the wingtip vortices, thus reducing the induced drag.

[@whydoineedaname11]

always loved these things. one of the coolest weird projects to come out of the cold war.

[@AndrewTJackson]

I'd love to see a video on the construction of the Voortrekker Monument complex (huge granite structure in South Africa) and how it's positioned for the sun to shine through it and hit the centre at EXACTLY correct angle on 16 December at noon every year, please.

[@dmac7128]

The Ekranoplan wasn't built to counter aircraft carriers. Rather they built it to explore faster, ways of transporting amphibious forces than using traditional amphibious transport ships like LPDs, LSTs or LHA's.

[@AirWolfAT6]

This was a great idea guys. I wish you touched more on the Orlyonok.

[@MarshFlyFightWin]

Do you think you could do a video on the Nevada-Class Battleships as both ships had interesting careers. One of which USS Nevada tried to escape Pearl Harbor, fought at D-Day , Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, and survived 2 atomic bombs. I would say that's a mega ship.

[@tonycocacola5555]

Finally, I've been waiting for this for a while. 😁

[@dakkan5433]

Wow great and detailed video! I wonder why no one ever tried to dive down where the original ekranoplan lies and tried to get some images of it in some kind of salvage effort probably disintegrated by now

[@davidgermain]

after doing some reading around this a few years ago. bad weather is an issue - if the wave height is irregular you get very irregular lift and very high probability of a massive very high speed crash into water - which i will add is pretty solid it those speeds. So it good for very large lakes with consistent wave height (which you can plan for) - but that is a very small use case.

[@dreamburn1]

I’ve been enjoying your videos for a while now. Thought I’d comment. You are fantastic. You seem like a person that would be really fun to be around. I enjoy watching/listening to your stuff. Keep up the great work, Simon. Cheers. I must add this question… How many “pound forces” do the “mosquito guided missiles” produce? ;-P. :-D