*updating a thread with an Ekranoplan idea rather than starting a new one*
This was my idea of Alekseyev / Central Hydrofoil entering a competitor for a replacement to the Tu-114 turboprop airliner which in life was replaced with the IL-62 quad-jet.
So utilizing the same engines on a double-decker
This is the mockup. Lots of imperfections yet before final detail.
Recipe:
1 x A-90 Orlyonok 1:144 ZVEZDA
1 x Beriev Be-200
The Be-200 fuselage is sitting on top of the middle of the A-90.
Other inspirations:
-I always like the Tri-Jet layout. But this needing to out-carry the IL-62 being a double-decker it would use the WIG effect + 2 lift jets + 2 tail jets to get the passengers and fuel aloft for a long-haul flight, and then cruise on the tail jets.
-added the upturned-gull wing extensions to increase altitude over the other Alekseyev designs, allowing it to get somewhat close to speed/efficiency tradeoff of airliners when speed was of the essence (WIG are efficient but slow at sea level).
Pros:
-WIG effect got a much larger wide-body double-decker aloft with the same thrust as a narrow-body first-get quad-jet.
-can land anywhere there is water and utilize shipyards for areas of infrastructure as the USSR did not have the airport network the west was developing.
-cavernous interior that allowed high density or more comfort tradeoffs (similar to passenger An-22 proposals). Prototypes shown to politburo followed the early airliner theme of being more luxury cruise than money-maker (not having to compete in a free market).
Cons:
-no landing gear so different departure points from land-based aircraft.
-maintenance that plagued the DC-10 engine in the tail that cannot be dropped vertically like wing engines. Special dock facilities to pull up to / pull engines into hangars with forklifts from dry-docked plane.
-same issue the IL-62 had: only the outer nacelles had thrust reversers on them, so the outer engines would be due for maintenance when the inners were only at ~80% of their maintenance interval. In this case the lift jets and thrust jets would be run at different RPM for different flight modes (WIG vs high-altitude)
-in testing no quicker than turboprop, just higher capacity even in an all-bench/lounge layout.
Able to serve purpose of showing the world a Caspian Sea Monster with lush accomodations to demonstrate 'Soviet Technical Superiority' .... while highly subsidized and a major loss leader like so many others, Tu-144 Concordski, etc. Way more investment needed to keep it flying than it could pull in on the free market.
Economically unviable due to maintenance so mothballed as soon as USSR collapsed and made additional rusty museum pieces like Lun and Orlyonok. Same issues beyond the 90s with not having a direct 777/787/A330/A350 competitor on the open market where running cost is king.
But fond memories of seeing the Monster fly for anyone alive to see it....
