US student’s jet-powered drone hits 491 mph to claim world’s fastest-flight record

A jet-powered drone built in the dormitory of a U.S. university broke the world record for the fastest jet-powered aircraft, according to a social media post by the Georgia Tech aerospace engineering student Tomas Salvo.

​The aircraft, which he named Reaper, hit a speed of 491 miles per hour (790km/hr) and carried a payload of 2.6 pounds (1.2 Kg).

​The radio-controlled (RC) drone climbed a maximum height of 6500 feet, covering a total range of 31 miles at the full speed and maintained the flight at that speed for four minutes.

Smallest jet-powered drones

​He built three such models, and each of them achieved the record speed, Salvo said, claiming them to be “the world’s fastest small jet-powered drones.”

​The engineer added the aircraft he built can be launched either from a truck or railway track, reaching peak heights in less than 20 seconds.

​”Reaper can be rail- or truck-launched, climb to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in under 20 seconds, then fly for 50 km (31 mi) at full speed,” he posted on his social media account.

​In a video posted online, Salvo, along with two others, was seen demonstrating the launch from an open field, with screeching sounds heard in the background as the aircraft engine ignited before giving it a final thrust for the launch.

3D-printed titanium nozzle

​Built using 3D-printing, his aircraft has a titanium nozzle on its engine that replaces the stock nozzle. This allows the engine to sit comfortably much further forward and improves the center of gravity without adding extra weight in the frontal region. The exterior is made of custom-molded carbon fiber with a laser-cut internal structure, keeping it lightweight at a total of 11 pounds.

​Young engineers claimed record speeds, yet he is still far from reaching Mach 1, which stands at 767.3 mph (1,234.8 km/h).

​Earlier in October, a team of graduates from Bath University made a similar attempt to reach 0.8 Mach speeds with their 3D-printed, jet-powered remote-controlled aircraft, Kingchaser. The aircraft, which measured just under a meter, was made out of thermoplastics, Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol-modified (PETG), carbon fiber-reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (PPS-CF), carbon-fiber rods, and aluminum.

​It reached a top speed of 205 mph (330 km/hr) when propelled by a miniature jet turbine capable of generating 63 newtons (N) of thrust.

​The initial plan involved housing a 150 N jet engine to hit the speed of 614 mph (988km/h). However, the team opted to build a 20 percent larger craft that weighed nearly 20 pounds (9 Kg), heavier than Salvo’s reaper.

​The team also used Titanium in their design but limited it to the exhaust sheets to protect the aircraft from the engine’s heat. The main skeleton was composed of an aluminum frame and reinforced with steel to mount the engine.

​In the latest demonstration by the U.S. student on October 30, Reaper exceeded the peak speeds reached by Kingchaser by nearly 2.5 times, showcasing a robust engineering design and performance.

After his latest tests, Salvos was confident that he has built a reliable and repeatable system. He hopes to push the top speeds past 500 mph (800 km/hr) with small optimization tweaks during his future tests.

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/us-students-jet-powered-drone-world-record