TURBO EXHAUST INSTALLATION PROGRESSING – March 25, 2019
The stainless-steel exhaust system is being welded together specially for the Switchblade. The pipes shown in the image above are now connected to the turbo charger (not shown), and also run from the turbo to the mufflers at the rear. The mufflers were placed where we would have a short run from the turbo for minimal weight, and the final exhaust exits up high at the rear through the engine cooling duct. This will provide lots of cooling air past the mufflers where they are close to carbon skins. Carbon fiber parts are sensitive to temperature, so we will need to cool the carbon with airflow and protect these surfaces with insulation.
Remember that the Switchblade has to operate on the ground as well as the air, so it needs to be reasonably quiet while running. Aircraft engines are quite noisy, and have no muffler like cars have. That just would not work for a combined ground/air vehicle.
