The RFB Fantrainer; Making a Basic Trainer Handle Like a Jet 

I remember these from an ancient Observers Book Of Aircraft, published some time in the '70's. They looked so futuristic nearly 50 years ago.

The RFB fan trainer was a great concept. Cheap to operate and build and maintain. Ed, thanks for the upload.

It's not the placement of the engine closer to the center of gravity that made it handle more like a jet, it's is the reduction in propeller induced yaw due to the ducted fan. That and the fuselage as a flow splitter must have all but eliminated the spiral slipstream effect on the vertical stabilizer.

you answered a question i didnt even know i wanted the answer to.... thanks as always👌👌👌👌

That fan trainer is such a cool idea

Aw yeah, more Ed Nash. The best.

Remember seeing this in an Observer's book in the mid-70s. Thought it looked really cool

I wonder if they'd be cheap enough for General Aviation. Something more interesting than a Cessna and the like. Thanks for making this video - I've walked past the Fantrainers at the Museum numerous times on the way to more interesting stuff like their Spitfire and Mig 21, and always wondered what the story was behind them.

Speaking of obscure Trainer Aircraft, have you heared about the HFB 320 Hansajet? Germanys first jet-powered Passenger plane which, of course, had forward-swept wings. The Bundeswehr used the HFB 320 ECM variant as trainer for electronic warfare.

My personal favorite trainer is the SAAB SK60

First time I saw an image of this plane, I thought it was a science fiction concept!

The photo at :46 looked like an attempt to give a sailplane an auxiliary power plant, and that sleek little Fanliner...stimulated...the pilot in me. That RFB/Rockwell 'Fanranger' looks like an attempt to shrink the T-2 Buckeye down a bit.

I'm a German living in Germany and aviation enthusiast but I've never heard about this trainer until just now! Thanks for the interesting video about a great concept. Happy to hear it gets a 2nd chance.

Only learned of this plane a year ago. I absolutely love the design and would love the fly one. I could only imagine how fun it would be

While it might not be a hot rod, something tells me this would be a really fun plane to fly.

Full points for intro joke. Well done.

This is probably the most economical plane design I've ever seen.

​@EdNashsMilitaryMatters >>> 👍👍

Who doesn't see this as an ideal drone platform? This is a plane I'd love to see re-examined.

I noticed the wing was mid wing configuration., good for having less aerodynamic drag but problematic in small aircraft because the wing structure goes through the middle of the fuselage limiting space and seating to front of the wing. Interestingly also having a mid mounted engine allows for a larger fuselage forward of the wing, so that addresses that problem.

Quite surprised such aircraft once had a Rotary Wankel for an engine, imagine the noise it must've made in the sky.

One of those "three still flying" is stationed at my local airport I fly out from. It is currently under maintance. It really does have a unique sound, very high pitch.

Ooh! Ahora veo la base de diseño del entrenador jet argentino IA63 "PAMPA", tiene su mismo perfil de fuselaje y planta alar, incluso el tren de aterrizaje!.

Lol I always wonder what this weird little aircraft was doing in the rtaf museum. Thanks for the story!

I really like how you are covering lesser known aircraft from lesser known manufacturers used by countries outside of Europe and North America. Any chance of covering the CT4 family of trainers?

Loving this, thanks Ed!

Thanks Ed. Gone but not quite forgotten . I would really like it to succeed !

great series of Fans ! always looks as if you could vector / swivel rear fuselage to steer .

Hard to believe that aircraft is nearly 50 years old!

Remember seeing this at Farnborough. Great concept.

Great idea for modern electric motors

Most interesting. Thanx a thousand!

I'm a fan , excellent stuff. Ed 👌

Wow what a cool plane

Muito interessante! Gratidão pelo vídeo e pelas informações!🌟

Okay so its not a military aircraft but have you ever considered doing a video on the Jim Bede BD-5J......you know,the little jet hidden in the fake horse box and used by James Bond in the movie "octopussy"

The concept is a good one, in many respects. Especially the modular construction and commonality of parts with high performance variants. See, The Aerialis Project currently underway.

really pretty aircraft

What a deal.....Thanks Mr. Ed Nash...... Shoe🇺🇸

That trainers call number is literally "D-EATR" 😆

Interesting video the only other ducted plane I remember was the edgley ea 7 I think that had a helicopter cabin they used for survey work

I've never seen this cutie before. Thanks for sharing !

There was another model: the Fankiller. It was a variant with a 21 foot, foldable prop/fan that had the fan shaft of the engine continue to the back of the aircraft. When the pilot wanted to use the aircraft for ground attack? He/she would fold out the 21 foot rear props (made of kevlar-tipped carbon fiber), activate the fan and proceed to mow down any troops that were unlucky enough to be in the way. A prototype was modified and a demonstration commenced. Unfortunately, the pilot mistook the military brass for the 'dummies' that were to be 'killed' by the Fankiller. And ended up beheading several onlookers. Needless to say - this ended the program. Just kidding. I couldn't resist. Seriously, I knew nothing of this Ed. Thank you. ☮

Always loved the shape and conceppt of this aircraft. It was a great video to watch and learn some very enterrtaining and cool stuff. Indeed the fan trainer using modern technology could sell a few 100 to some smaller countries.

Great video as always. Perhaps the Edgly Optica would make a good companion video with it having a similar general layout.

The ALphajet and Hawk are also COIN/Light Attack aircraft when equipped with gunpods or ground attack weapons

Great video! BTW you have to see UL-39 Albi created by Faculty of Aviation Prague in cooperation with "LA composite" and "JIHLAVAN airplanes" inspired by L-39 Albatros.

This is still a valid concept, would make sense for a lot of air forces even today

Thanks for covering this Ed, always had such a softspot for these weird little things but wasn’t aware of their full service history. ( Didn’t know there was a later company- as it happens only recently did it cross my mind the rise of lighter weight more efficient electric motor maybe a similar design with electric power plant might make a comeback sometime soon...🤔)

great looking plane

Genius I love it.

I would love 10 hours of lessons in one.

Good video on a unique design, on a side note have you seen the Aeralis modular design that is being proposed in the Uk?

Unreal. I said to myself the only way the Fantrainer could possibly be cooler would be for it to use Wankel rotaries. And there it is. Astounding.

I was really hoping for this. That last video of yours was the first I had heard of the Fantrainer and it looked cool! Edit: I've never heard of a rotary engine in an aircraft. Thank you for looking deeper into this! That Swiss PC7 @ 5:05 is just drop dead gorgeous.

With the military's love for modularity - its only a matter of time when something like this becomes adpoted.

I love it, looks super cool and weird.

I actually still have part of the original fantrainer plans as my grandfather built them.

Rick Hunter's heartbeat intensifies.

The basic ideas of the fan trainer concept are still valid today. If you think about the concept further with today's technological means, there is a much more far-reaching potential than was possible at the time. The use of a Wankel engine (rotary piston engine) would now make much more sense than it did with the prototype, since the Wankel engine has also developed further over the last 50 years and has proven its efficiency. A good example is the success of the Mazda 787B in the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1991. The engine performed so well and reliably that the regulations were changed shortly thereafter, so that Mazda could no longer participate with its Wankel engines. Shortly thereafter, Mazda left motorsport and of course also ended the further development of high-performance Wankel engines. The "26 B" engine had an output of almost 700 hp with a chamber volume of just 2.6 l! The Wankel engines of the Fantrainer / Fanliner prototypes were test engines from Audi-NSU. They were further developments of the series-built NSU Ro 80 engine with 115 hp. The test engines were available with 150/170 hp and were even installed in some test vehicles. An acquaintance of my father was a test engineer at Audi-NSU and drove an Audi 200 with a 170 hp Wankel engine for a number of years for a long-term test. No problems at all over a period of 5 years and 200,000 km mileage. I myself have driven 2 NSU Ro80. A major advantage of the engine is, among other things, the significantly lower noise level compared to a reciprocating engine. The faster the Wankel spins, the quieter it gets! The high level of noise generated by the Fantrainer / Fanliner comes from the ducted propeller concept. But here, too, the problem could probably be eliminated with adjustable propellers. The company Wankel SuperTec from Cottbus, Germany has developed a Wankel engine (approx. 122 hp) which is designed as a multi-fuel engine. This runs on diesel or kerosene. A variant that runs on hydrogen is now also available. A multi-fuel engine is even offered at wankelaviation.com, which runs on almost all fuels. Wankel engines are now being used more and more, especially in military drones. The motor is particularly suitable for this application (or light aircraft of all kinds). A modernized fan trainer with 2 coupled Wankel SuperTec engines or a high-performance electric motor, for example from the sports car sector, combined with a Wankel engine as a range extender, could be an interesting possibility to further develop the concept. (Especially with a trainer, 2 motors are always better than one...) Use as a trainer for beginners and advanced training, a "flying simulator" for types like the F-16 or JAS-39 Gripen or possibly even as an armed drone are just a few of the options that come to mind spontaneously. By the way, the current "Fanjet" achieves significantly higher speeds and climb rates than its RFB predecessors from the 70's.

the factory building of Rhein Flugzeugbau (RFB) is still there, you can see it in Mönchengladbach.

Love that intro.

Thanks 🙂

Remember reading about these in the 80s, together with the "PropFan" experiments. Highly interesting concept, pity it wasn't developed further into the civilian market. Instead - however likeable - we still use high drag Cessna and Piper designs, dating back to the late 50s.

0:19 Not Ed btw lol, took me a few to realise that

A long time favourite design for me, more in respect of the shrouded fan concept than the ab inito to advanced training platform.

If they solved the noise issue these probably would have been great aircraft for light observation and attack as well as trainers. The pilot’s visibility looks incredible. I wonder if a STOL version would be possible? It has a high power engine and most of the weight located well behind the cockpit. Imagine a spoiler fin just aft of the duct that allowed the pilot to redirect some of the power vertically. That could substantially lower the runway necessary.

I like the idea of not having the prop spinning in front and the exhaust located at the rear to.

Well, I'm a Fan of this!

To be competetive today, they will have to invest into a new fan. The performance data doesn't look like the old one was very efficient. Being very loud also isn't good. Maybe they can team up with a company that has experience with high bypass turbofans.

It looks like it has great potential. Maybe it was just a bit before its time. Maybe the second time is the charm.

Seen so many around here in Thailand. (also the ones in this vid at DMK museum). Odd machine for sure.

I'm a fan..

The Fantrainer seems less successful than it ought to be. It might be worth doing a video on the Jet Provost (and relatives of that era) which was one of the first jet trainers.

Check out the Arcon homebuilt aircraft. Looks like a miniature F-22.

Interesting that they're trying to revive the design. It might have a shot at filling its original niche, but I see a whole different market for a slightly modified design. These could have potential in the "counter-insurgency ground-strike close air support" role that's developed in asymmetrical conflicts. Something like a Super Tucano, basically a slower/lighter/cheaper option for times when an A-10 would be ludicrously expensive overkill.

I really like these planes. I imagined they were quiet but that was probably wrong. Been wondering if I wshould make an big RC model of it for years.

WOW! That's a fantastic looking concept. I am so surprised because l have designed an aircraft using this Fantrainer propulsion principle before.

Have you ( or are you aware) of any history of the bubble canopy?

I remember these from back then and was surprised they didn't become successful. The Luftwaffe not continuing with the order probably didn't help - it could have slotted in under the Alpha Jet and been sold to countries that already operated that type.

Have any of the kit companies ever made a model of this,paricularly in 1/72 scale?

I love Fantrainer

1:13 "Dame tu mano y venga conmigo Vamonos al viaje para buscarlos sonidos magicos de Ecuadooooooor!!!" PA RA PAPAPAPAPA PAPA!!!!🤣🤣🤣

I thought ducted fans were supposed to be quieter.

The US had an operational model of this type of aircraft, seen one on display outside a Thai military base in Buriram.

Twin Wankle Rotary Engines. My new band!

This would be a great homebuilt airplane...

I think it is beautiful.

Sweet design but wait, what about the "other pusher designs" that preceded this project?

i like this version the most 2:22 but what is it called??? i couldnt find anything...

So had the Fan Trainer a peaky power available curve or a flat rising thrust available curve almost paralleling the thrust required curve over quite a wide speed range? A narrow best climb speed band makes it a gimmicky piston trainer.

One question I have to ask, did it have the torque issues with single prop propeller driven planes , as one would the plane have the tendency to roll to one side due to the rotation of the prop?

I like it. A little odd-looking, but very much all in proportion.

I believe the RFB Fanliner used the metal wings from the Grumman American Tiger.

What a beautiful little bird…

a idea that works 3vtols fan attach on Y holder is like whistler sound actualy two more engine added on a double hold on a servo not much heavier but slight biger tank and wings can slight longer for easier glide now thats scfi made on already made design

most interesting. TFP

twin wankels? i thought the wanted it to use less fuel than a jet? lol

Good concept, needs a bit of refining and might be easier/cheaper to build with modern production methods regarding carbon fiber / fiber reinforced plastics....

and we thought, only weird & wacky designs came from the inter-wars period .. :D