14 Comments

• 

  by MICHAEL BROWN 2 years ago

  Love to see more about this airplane.....
• 

  by John Hazlett 2 years ago

  Incredible. Why don't we have similar technology today? We could use an electric heating element and it would be even more efficient. Sure beats 100LL!
• 

  by Mike Savage 2 years ago

  The video didn't run for me. No comment.
• 

  by Grant A. Anderson 2 years ago

  By /Grant A. Anderson
  That is a great video on the Bessler steam plane
• 

  by Bob Sheridan 2 years ago

  Don't let Al Gore see this !!
• 

  by Homer Trecartin, Jr., GRP 2 years ago

  Several reports and studies on the Besler Aircraft are available through the Storeroom of the Steam Automobile Club of America (www.steamautomobile.com). Feel free to contact me for more information too.
• 

  by xxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 2 years ago

  That is very cool. However, the problem I see is it would only work in the
  summer or on the ground. To make steam you need water & water freezes at
  32'F, the air temp at altitude or in winter would turn the water to ice & you would have a 'flying ice-cube' ............for a very short time.
  But still cool.
• 

  by John Redding 2 years ago

  A very interesting idea that seemingly worked well with the capabilities of the a/c.
  Guess the oil companies had a big influence in those day's as well?
• 

  by Hale Adams 2 years ago

  Nah. It still burned oil, John. It's just that it probably was uneconomical to operate-- poor fuel economy, in other words-- and had power-to-weight problems, too. And Mike's point about freezing weather is well-taken, also.
• 

  by Donald Timm 2 years ago

  Reminds me of some experiments I did with steam engines in my youth--all table-top models. However, as an early aviation enthusiast I had drawn up plans for a light plane version--never built it of course, but I was fascinated to see the Besler invention was the embodiment of what I had dreamed up independently. I'd like to see this idea revisited today by some enterprising EAA types.
• 

  by Chris Lepper 2 years ago

  Imagine what this technology could have done for carrier landing in the early days. Incidentally, simple heat tape or proper exhaust routing would alleviate freezing problems.
• 

  by David Paddock Paddock 2 years ago

  It appears the engine was operating in a non-condensing mode i.e., steam was being exhausted to atmosphere and not passed thru the condenser. If so, the flight must have been very short.
• 

  by Dave Dunlavy 1 year ago

  Where is this plane now??
• 

  by AircraftOwner Online 1 year ago

  There is one engine in the Smithsonian