Lifting body in F1

[Ian P.]

Lifting bodies are all about aero inefficiency. How to disipate the heat of re-entry without melting the craft away.
F1 cars are focused on speed and lift (inverse lift...) with minimum drag and power consumption. Not the same beast at all.
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=h ... G%26um%3D1
Long thread but it gets you to "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich. Good explanation of what it takes to make a flat surface aircraft fly and why you would even consider doing it.

[flynfrog]

Lifting bodies are all about aero inefficiency. How to disipate the heat of re-entry without melting the craft away.
F1 cars are focused on speed and lift (inverse lift...) with minimum drag and power consumption. Not the same beast at all.
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=h ... G%26um%3D1
Long thread but it gets you to "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich. Good explanation of what it takes to make a flat surface aircraft fly and why you would even consider doing it.

also lifting bodies are usually much less stable than a wing on a tube design since you have to make sacrifices to fit the whole plane into the shape and the tail to center of cord distance.

and skunk works is a great read anyway