PeterZ wrote:KISS the darned thing, Krenn! Too complicated means too expensive to build and maintain. Better to design a gas turbine that can reliably work without electricity.
I think that for both power to weight ratios and simplicity of controls that a diesel IC engine is a better starting point for heavier than air aviation. You could progress from a simple inline engine to something like this (http://www.zoche.de/zoche_brochure.pdf) without incurring the fabrication and control challenges of a light weight turbine system.