See also the one that does fly!
See also things that nearly fly
50 reasons why 2-cell aileron mixing wont work - but were going to try anyway
100 reasons why a 2-cell actuator only ornithopter wont work - I'm not even trying this
OK lets go for it!
Mark at www.aeronutz.flyer.co.uk/ has been giving me some help other the last few days. My aim now is to get a working 2-channel 2-cell plane ready for the 27th, that gives me a little over a week.
I thought Id try and maintain this page as I go along. A warning to anyone who stumbles over it, I've never see a foam plane in real life, my construction is mainly guess work working from info from the web.(I'm hoping for some more tips from Mark as I go along).
I'm going to revert to my original attempt at a volksplane since this has nice simple straight, lines I'll also put the wing back where is should be.
Having visited http://www.evansair.com/, and a couple of other sites, I now have a couple of photos of the volksplane VP-1.
See Some volksplane stuff (warning big page!) for a (small copy) of the plan of the original and a nice pencil drawing.
Referring pack to my original peanut plan volksplan.jpg by xxxxx (sorry I lost the link to this) it doesn't look too far off.
I'm going to use some artistic license and make the wings a bit wider so I've got enough area at 14" maybe 15" span.
I'm going to try and construct a set a hollow wings as per foamtastic, as my contribution to the miniturisation effort, but has a contingency Ill start with 'traditional?' construction.
Watch this space......
Ok 1st the wing size. I've been told 2.75oz per sq foot is the point to
aim for.
volksplanes wing are more or less rectangles 24' span by 50" =
288" by 50". so:
Sticking to 14" span, to scale this would be 14" by
2.43"
Total Weight of plane 23g -> 3.03" wide
Total Weight of
plane 26g -> 3.43" wide
I'll go for 3.3" of artistic
licence?
To use the magnetic actuator I've moved the rudder back a bit
and the stabiliser forward into a more traditional arrangment and the original
pivoting rudder has been replaced by a split one.
Following is the plan super imposed on the original design (clever thing these computers)
Here's some pictures of the partial construction.
Note how the bulkheads are 2mm too tall! Mark suggests that there are also too many so I've taken most of them out.
I'm not sure of the wings, experiments on cutting them from solid blocks are on hold!!!!!!!
I'm trying two sheets of foam the top bent with a ruler at the leading edge, 2mm spaces mounted on the bottom. The end of the leading edge butted onto the bottom then let it dry before bending it onto the spacers.
Final construction waiting pictures..
I't didn't quite fly but a glide was not far off!
NiMh cell are a none starter, above 200ma they can't delevier use NiCads.
Wing could be thinner. Having seen Marks vulcan I now think I prefer the bent over leading edge approach you've got to be more brutal with the foam but it will bend OK. I'll stick with the current wing for now!
Tail section too small. Stablizer could be single thickness.
Wobbly nose. Enough said.
Actuator problems. Hinge on the rudder too sloppy. i.e. moves left right as well as rotates. I quite like Bernard cotton hinges, I'm working on splitting a cocktail stick in half and hinging the two round surfaces together.
This design was eventually abandoned in favour of a deprod chassis see the one that does fly!
