I am presently collaborating with several modelers to develop and build some new and unique aircraft. More information about myself and the current projects may be found on this thread and by searching my name and adding Sisu 1A. I will be cross posting from another forum that has an active thread I've participated in for more than 12 years on the development of a kit for the Leonard Niemi Sisu. If not familiar with the aircraft, it is an aluminum and composite sailplane built in the late 50s that set more records than any other single sailplane in history. A search of the web will lead you to many great historical overviews so I won't add those to this discussion.
I've completed what I feel to be very accurate three views with the aid of Mr. Niemi's drawings and data and my collaborator is using Solidworks to simplify the parts development with several key goals:
* Best fit and finish to achieve first a 1:5 scale model, scaleable to other spans;
* Use a laminar flow airfoil if appropriate and suitable;
* Maintain scale fidelity to the original design;
* Provide a simple and accurate build methodology that is both robust and with very low drag;
* Build at or below 90 oz. (120" - 3.048m span and approximately 640 sq. inches of wing area);
* Gather ideas and information from others on approaches to details and parts selection for retractable gear, slotted flaps and nose releases, etc.;
* And mostly have fun designing, building and flying what I consider one of the most beautiful aircraft in the world and get the best possible performance from her.
If you are not familiar with my work as I have been inactive here for some time, you may visit this and other sites to get a glimpse of past projects:
The Aerosente Glider Workshop: June 2009
Thanks, Tom