brownknows

All,

I would like to toss around some ideas on making a tiny parasite glider that will fold up and fit under my plane or (better yet) in the bomb bay. The palne is a Senior Telemaster, and it is outfitted with 10" functioning bomb bay doors directly under the wing.

In either launch configuration, I would like to drop the glider, have the wing deploy either automatically or by remote control, and have a controlled glide back to the field.

It seems like a delta-wing model might be easier than a conventional airframe, as the wing deployment would not be as drastic.

Thoughts? Thanks!

Dave

Tall Paul

The bay is 10" long.. and how wide?
The first thing that comes to mind is a plane with the wing on the top of the fuselage, folded -down- on both sides to stuff in the bay. Springloaded to spread as it comes out.
The delta idea would work, with the two servos situated so they move the surfaces only when the wings are spread.... or something like that.
Gum band to snap the wings out, and keep them out.
It won't be a large plane..
...
Sometime later that same evening...
This will work.
Proof is left to the student.

Dirtbag

This is going back a half century guys, but the first thing that came to mind was the "Jim Walker Interceptor"

Some of you really old farts may remember this folding wing design from the '50s, I remember them well.

http://digilander.libero.it/ucontrol...-2000/news.htm

brownknows

Tall Paul, interesting concept, I never considered the wings folding up from below, I always thought they would snap forward from the tail. My bomb bay is 4.5 " wide. So where are the aileron/elevator servos in your design? Would they be mounted on the wings?

I also like the rubber-band idea for unfolding the wings, as it would require one less servo.

Dirtbag, I can't see any folding wings in the picture you attached. Am I missing something?

Dave

Dirtbag

The 'folding wing' is in the bottom panel. If you copy the image to your computer and open it up in a photo imaging program, such as is built into Windows XP, then zoom in on it, you'll be able to see part of the mechanism.

Essentially the design had a 'saddle' at the root of each wing half. That saddle ran the full chord and held the root end (1 each left and right sides) The mechanics were essentially a pivot (axle) that both wings were attached too, a small rubber band pulled the two halves together in flight mode and another band rotated the wing forward when it unfolded and held it in position for flight.

It's a bit hard to describe and I'm trying to recall (remember 50+ years ago) if the root saddle was a metal or plastic fabrication.

Trust me when I say it was ingenious but simple. Although I've forgotten the exact mechanics, it worked simply by pulling the wings outward under tension, folding them together and rotating them to the rear up against the fuse. Memory seems to touch on both metal and plastic mechanicals, but I just can't pull the detail out of the hinterlands of my alleged mind.

Tall Paul

Servos mount in the wings. No monkey motion with the surface linkages when unfolding that way.

flybaby101

alternatively you could use one cirrus super micro servo in the body and use rudder only to control the gliders decent path , using a wing simialar to the old f14 you could make a locking mechanisim for the wings so when it is in freefall the wings will lock forward by use of a timer that pulls a string tight like those old dethermalisers giving you a window of 10 seconds , one of hose small wind up toy motors should do. but you want to make the mechasisim activate only after release so a pin in the timer that is pulled when the weight of the glider is apon it...

cheers

[&:]dug