help with scaling Glasflugel Kestrel wings
04-05-2005, 01:41 AM
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help with scaling Glasflugel Kestrel wings
Have Kestrel fuse, need wing size
Hey Gang,
I scrounged up an unpainted epoxy fiberglass scale Glasflugel Kestrel fuselage that must be 20 years old I bought as a 20 something kid from some guy who just made scale fuses and plans which I can't find, both the company and the plans. It is in perfect unscathed shape and the workmanship is really good, and I am thinking of building it out as a scale ship with flaps, ailerons, and maybe even an electric retracting scale electric motor ala Graupner or similiar German "Klapptriebwerk".
I am not skilled in proportionately scaling down, so perhaps you rocket scientists who actually know what you are doing can steer me right. I like the long high aspect ratio look, so keep that in mind.
The fuselage is 44" long from nose tip to the back of the vertical stab. I know Glasflugel made a 17m, a 19m and a 22meter version of the Kestrel and then made a Glasflugel 604 based upon a lengthened Kestrel fuse with 22m wings. I can slightly enlarge the rudder, but prefer to keep it scale looking at least. I will guess that with slightly lengthened ailerons, or maybe better yet flaperons, I can slightly make up for a slightly too small rudder/vertical stab so I can get away with an increased span for the high aspect look without going overboard of course.
Having said that, what scaled down spans would be in the 19m and 22m scale range that would fit a 44" fuse?
The root chord meaured at the fuselage is 8.25", and the height of the airfoil at its thickest is 1.067". The airfoil as shown on the side of the fuse is fairly thick with a noticeable undercamber. I am not wild about having to fill in and reshape the root chord foil interface on the fuse to change airfoils, so keeping that in mind, what airfoils can you recommend that would work best for thermalling while still having the scale undercamber, or is the undercamber a real bad idea? Should the wing airfoil at the wing's root be different from the outer portion airfoil, and if so, where do you make the change?
Next, who can you recommend to cut some cores for me, and should I try to find Obechi veneer or glue some balsa together and skin it? I used to make carbon fiber tow based spars laminated into aluminum channels and use solid balsa sheer webs, but like I have time to make those now! I don't know if there is an eaiser less time consuming way to get carbon spars sort of prefabbed....
And I know Multiplex made some nice rectangular steel in rectangular brass blade wing joiners, but that weighed a ton. I still have some Multiplex double rise aluminum scale spoilers to use.
Thoughts?
Hey Gang,
I scrounged up an unpainted epoxy fiberglass scale Glasflugel Kestrel fuselage that must be 20 years old I bought as a 20 something kid from some guy who just made scale fuses and plans which I can't find, both the company and the plans. It is in perfect unscathed shape and the workmanship is really good, and I am thinking of building it out as a scale ship with flaps, ailerons, and maybe even an electric retracting scale electric motor ala Graupner or similiar German "Klapptriebwerk".
I am not skilled in proportionately scaling down, so perhaps you rocket scientists who actually know what you are doing can steer me right. I like the long high aspect ratio look, so keep that in mind.
The fuselage is 44" long from nose tip to the back of the vertical stab. I know Glasflugel made a 17m, a 19m and a 22meter version of the Kestrel and then made a Glasflugel 604 based upon a lengthened Kestrel fuse with 22m wings. I can slightly enlarge the rudder, but prefer to keep it scale looking at least. I will guess that with slightly lengthened ailerons, or maybe better yet flaperons, I can slightly make up for a slightly too small rudder/vertical stab so I can get away with an increased span for the high aspect look without going overboard of course.
Having said that, what scaled down spans would be in the 19m and 22m scale range that would fit a 44" fuse?
The root chord meaured at the fuselage is 8.25", and the height of the airfoil at its thickest is 1.067". The airfoil as shown on the side of the fuse is fairly thick with a noticeable undercamber. I am not wild about having to fill in and reshape the root chord foil interface on the fuse to change airfoils, so keeping that in mind, what airfoils can you recommend that would work best for thermalling while still having the scale undercamber, or is the undercamber a real bad idea? Should the wing airfoil at the wing's root be different from the outer portion airfoil, and if so, where do you make the change?
Next, who can you recommend to cut some cores for me, and should I try to find Obechi veneer or glue some balsa together and skin it? I used to make carbon fiber tow based spars laminated into aluminum channels and use solid balsa sheer webs, but like I have time to make those now! I don't know if there is an eaiser less time consuming way to get carbon spars sort of prefabbed....
And I know Multiplex made some nice rectangular steel in rectangular brass blade wing joiners, but that weighed a ton. I still have some Multiplex double rise aluminum scale spoilers to use.
Thoughts?
