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building a plane for the first time.

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building a plane for the first time.

Old 02-04-2004, 10:05 AM
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speed_freak1
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Default building a plane for the first time.

hey guys i am going to give it a go after nearly 6 years of flying.
first off i will be making a small 'hand launch' free flight plane.
wing span of about 50 cm, i will be making it out of balsa as it wont need to withstand much forces etc, then i will build on the design until it gets to a good 1.6 - 2 m plane, (being very hopeful!)

well can any of you give me a few hints and tips?
i have built kit models before but i want to try my own design.

thanks in advance

Adam
Old 02-04-2004, 12:06 PM
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kdheath
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Default RE: building a plane for the first time.

Are you intending to build a Hand Launch Glider, or a power plane? There is also tow-line, rubber power, electric, and CO2 power. A fair place to start is the National Free Flight Society for contacts:

http://freeflight.org/

Kelvin
Old 02-04-2004, 03:23 PM
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speed_freak1
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Default RE: building a plane for the first time.

sorry i forgot to mention in my first post.
i am planning on designing a small easy to build hand launch plane (free flight) then i will advance the design and put a small .15 - .25 size glow engine in it (will be R/C). Then tweak and modify the design more to put my 61FX w/tuned pipe (wing span about 1.5 m) then advance the design more to make it a +2m plane for a YS 120 or 140 (once i have enough money)
I'm hoping to make a patternship that is unique to me but fly as well as any other pattern plane out there.

Adam
Old 02-04-2004, 03:46 PM
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Default RE: building a plane for the first time.

In that case you're barking up the wrong tree. The very features that will make for a good flying pattern model will go against you or be beyond determination with a small glider. What the glider will offer would be a determination of the pitching neutral point but that's about it. Any model of pattern like proportions WILL fly as a FF glider but you won't be able to determine all the things that make a good pattern model. For example the proper vertical fin and rudder area distribution for knife edge flying. You may as well just take your best shot at a first attempt and build the 25 sized model.

Pattern models are all looking very similar these days for one very good reason. The shape works in that arena. Whatever you come up with will unavoidably be very similar to others that have come before you.
Old 02-04-2004, 04:09 PM
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Default RE: building a plane for the first time.

Yep, apples and oranges, for sure. The lessons learned in free flight are certainly of great value, but the problems are very different from those of a good pattern design. There likely aren't many approaches to pattern planes that haven't been tried. That's not to say that development won't continue, but a bunch or people have put huge amounts of work into the task already, ending with what we have today.
Old 02-04-2004, 04:29 PM
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Default RE: building a plane for the first time.

I'm scratch building a P-51D Mustang (WS of only 36") that came from plans for a 17 1/2" WS free flight plane. I'm just changing the building techniques as I go so that it can be flown as an R/C with a .10 engine. Also, since the plans came from a FF, the wing is THICK, so I'm going to slim it up a little.
Old 02-04-2004, 04:50 PM
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Default RE: building a plane for the first time.

well im just wanting to build my skill through a light FF with different caracteristics to a small fun fly / pattern plane.
I am very aware that i am going to have to change the plans allot through design to make them match my needs,
i was thinking for my 1.5m span plane that i would make the surfaces different sizes and experiment with a few things.

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