RCU Forums - View Single Post - Adding winglets to ARF wingtips
View Single Post
Old 11-28-2011 | 06:06 PM
  #1  
ameyam
Senior Member
 
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,224
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
From: Mumbai, INDIA
Default Adding winglets to ARF wingtips

I just maidened a Phoenix Extra with a DLE20 and my mentor remarked that it tends to stall at landing. Its supposed to be 3.2 to 3.6kg but mine is overweight at 3.85kg. Measures to lose weight (foam wheels, CF LG, LiFe for ignition, flying without cowl or spinner etc) did not work or could not be implemented. Note that the stall is not so much a tip stall as a flat nose down stall, atleast as I observed

To reduce the stall tendancy, I am considering adding winglets to the wing tips to make the wings more effective. Essentially SFGs but much smaller, may be 75mm or so tall alltogether. Considering tracing out the wing tip profile on a 2mm thick balsa ply sheet and then installing the same on the wingtip with blind nuts on the inside. Then make the winglet out of sheeted balsa frame with airfoil profile and screw it in place with 4mm screws through the bling nuts. Will build of a shape that has max area towards the trailing end. This airplane has large ailerons, so the winglet will go only as far as the hinge line

How good an idea is this?

Ameyam