Brooks,

The only person trying to put the cart in front of the horse is yourself...I have clearly stated multiple times in this this that the design concepts/parameters are fully CONCEPTUAL and THEORETICAL. In the upcoming weeks I will begin a detailed design. Its all part of the engineerng method, and currently I am on steps 2or3 of 7 total steps. I will be ready to share more information when that information becomes known and set. For now, I am interested in hearing more theory on how I can perhaps better my design- this includes ideas regarding wing geometry, construction techniques, etc... I dont mean to sound harsh- I want to hear your input. Lets just take things one step at a time. I realize thought that I will get better feedback with the more info I give you guys... So I apolagize for that.

Now,

I have already begun sketching 2D drawings of top and side views... hopefully in a day or two I can transfer these pencil sketches into an autodesk inventor sketch .ipt so you guys can crituque some from there before I begin a 3d rendition. Until then, I am still gathering data- and that is just that, nothing more, nothing less.


My thoughts/conceptual ideas on the fuse/wing construction is this: keep in mind- I am only building ONE of these airplanes, so that is equated into my ideas...

1. The "nose area" will be very low draw, and will likely be built on Inventor and printed in a very "thin" shell...yes, PRINTED. I have experience with using the 3D printer at LSU. So, the nose will be printed in a very light/thin plastic material, the glassed of top with light fiberglass and/or CF tissue.
2. the main fuse area- the area which is the "torso" of the plane will be Lite ply formers and sheeted with balsa and then have a layer of fiberglass/CF on top.
3.The tail booms will each have 2 CF rods that will run from the fuse to the tail section. The CF rods will be encapsulated with a thin foam "shell" that will be balsa sheeted and glassed/CF.
4. The vertical and horizontal stabs will be foam core. So will the main wing and winglet. All wings will also be balsa sheeted and glassed.
5. Main wing contruction: I will likely speak to my friend, Bryan Hebert about this, since he has good experience with building strong and light thin wings (take a look at his Shark Design build- website link posted in previous post). But I expect to have a center section of the main wing permanantly attatched to the fuse... this will give me a strong, solid base, and also serve as a platform for my impact collection method. The center section will also have a slightly thicker airfoil- this is only so that I can fit in my retracts and other equiptment. This leaves me with having a two piece wing-set for the left and right wing. I plan to use a double spar- as already discussed. This could possibly mean using two wing tubes as well- I havent got that far to say for sure. The wings foam core will have proper bracing with sub-spars and other reinforcements. How will they be braced? that is to be answered later on- likely to be answered when I talk to Hebert.

As for the blimp/delta wing ideas. Yes, I agree they have their pros over what I am doing... but they also have cons IMO. I still believe the modified sailplane/glider platform is the best compromise here. It will allow me to easily test a LARGE volume of air at various high and low altitudes and give me relatively long flight times.

Lets keep the info coming,

Brandon