Bob, Matt, Thanks for your help.
I am building a 110" turbine powered tail-less flying wing with thrust vectoring called Sabre XLT (Extra Large Turbine). This is strictly a sport jet, non UAV project for fun. Estimated weight is 30 lbs empty and 40 lbs take off with fuel and smoke, with 40 lbs thrust available. The wings are standard balsa covered foam cores attached with two 2" diameter x 48" fore and aft aluminum tubes. 1/2" balsa vertical sheer web runs from wing skins to the tube sockets on top and bottom and inside the aluminum tubes in the center 48". Uni-carbon tape runs over and under the sheer web from root to tip. The root has 42" chord, 3 1/2" thick, tip has 24" chord and the fuse is about 96" long. It is a plain box fuse with flat bottom and rounded corners. The top has a canopy hatch and aft hatch of balsa covered foam.
Here is a photo of the .60 glow sized 2nd prototype called Lancer. The design is Mike Oser's from Texas. It flies great. He has designed the airfoil and sweep such that the wing does not require reflex in the elevons. It will turn up its tail and is extremely stable at high AOA when slow. It should be a great flyer with a thrust vectored turbine.
So my questions are how to build the fuse sides, doublers, and formers for a larger turbine powered one. What materials to use. The build has to be simple, flat with straight lines, constructed on a flat table. Curves are from carved balsa or foam, and mostly wood. My nose cone and canopy are stolen from an old Eurosport. I have built sport jets before with 1/8" light ply sides, IMAC style, with lightening holes and covered with Ultracote, but was looking for a better way. I was thinking of laminating 1/8" balsa with glass and making the sides, doublers, and formers from it and using some plywood in stress areas. I have 1" wide uni-carbon tape for uses as needed. Finish this time will be Klass Kote paint over .7 oz glass.
Cheap, fast, and simple are considerations. The whole idea is to have a unique sport jet for grass runways, with an airframe that can be finished for a few hundred dollars vs a few thousand in my workshop using basic tools. I can cut foam, wood, vacuum bag, and spray paint but no exotic composite processes or molds or expensive materials.
Hope this helps you visualize the project. I really appreciate your ideas and suggestions.
Thanks Gary
