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Old 06-06-2007 | 07:28 PM
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rangerstl
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From: Saint Louis, MO
Default RE: Flying in reverse (apparently

Premium:

Your biggest stumbling block is the vertical fin. If you make it look JUST LIKE a trainer in reverse, you'll have it way out on the front ahead of the center of drag and center of mass. That is about as unstable a setup as you could make, and not really possible without computer stability control.

Now, if you made just a fin-shaped hollow frame... and put big clear plexi "Winglets" on the ends of the wings to counteract that fin you might just have enough lateral stability to work.

By a "Frame" I mean the outline of the fin with nothing inside the outline. Like an empty picture frame. Nake the plexi winglets full sheets though, because that's where your stability will come from now. It will still likely be mushy around the yaw axis, but it might fly. Remember, though, your control surfaces must still be on the rear of the fixed surface with respect to flight direction. Having your stab with the elevator on the leading edge (w/r/t flight direction) is unstable, will deflect unpredictably, and may part from the airframe due to flutter.

N