penceaviation

I have a very short landing Goldberg Eagle 2. It's my messing around / experiment plane. I installed flaps with offset hinges that drop all the way to 90 degrees. I use about 40 degrees for takeoff. Anyway, I can fly an approach to land and be just stupid high, crank in full flaps, chop the throttle, point the nose down and it will decend at about a 40 degree angle or better with no gain in airspeed. I can then bring it down to the runway and land it to a full stop in 10-15 feet on a day with no wind. If I put brakes on it I could probably get it stopped in 3-5 feet. On a day with a 10kt wind, I have actually landed it backwards. The wing doesn't care how fast the ground is moving you know. [>:] The main thing with all of this is managing your energy, just like in full scale planes.

Just though I'd throw that in to the discussion. It doesn't have to be the biggest, most expensive process in the world to get a plane to land extremely short.

gittarpikk

I think your still "hunting" here...and not all stones unturned.

I will propose two designs one of them is mine and not yet built, but will be soon.The other is a real old one that works and plans can be ordered from RCM Plan service.

First
The Vertigo airplane. built around the 80's if I remember right and has a rotating ducted fan (actually ducted prop design) in the center of a fairly conventional RC design. you can "u tube" it under vertigo. If I remember right, this plan is available through RCM

I have a design that will be an electric that has two fan-props in the wing with the prop planes being on te wing planes. One on each side of fuse. This is a sorta delta-ish design. The props and motors are matched but reversed . One motor turns CW and the other CCW. This is the vertical lift portion.

There is a mid fuse (actually slightly behind horizontal engines/props) horizontal drive motor/prop. (can be a vari-pitch) 4D anyone , with a twist even!)(The vertical drives can also be reversible-taking 4D to a higher level still)(OMG I think we've created a'nuther monster)

Concept : Fly a regular approach, slowly increasing the vertical motors and reducing forward pitch on the horizontal drive. (computer mixing curve). Ending with full vertical (extended lower rudder can offer the control a tail rotor would normally offer on a copter) Mix (if needed ) ailerons to the vertical drive motors) for low speed aileron control. If needed a very small diameter vertical trim motor/prop could be added in the center of the horizontal stab and mixed to the elevators for low speed pitch control.

In reality, the addition of trim props/motors will really not be needed if the point of landing is acheived just as the plane comes to a complete stop, simultaniously touching on the mains. (just as a bird would land) as inertia of the prior air-movement stabilized and balanced angle of the wing(fuselage-horizontal landing approach) will already be achieved and will only be for a fleeting instant, dead still.

I don't think you(looking through VR goggles) will be able to judge the right speeds and angles for this type of landing, however I think it is easily possible as an rc pilot.

Now, maybe this is what your hunting for.

I have been thinking of this for maybe 5-6 years and have a drawing of a testbed plane. I would be interested in joining efforts with someone who has the ability and innovation to prototype it and get a proto up and running. I have (through a friend) a source for international cheap manufacture of a commercial model.