Can someone point me in the right direction?While building and learning to fly, I'd really like to read up on the mathematics / physics of flying. I'd like to know how to calculate whether or not a particular design should fly or if a plane will fly based on the design (wingspan, cg,etc.. ) and the weight of the model etc.. Any good resources on the calculations involved in flight / aerodynamics?

Thanks!
Tim

This site is great for beginners: http://airfieldmodels.com/index.html

Frank

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_9346279/tm.htm

www.gettingairborne.com

The sticky at the top of the RCUniverse Aerodynamics Forum provides a list of the best and most economical books on the subject. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_9346279/tm.htm

The topic takes a book to explain. It ain't sound byte simple. It actually takes a couple of books. The ones listed in that thread happen to be listed in order of "efficiency". The first couple are affordable and written so the average modeler can understand. That list is your answer.

Every pilot should read "Stick and Rudder," by Wolfgang Langewiesche. Not mathematical, and not much about airplane design, but everything you need to know about angle of attack, which is the one concept that all pilots need to master, though many don't.

Hi!
It's all very simple!
Wingloading, Angle of attack , How to penetrate the air and airspeed!
Was it something else you wanted to know?

And most of all use lots of Liftonium.

You can stall an airplane at any attitude, at any airspeed, when you exceed L/D max which is the lift to drag ratio!

Unfortunately that has gone the way of that other rare element....Unobtainium

Do the physics of flying have anything to do with the castor oil we use?

[:-]

I think the castor oil has a lot to with the "physics" of flying that are so often posted in this forum.

Hoss,

I concur!

HHHMMMMMMM could that be what is ment by flying by the seat of your pants????????????

If you're just beginning,and a bit nervous,it could mean whats IN the seat of your pants..that don't smell much like castor oil

I didn't realize this is a free download - this is an AWESOME reference: the "Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge" - if you are interested in aviation, this is an incredible reference for learning the basics about flight, navigation, airplanes, etc. I asked for this book for my birthday last year, and really enjoy having it as a coffee table book.

http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/a...ilot_handbook/

Calculating if a wing will fly an airplane - that is a LOT of math, and even challenging (in 3D) with appropriate software. But any basic aerodynamics text will start you off on the right path. In short, you need to determine how much air is deflected at each cross-sectional plane of a wing, assuming some velocity, and add the planes together. I have taken a few classes on this and it's still difficult (mechanical background, not aero).

You can research "NACA Airfoils" and see if some standard information is posted regarding the most common airfoil shapes. Maybe you can find what you need and use scaling factors and multipliers.

It is a lot of fun to think about, and I wish I had more opportunity to do this at work (I'm trying, have one more shot at an aero position next year) as it is just time consuming to try to do in my free time.

Time..FREE TIME is your most valuable resource. More valuable than money..you can always make more money but you can not make more time.
What will teach you more in the same amount of time...500 hours of flying 3D profile planes or 500 hours worth of reading about physics..?
Which will give greater rewards..?
Which would you rather look back on someday while you are lying on your death bed...?

250 of each would put you in a pretty good place! Learning about aerodynamics has been much more tangible with my model airplane background.

My goodness young man where have you been. Are you done with school.

Hi Gene - I graduated technically in May 2011 (delayed so I could do a co-op) and have been designing combustors for turbine engines since 2010.

Congrats. Good you see you in the forum again. Have you been doing any flying, real and model.

Thanks Gene. I absolutely love my job. I lurk in the pattern forum but not as much unless I've got a project going on, trying to learn from you guys how to get it right. I've got an E-flite bonanza on the bench, and a NIB Comp Arf Integral that's ready to get started. I was going through some relationship stuff so I haven't flown much since the pattern nationals (didn't even get to fly there, just practice). And I'm in the middle of buying a house and moving. Long answer to a short question, but I am now single and am buying a house 10min from the flying field, so you can guess what I'll be doing for the next year or two.

Also there is a place I found to get my pilots license - a cool little airfield where they start you in tail draggers and teach stick and rudder at the beginning. Family owned and operated, a great small group of people. Not sure where I'll find the $$$ though with the new house coming into play...

OK, with all of your education I challenge you to build a 1cc powered RC plane that flies faster than what I can build, {with zero education].
Let's put $10,000 on the bet to make it more interesting. That would make it worth my while to meet you anywhere you would like on your home turf.

I would rather design a 1cc airplane with you, and make it fly farther and faster than we could alone. It sounds like we have our differences; it would be fun to see the ideas we each brought to the table, and we would probably end up with something cool.

I am not sure where the disagreement spawned, but this all depends on what you are after. I enjoy flying my planes, and I enjoy reading my aerodynamics texts. I would be pretty upset if I was on my death bed and never picked up an aero book, and I would be upset if I never flew an airplane. So, I am doing both.