Elevons
 

Hi all

Can someone explain elevons and how they work? Would they work on a miniature pylon plane?

Thanks - Joel

RE: Elevons
 

Elevons are the combination of elevator and ailerons using 2 control surfaces for both pitch and roll control. They are common on flying wings and delta wing planes.

RE: Elevons
 

Ed nailed down what and how. As far as for a pylon plane I would hazzard a no. I feel the drag from the elevon set up would be more than a standard set up. It would turn real tight though. Tough to see a plane set up for elevons too. I can see little or no advantages over standard construction. However I would never reccomend against some experimentation. If the idea intrigues you. Go for it. Enjoyment is what this hobby is all about. I would just say to not put all your eggs into one basket. use the concept as a second choice. Who knows maybe you can come up with something no one has thought of yet. Good luck with the project. BTW elevon set ups are part of most computer radio's. And with one seting elevons up would be a snap.

Mark Shuman

RE: Elevons
 

Mark

Weight was probably the main reason I was thinking of it. 2 servos as opposed to 3 with a rudder, elevator, aileron set up. All I plan on doing is turning left really fast. (Plus landing and perhaps taking off). This is for a miniature electric, so every gram is at a premium. My target weight at the moment is 60 grams (just over 2 oz.)

The other option is rudder/elevator but I don't like that one much.

Joel

RE: Elevons
 

Jaxenro,
If you are building a miniature pylon aircraft, I suggest that you do not install a rudder and fly the aircraft using elevators and ailerons only. You won't be using rudder much anyway during high speed flight. In principle one aileron is enough.
For a conventional aircraft (not deltas) elevons aren't very useful, unless you are doing a lot of torque rolling and hovering, in which case the ordinary ailerons are rendered ineffective. Because of the small span of the stabilizer the moment arm will be fairly small necessitating large area elevons or large elevon deflections in order to obtain a sufficient roll rate. Also the bending forces on the thin stabilizer will be rather high.

/Red B.

RE: Elevons
 

Elevons on a flying wing and a delta wing. These are the two most common applications.