I am seriously thinking about designing and building a model bird, maybe a seagul or an albatros, to be gliders, off course. The idea is to control it by pivoting the wings back and forward from the root.

Has it ever been done?? any tips?

Thanks

Colmo

It has been done... essentially flyig wings with a bird shape (only looks like a bird from a distance) and scale models (even some 2X to 10X size...) of birds.

Some interresting methods of controlling the bird models have been tried... including a sort of slotted (feather shaped) wingtip that pivots. (you can't see any difference from a real bird in flight, except he wings don't flap)

There have also been Ornithopters (the wings DO flap and that provides the thrust... no prop) Prop driven and glider versions...

I believe last year there was an article in Model Aviation about some of the scale bird models.

Boston's Logan International uses birdlike ornithopters to scare seagulls off their runways. They are electrics and RC controlled. I saw this in one of the model mags about a year ago but can't remember which one. You might go online and check the indexes of RCM, Model Airplane News, Model Aviation or others. If all else fails check with the office of the airport director. There was a bird like sailplane that was used for the motion picture Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It did nothing but slope soar. Very realistic in the picture.

How many people remember the R/C Pterodactyle (or some other flying dino...) from the movie "War Games" ?

Yeep remember the movie the guy lived on a island two kids came to see him and he was flying it
when they found him. LOL].[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

I havn't seen them but plans for a flying Buzzard are man plan # fsp0602a it is controlled by moving
slotted feathersat the wing tips.---- Flying dinosuurs are at www.randmodelaircraft.com/
sorry I don't know how to make that work.

Saw in the latest issue of Model Aviation that an ornithopter recently set an endurance record for the type. Something a bit over 22 minutes. Check the article. There may be more information or the author might put you on a track to find more about flapping wings.

Thx a lot for the tips, Im aiming for a glidre, so ornithopters are out. My idea is to move wing forward to make bird go up, aft to make it go down, anda differencially ti make it turn. No tail movement there. Ideas plz

More ----Ifound the MAN with the Buzzard in it June 2002 -- It looks pretty good, Worth getting a back issue & reading it . the author also has pictures of a pelican & a seagull His name is Bob Hoey no adress given.
The buzzard is a glider -64" wingspan wt 2.5 lb & has 7 "feathers" on each wingtip made to work as ailerons.
The pictures of it flying look pretty real. Bird is mostly wing but still lots of building. maybe next winter......

Birdworks (http://www.harborside.com/~birdworks/bwhome.htm) sells a 41" span seagull for slope flying. I've seen one fly and it does pretty well.

papermache<blockquote>Quote
<hr>Slope gliding - A NW Indiana tradition since 1896<hr></blockquote>

I have the Birdworks Seagull kit -- it's largely foam, very nicely cut. Looks very clean and precise with a very real-looking shape. I'm looking forward to it once I get a little flying wing time in on another plane.

There was also a big (about 2 meter span) electric seagull published by RCM in 1991. (You can look it up in the plans section of their site under the name Electric Seagull). If I remember right, it was designed as an enlargement of the little tin-can seagull (a 2" or 3" span thing you cut from the side of a soda can)... as a result, the tail is an inverted V, a bit large compared to the real bird, but in the air, it looks good in the pictures.