What Features would You like to See in a Pattern Plane?
 

I'm going to design a pattern plane with limitted knowledge of what works and what doesn't. I'm hoping that this design will be easy enough for anyone to build. It will be a 2 meter plane powered by a o.s. 1.60 fx. If anyone has any suggestions or advice I would be very willing to listen and possibly put it into(or take out) of my design.:D

RE: What Features would You like to See in a Pattern Plane?
 

Design it so that it knife edges without coupling at various speeds, rudder angles, and throttle settings. Idle downlines should stay straight down. Knife edge flight should require very little angle of attack. It should exit a snap instantly. In a cross wind it should orientate itself at the proper crap angle. It should be draggy enough that a YS 140DZ at idle coming around the downside of a large loop should have to throttle up to maintain a good flying speed.

RE: What Features would You like to See in a Pattern Plane?
 

Yup what Adam said.

I'd also add that I'm in the process of doing the exact same thing, mine should maiden shortly. I'm painting and covering now.

I would add a few things to consider.

The plane should be a full 2 meters long, but only about 74-76 inches wingspan. It tracks and flies better like this, and snaps great. Wing area should be about 100 square inches per lb, so if you're shooting for 10 lbs, you'll need about 1000 square inches. Keep the root between 18" and 20", and play with the taper to the tips. Straight double tapers to straight trailing edges work well, no swept wings or straight leading edges. The airfoil should be about 10-12% with the maximum thickness between 33-40%. You can play with this a little.

Keep your stab area to about 23% to 25%, no more. The further forward you mount it, the less stable (but better snapping) it will be...and the further back you mount it, it can be smaller (closer to 23%.

Ther's a thousand other things to consider, but sometimes it's best just to do it and go from there.

And might I suggest keeping it LIGHT!!! Buy the best 4-6 lb wood you can afford, and weigh each and every single piece on a gram scale. You may want to save your best pieces for yoru second attempt; your first will usually need some tweaking.

Other than that, have fun and I promise, you'll really feel the reward when you do it yourself. Make sure you actually go compete with it and win too, that's the absolute best feeling in the world.

-Mike

RE: What Features would You like to See in a Pattern Plane?
 

Thanks ya'll for the ideas! Anybody else?

RE: What Features would You like to See in a Pattern Plane?
 

Hatch on top.
Exposed pipe tunnel
plug in wings
No removeable bits and pieces that have to be assembled at the field

For all the dimensions mentioned before: what ever works!

RE: What Features would You like to See in a Pattern Plane?
 

Any other ideas or suggestions of how, or not, to build it?

RE: What Features would You like to See in a Pattern Plane?
 

Are you taking about features, e.g. retracts, flaps or fight characteristics, e.g. top speed, slow speed, rolls? If you are taking about features, I say faster than a rocket ship, tri gear retracts, two stroke engine, enclosed tuned pipe and make it look as beautiful and a Tiporare

RE: What Features would You like to See in a Pattern Plane?
 

INEXPENSIVE!!!!!

Hahaha...

Retracts..
Dive brakes,
one of those new fangled tuned pipes.
Snap flaps.
split rudder.
Simprop radio
and one of those webra speeds that blow the crank every 2nd flight.


Of course, I'm biased...

RE: What Features would You like to See in a Pattern Plane?
 

My main objective is to design a plane that is easy and innexpensive to build. I will put a regular O.S. 1.60FX on it. It will ge easy to instal a pipe that is sunken into the fuse a bit. The main idea is to create a plane that is cheap enough that tightwads like me will want to build it.:D Also it will have the option of retracts, but I will put fixed landing gear on it.

RE: What Features would You like to See in a Pattern Plane?
 

What prop is used? Are there any limitations? Anything that I need to know?