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Building Tips and technical articles. => 1/2 A building. => Topic started by: Motorman on June 26, 2019, 08:59:41 PM
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I would thin out the airfoil to some 15% root 13% at tip to help with penetration. It will still have plenty of lift.
To make a light fuselage you might want to consider laminating two layers of 1/32 balsa over a foam plug to make the fuselage shells. Maybe cut the number of ribs in half.
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Generally, if you are at an in-between wood size when scaled down, use the next smaller size.
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So if I just go to the copier and scale down a Thundergazer to 1/2a size will it fly ok or does it need a bigger tail or something?
Thanks,
Motorman 8)
Having flown a gazillion 1/2 A's and also free flight when I was younger I don't think that weight is that much of a factor (within reason). If you have ever seen a TD .049/051 lift a 300sq" free fight (that weighs probably twice what you are about to build) straight up accelerating as it goes you know what I mean. IMHO line tension is the #1 problem in 1/2a. Too light and it doesn't stay out on the lines or you have to use lines too short to do a respectable pattern. I wouldn't change the design at all. I had plenty of planes with thick airfoils and they flew just fine although only a few had flaps. If I did anything, I would build it so that I could move the engine forward or back to get the CG. Every full body 1/2a I have ever built ended up tail heavy.
Good Luck - Ken
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Heman Lee's Half Lite stunter is awesome, although it's not full house. https://www.aeromaniacs.com/Freeplans.htm
I'd use a more modern engine than a Cox, and if I were serious about performance with a Cox I think I'd start with a TD, or I'd talk to Paul Gibeault about what he uses on his scale models.