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Author Topic: Half-A-Stang design, input requested  (Read 1757 times)

Offline HugoW

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Half-A-Stang design, input requested
« on: December 04, 2014, 08:54:08 AM »
Hi,

I am taking my first carefull steps into line control flying after 23 years of RC. I sold all my RC planes, and want to give this a try. Since I have done a fair bit of scratch building, I designed (copied and stole) this:



Some idea of what I am doing:
It's 600mm span, NACA 0018 airfoil.
The fuse is 8mm balsa with 3mm balsa-ply reinforcements, the horizontal stabiliser is from the same ply.
Stab and elevator 3mm balsa, the rudder (3mm angle) is too.
The wing is going to be full balsa. 8mm nose, 8x20mm (cut and sanded down) balsa trailing edge.
Ribs 1,5mm balsa, cap strips too.
I think I will make the main spar out of 3mm light ply, although the idea of using 3mm balsa is also tempting. It is nog going to be a full stunter, you know, and with the D-box closed with 1,5mm balsa sheeting...

Well, plenty of ideas, any (positive, constructive) comments are welcome.
Cheers,

Hugo
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Online John Rist

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Re: Half-A-Stang design, input requested
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2014, 12:54:20 PM »
If you planning to learn how to fly control line I would go with a tried and true such as the Electric Super Clown by Brodak Item#ARF-09-1.  IF you have flown control line in the past your model should work.  With the Super Clown ARF you won't be heart broken if you ding it.  A scratch built of you own design would sting if you ding it.  PS I fly electric and love it.  If you are starting with nothing it doesn't cost any more than a gas setup.  Defiantly a learning process but so is a gas setup.  It ain't the same as RC.
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Offline Tim Wescott

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Re: Half-A-Stang design, input requested
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2014, 01:06:55 PM »
John's comments are dead on.  For your very first CL plane in 23 years you may want to start with a plank-wing profile -- fly it over grass and it'll bounce where a built-up wing will shatter.

Having said that, I have some comments on the plane you're showing:

  • The nose looks too long.  At your level of flying this will probably just generate a need for tail weight -- but who needs more weight?  Particularly if you're using a Cox engine: on that plane a Cox 049 would make it balance ahead of the LE.
  • I think you're going a bit overboard on the wood sizes, by 30 to 50%.  I would use 1/4" for the fuse, with 1/32" birch ply back to the wing spar, 1/16" ribs, no cap-strips, and 3/32" wood for the tail feathers.
  • Sheet the center section of the wing.  For the sake of lightness I'd rearrange the wing ribs so that the sheeting is only 1" wide on each side of center
  • If you can figure out how to keep it light, use adjustable leadouts.  If you can't, space the leadouts about 1/4" apart (or make them different lengths and bring them out the same guide).  If you don't make them adjustable dig up a copy of Line III, and use it to locate the leadouts.
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The problem with electric is that once you get the smoke generator and sound system installed, the plane is too heavy.

Offline HugoW

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Re: Half-A-Stang design, input requested
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2014, 05:20:10 AM »
Thanks both for your answers. You are both very boring correct, I need a basher, first. I have set my sights on the Knights of the Round Circle electric trainer, the ET-1:
http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php/topic,27745.0.html
This seems fairly durable, and with the motor and prop out of harm's way. I will go electric; we have no place here in the area where I can make combustion noise without attracking a lot and mostly unwanted attention.

Anyway; about this stang, your points, Tim:
- The nose is fairly long. Since it will be electric, I hope / designed it to have the heavy bit, aka the battery, near of or actually on the wing.
- I really appreciate the input, and will integrate most of it in the design.
- Noted...
- I am looking into adjustable lead outs, but with the build wing is is not that easy to keep light. On a sheet wing that is easier. I might make a series of exit points, so we can vary the positions of the lead outs, rather than adjusting them. Can you elaborate on the 'copy of Line III'? I have no clue what you mean, sorry.

Cheers,

Hugo
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Offline HugoW

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Re: Half-A-Stang design, input requested
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2014, 03:29:36 AM »
I just printed the plans, and Beginner Ringmaster plans. Now I finally see how tiny these planes are. On the screen, zoomed in, I couldn't really tell. Now I understand the need for thinner / lighter wood, thanks!

Cheers,

Hugo
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Offline Tim Wescott

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Re: Half-A-Stang design, input requested
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2014, 09:24:17 AM »
If you're going electric you should be able to use the long nose.  Don't be surprised if the battery wants to be behind, or partially behind, the leading edge.

I have an ET-1 airframe.  It is a superlative airplane for its intended use, but -- by design intent -- the only maneuvers its really capable of are level flight, climbs and dives, and touch and goes.  I was able to horse it through half a loop to fly it inverted.  Then, after my heart stopped pounding and I gathered my courage, I was able to horse it through another half loop to get it upright and land.

For personal use, I think that an ET-1 built out of balsa would be great.  It'll be lighter, stiffer, it'll fly better, and the only downside will be that it'll crash a bit more thoroughly -- but it'll be easier to repair.  I don't think you'd need to change a thing in the assembly drawing -- just change materials, and tune the CG to get the flight characteristics you want.

Build the fuselage and booms out of 1/4" (or 6mm -- I assume you know not to beat your brains out trying to find that extra 0.4mm; I'm just using the sizes I'm used to), build the wing out of 1/8", and the tail feathers out of 3/32".  I would try to find 8-pound (medium-light) balsa or less for everything except the fuse and booms, for which I'd use 10-pound (medium) balsa.  I would reinforce the nose back to about an inch past the leading edge with 1/32" plywood, so that when you land on it it'll survive better.  If I couldn't find exactly the balsa I'm dreaming about here, I'd build it with what I could get.
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The problem with electric is that once you get the smoke generator and sound system installed, the plane is too heavy.

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