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Building Tips and technical articles. => 1/2 A building. => Topic started by: Jim Thomerson on June 10, 2010, 01:26:11 PM
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Allen Brickhaus in his stunt column in the July Flying Models discusses the Sterling S-4 1/2A kit. The Sterling S-4 was introduced as the "Space Kaydet", and is OTS legal. The name was soon changed to "Space Master". I think this was trademark or copyright issue. Barry Baxter has a wonderful set of plans which show the shapes of all the sheet sides, drawn from a complete kit. I built two of them, one with a McCoy 049 diesel, and I don't recall what the other had. As to the thin wing, there is a comment in one of the old Aeromodeller Annuals that for greatest efficiency, a wing should not have a thickness % greater than twice its chord in inches. A 5 inch chord should not have more than 10% thick airfoil, for example.
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What a ridiculous rule of thumb. A 15" chord should have a 30% thick wing? Give me a break! When you get to a 50" wing you end up with a perfect cylinder. I don't think so! VD~
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Should have been clearer, the rule was in reference to wings with small chords, and was an upper limit. D>K
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The rule doesn't even apply that well, no matter how you state it. The 1/2A Snapper at 105 sq.in. area has a 15% airfoil and flies extremely well. I have NEVER used less than 12%, and thought those models would have flown better with a thicker foil. Generally on models now I stay around 17% with fixed flaps (or no flaps) and go to 20% if I am using flaps. If your airfoil is very cleanly built, thicker foils generate very little extra drag.
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As an aside, the model shown in Flying Models is drop dead gorgeous as refinished by Mr Dahlke! Another aside, we are getting great stunting out of thin sheet wings in our experiments leading toward the Kwikee Stunt event. Now that I have properly attached the engine, my BlackHawk Bristol bullet is showing promise, and it is a minimal model compared to Antone Kephart's sheet wing Baby Magician. I'll try to get a photo of Antone's plane when I can.
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What a ridiculous rule of thumb. A 15" chord should have a 30% thick wing? Give me a break! When you get to a 50" wing you end up with a perfect cylinder. I don't think so! VD~
But then you get to 60" and it starts getting better again!
Brett
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Until you get to a flat plate at right angles to the slipstream, in which case stunting must be done in the style of the current R/C 3d guys (bleeeach!!!) {You sure that is flying??}
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Until you get to a flat plate at right angles to the slipstream, in which case stunting must be done in the style of the current R/C 3d guys (bleeeach!!!) {You sure that is flying??}
But I see Bi-slobs doing that.
I can only admire the 3D folks when they start looping in the length of the aircraft, or do a nice stable hover.
I can't imagine wanting to do that myself -- but I can imagine the amount of skill that goes into it, and admire it none the less.
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3-D is not for RC only. Have you ever seen a Bi Slob (sold by Brodak). I have seen Rollin Keszler (Madison Alabama) put in a complete flight and complete maybe 3 laps. The Bi Slob does a great saber dance.
Youtube link below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDwfn-OKELM
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Everybody needs a Bi-Slob in their stabe of planes. It will change your perspective of flying. It is also great when you see the guys on the R/C side of the field trying to figure out how you do that on control lines. H^^
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Everybody needs a Bi-Slob in their stabe of planes. It will change your perspective of flying. It is also great when you see the guys on the R/C side of the field trying to figure out how you do that on control lines. H^^
Just remember John, one of those R/C guys is going to ask you to do a torque roll, a harrier or a blender or some of the other maneuvers. Not as a rebuttal to anyone here but skill is needed to do anything well in each segment of the hobby. If skill wasn't needed then we would all be world champions.
I still like to fly R/C and do pattern and free style/3D maneuvers simply to keep my hand/eye cordination at a level that you don't get in C/l and I refuse to be apologetic about it. It's fun and I enjoy it the same as C/L. We all have to keep remembering it's model airplanes, it's supposed to be fun.
dennis