You mean you don't memorize my stuff? I'm shocked. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother.
FWIW, that table isn't a bad place to start. I developed it for two reasons. First to allow myself to tabulate measurements off a bunch of plans that Fitzgerald the elder and myself had laying around and second and most important was because I felt that if you're going to "design" a plane to do stunts the aerodynamic elements should be the first priority rather than the ultimate result of drawing something that appeals to the "designer" aesthetically.
It is thus more or less a fill in format on which the designer can play with numbers to give him an idea of what is necessary to achieve the outcome he desires.
It is based on the absolute most basic of aerodynamic principles such as area, aspect ratio, wing loading and relationships of proposed centers of Gravity, Lift, Drag, pitching moments etc.
THIS IS IN CAPS SO NOBODY CAN MISS IT. I DON'T PRETEND TO BE AN AERODYNAMIC ENGINEER OR TRAINED IN THE ARTS OF AERODYNAMICS. I AM, ON THE OTHER HAND, A LIFELONG PILOT TRAINED IN THE ARTS OF FLIGHT AND HAVE A GOOD GRASP ON HOW THINGS EFFECT ONE ANOTHER IN A BASIC FLYING MACHINE. THE TABLE IS INTENDED TO ALLOW SOMEONE WITH THOSE FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS TO ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIPS AND TO ADJUST THEM TO ACHIEVE A PREDICTABLY FLYABLE RESULT. DON'T WANT ANYONE TO THINK MY EXPERTISE IS ANY GREATER THAN WHAT'S JUST BEEN STATED.
To use a resource of this type one must first decide what it is he wan'ts to achieve in a new design. He must then be reasonably aware of the numbers that would show up on the form for a known quantity...again, probably the Nobler would be as good a basic reference as any. If you have the numbers for a Nobler (or, which might be easier, the numbers for the Imitation or Excitation as already filled out in the construction articles) and; if you are familiar with the performance and flight characteristics of that reference airplane (Nobler or Imitation), you can then start to play with the numbers with some reasonable expectation of achieving the desired result.
An example might be a question I was asked at the field the other day. The flyer wanted to know what he could do to reduce the control loads on a modern stunt behemoth while still being able to produce a competitive corner. Other than the obvious mechanical solution (a bigger wrench to deflect the flaps and elevators [bigger bellcrank leadout arms]) we discussed pitching moments caused by flaps and the effects on aircraft response.
You could predict, using numbers plugged into the template, that reducing the area of the flaps by reducing chord or span of the surface would reduce the load on the control system. You could also do it by getting the CG and center of lift of the wing closer together which would reduce the pitching moment, etc.
Without going into great detail (and I encourage any of you interested in more detail to pick up copies of any of my longer published articles from PAMPA PRODUCTS), the fundamental stuff you can play with in the form is the teeter totter stuff that makes our stunters feel the way they do in the air. Where the CG and centers of lift etc are located and the effects that changing those numbers will have on the teeter totter.
Too much stuff here. the bottom line is the form can be a helpful tool to help predict the way a design will perform under a certain set of trim conditions.
What must be remembered is that our ability to trim any aircraft ... Nobler to Impact ... is really much more important when push comes to shove at the contest site.
If anyone can read the form well enough to ask specific questions about it, fire away.
Ted