A simple flying wing method

davereap

Member
This is suited for any flying wing shape...

I have come across a simple cheap method for flying wing types.. an alternative from dollar foam board.. but just as cheap...
I have made a V wing slope version and it glides great

these two threads illustrate the process

the concept.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2141726

a "Simple V" built and tested
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2156325#post28224932

I hope you find this interesting, for a just few $ you can produce a good slope or powered wing.. no special tools are needed..
And the section will work on any flying wing type, plank, delta, V ..

the section.. example on a 1" thick board the leading edge is curved to 1.5" back.. and the chamfer is cut to 3" forward, leaving a square cut 1/4" trailing edge
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section.JPG

cheers all... davereap... rcgroups and flite test
 
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davereap

Member
here are those Ive made so far.. the builds are on rcgroups

the SimpleV made from 1" thick builders insulation polystyrene...

P4270067small.gif Simple V RM1-1040mm lines.JPG

theMiniWiz .. made from 2x6mm layers of depron.

area and lines.JPG P4270067small.gif
 
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Craftydan

Hostage Taker of Quads
Staff member
Moderator
Mentor
Dave,

Once again you've come up with some interesting airframes to give a try! Thanks for sharing!

(man, I wish Middle Georgia had a few good slope soaring sites . . .)
 

davereap

Member
The big red SimpleV went really lovely with test glides only, it seemed to want to go on and on... the wind when we got to the dunes was almost non existent...
It went smoother than my Zagi as a comparison...

The MiniWiz was nose heavy and I hadn't cut the rear chamfer very well.. it flew but had more sink , so now the chamfer is recut and the COG is now better sorted and its waiting on a second go...
I know it will go well because Goldguy on RCGROUPS has made one and videoed it
He has nicknamed it a Flat Stanley .. because of the section
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davereap

Member
Here is my end result.. the tail fin is not covered nor fixed just posed for the photo... weight here is at 16oz with 4.75 sqft area..
Its going to be a good mid wind speed model..

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P5010089-small.gif
 
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davereap

Member
The final weight was 21oz AUW with a 1500 2s lipo for balance.. this gives a 4.4ozsqft loading
.. they are all near to that loading
edit I needed to move the COG forward to a 20-25% location and had to add 50gms/2oz to the nose, so its flying weight is at 23oz..just under 5ozsqft...
Note in 20mph winds it will still need a fair bit of ballast added for penetration....note as a bigger model it takes a lot of ballast ..5oz to give a 1ozsqft raise to the wing loading..

some useful ballast strips are sold as wheel balance weights..on ebay.. strips are self adhesive, I like to add Velcro to them and to the model to fix them in place.. you can see a strip on top of the V in the video
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P5020090-small.gif
 
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davereap

Member
my posting name on rcgroups is davereap .. my flying buddy is richard30

here is the video of the SimpleV's maiden flight.. and its my first slope flight for a long while from this location
I had to add a couple of ounces ballast to get enough penetration and I think another couple would have been better, but the flight was ok.. nothing fancy here.. some loops and rolls at about 4.05ish..

its in 720 HD so go full screen HD for a better view
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skeplin

Senior Member
Great idea! -- reminds me of the Alula discus launch glider. With duct tape or packing tape do you think the material would be strong enough for DLG?

 

davereap

Member
depron would be the best material.. with pallet strapping and strong tape on the wings...
however the section is not the best for SAL or discus launches, I doubt it would go as well as an alula can.. The alula is well developed..
For an off the slope model its just a good, fast, cheap and easy build that works well enough.. the simpleV airframe cost is under a few £ or $.. the foam is only £2 a sheet and you can cut two models from one sheet...add some strapping (often to be found free) and tape (the expensive part of the model per roll).. and a couple of fins (cut from a cardboard box).. and its all done
 

davereap

Member
here is an alula based shape using the RM1 section ...going well in 5mph winds
videos by Steve O in utah
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davereap

Member
Ive just made another weasel shape... this time a fatty.. The boards from the DIY store are 1200x450x25 mm so I drew up lines to cut two models from one board.. The basic weasel shape has left overs so the chord got increased by nearly 50mm so as to use up all the foam, this increases the wing area, lowering the wing loading.. It ends up at 3.7ozsqft.. and 12.5oz AUW.

here are the lines
Cut lines wider chord 900mm span.JPG
 

davereap

Member
you will notice the wing section is cut different.. the chamfers are shallower.. the front is not rounded...its all simple and flat cuts done with the serrated carving knife seen..

first cut the two wing halves..
mark up and cut the chamfers .. the leading and trailing edge are marked to leave a 6mm thick square edge, note they are on the bottom front and top rear... and the chamfers are 3" deep on the top front and 4" on bottom rear.. see the section.. make a pair
cut the wing tips off in a nice curve..

join the halves..pic2
on the leading edge I fitted a 2mm CF rod bumper..
on the trailing edge I fitted a balsa 6x6mm rear.. pic3-4
pic 5 shows the section at the tips..

across the wing fit pallet strapping top and bottom to make a sandwich and this stiffens the wing without adding a CF spar..

Now tape it up.. reinforced tape goes over the strapping and down the leading and trailing edges.. then coloured packing tapes are used to cover the rest

The elevons are 6mm depron all tape covered, 3" wide at the root 2.5" wide at the tips.. the fin is 6mm depron tape covered.. TLAR for shape and size.

The pod is fitted round the gear, the pod has hard balsa sides and formers covered with EPP sheet.. internally it had a 40mm wide box to fit the battery.. a 500 2s lipo was used.. its made just deep enough..

glues used ... mostly glue gun cool melt adhesive and UHU POR for the pallet strapping
 
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davereap

Member
It goes a real treat.. has a good fast glide and keeps aloft in light lift.. I only got it maidened yesterday in low lift conditions but it is a lot of fun...
best of all its very cheap, strong , and bounces well..

video..
 

RAM

Posted a thousand or more times
I think your plane will be my next build. I like the simplicity of it.

So far, I cannot find the foam brand you use here in the US. I think RustyM uses dollar tree adams board. Is your foam board similar? More durable?
 

davereap

Member
The foam is the cheap builders insulation foam... cheapo polystyrene with a beady finish.. grey or white
here is what it looks like.. grey http://www.diy.com/nav/build/insula...x-D-25mm-8-Board-Pack-10647757?skuId=11138399

white http://www.diy.com/nav/build/insula...L-1200-x-W-450-x-T-25mm-9273748?skuId=9283448

the grey looks like a recycled version and feels tougher that's what I picked..

But any foam will do , if you laminate the sheets to get near the thickness.. I would remove the paper from the inside laminations leaving paper only on the outside for strength.. depending on the thickness 4 or 5 layers will be thick enough..
try first the builders merchants for foam board insulation products.. its cheaper..

you have this product in your home depot store CelloFoam3/4 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. Polystyrene Foam Insulation Board that will do although 1" would be better
 
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