Help! Battery Aircraft Test Stand.

[Un-K.I.S.S.ed]

I'm working to build a Aircraft and Battery test stand. Base is a old truck tire with rim mounted. Round base plate bolted to rim. A riser pipe stands up from the center. This pipe has a small pulley at the top, about two feet above ground level. At the base is a lever equal length from center. Rope ties to open end of lever, then to pulley, to tail of plane. Other end of lever has a leg pressing down on a scale.
With this or similar set up should be able test pulling strength, level flight stability, accurate flight time to throttle adjustment, and actual stall speed.

 

[bisco]

great idea, all the best!

 

[Un-K.I.S.S.ed]

great idea, all the best!

I was thinking of mounting a lazy Susan under the scale unit, so it will spin. Thus this rig can double as a trainer/tester to learn/discover how a plane handles.

 

[Un-K.I.S.S.ed]

Did some design work last night. Hmmm... I think this might work!

 

[AIRFORGE]

I don't understand how you can test flight stability or stall speed when tethered by the tail. Can you explain more?

 

[Un-K.I.S.S.ed]

I don't understand how you can test flight stability or stall speed when tethered by the tail. Can you explain more?

I have drawn up a few angles of my first idea. Give the motor enough power, "Roll One", and the plane takes off. Half throttle level flight the plane should hold in place. Throttling back you see how much it will decend at different settings. Done inside a garage or gym you should easily be able to adjust trim, or track/sight adjustments needed to stabilize flight. By "Flying" off the test rig, you should be able to get a feel on how stable, sloppy or snappy her controls are. This test rig can act like a simulator. Add a stopwatch to time battery flight times.
If Flying something that holds some form of cargo, (Guinea Pig) you can measure adjusted flight times with different loads against empty.
You can also chart throttle settings against scale pulled weight. Watching the weight change during turns, assending or descending can prove useful smoothing out your movements on the controls.
If needs be, and your plane in action begins to pull the whole test jig around, filling the tire with sand might be a good option over air. Please ask questions or comment. I'm looking forward to build a jig like this to test out a Tudor MR 2 this coming summer. Then maybe a Guinea Pig!

 

[luvmy40]

I could be completely off base here, but I don't think this will work the way you want it to. The prop alone is not going to generate enough airflow over the wings and control surfaces to simulate flite.

 

[quorneng]

Indeed!
What makes plane fly? Prop thrust alone or the forward motion through the air it imparts on the plane so the wings create lift.
Your rig will measure the prop static thrust but the plane will not "fly".

 

[Tench745]

Indeed!
What makes plane fly? Prop thrust alone or the forward motion through the air it imparts on the plane so the wings create lift.
Your rig will measure the prop static thrust but the plane will not "fly".

You'd have to tie the line to the plane from the side to test-fly, like a control-line or a round-the-pole kind of setup.
Of course, you could use an around-the-pole setup for that.
For those not familiar, this is round-the-pole rc flying:

 

[Un-K.I.S.S.ed]

I could be completely off base here, but I don't think this will work the way you want it to. The prop alone is not going to generate enough airflow over the wings and control surfaces to simulate flite.

Um, hi. Even though the aircraft is tied to a fixed object, yet allowed to move vertically and rotational horizontally... the airflow from the propeller/s is what causes the lift factor across the wings.
The main idea of this rig is testing battery life (Time versus throttle setting.) Anything else is gravy. And this is what I was told is a open air model aircraft testing jig.

You'd have to tie the line to the plane from the side to test-fly, like a control-line or a round-the-pole kind of setup.
Of course, you could use an around-the-pole setup for that.
For those not familiar, this is round-the-pole rc flying:

 

[Un-K.I.S.S.ed]

You know I just sat back wondering about your point. How much of the air pushed or pulled over the wings and tail actually affect the amount of lift and control on the control surfaces? A Tudor MK2 being a single propeller, less lift air is created over the control surfaces than like a Guinea Pig that is twin propeller aircraft.
Hmm. Something to test or research.
Thanks.

 

[Mr Man]

You know I just sat back wondering about your point. How much of the air pushed or pulled over the wings and tail actually affect the amount of lift and control on the control surfaces? A Tudor MK2 being a single propeller, less lift air is created over the control surfaces than like a Guinea Pig that is twin propeller aircraft.
Hmm. Something to test or research.
Thanks.

You could also have a fan blowing extra air towards the plane to simulate airspeed.