Build a Folding Wing FT Plane
- Thread starter RAM
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Is that a Zenith? Those are really cool, simple aircraft. I bought a crashed F6F Hellcat that has folding wings and rebuilt it. I didn't like the feel of the folding wings at all. Even went as far as fabricating my own metal hinges (instead of plastic). That tightened things up, but still behaved strangely. I eventually just stuck in a spar and made them fixed. Looked really cool with the wings folded, though!
If someone would come up with a better design, I think it would be very marketable. I get tired of pulling off wings and putting them back on, again.
If someone would come up with a better design, I think it would be very marketable. I get tired of pulling off wings and putting them back on, again.
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rcspaceflight
creator of virtual planes
eagle4 made one. But it was a flying wing. http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?6741-eagle4-s-idea-dump
Or are we talking about a high wing plane?
Or are we talking about a high wing plane?
I was thinking high wing. Ed at Experimental Airlines has shown foldable wings but they still need to be attached to the fuse. I was hoping for something similar to the video so we no longer have to remove the wings for transport.
Had to look again but yes it is. A prototype at least.
rcspaceflight
creator of virtual planes
Best I can think of is something like this:
I guess the spar above the fuselage needs to be longer so the wings don't touch. But basically it's just three pieces of wood square dowels with two pins on each side. Make one pin removable and the other becomes the pivot point. Yes, there will be a "dead space" above the fuselage where there is no wing, but do you really need wing on top of the fuse?
I guess the spar above the fuselage needs to be longer so the wings don't touch. But basically it's just three pieces of wood square dowels with two pins on each side. Make one pin removable and the other becomes the pivot point. Yes, there will be a "dead space" above the fuselage where there is no wing, but do you really need wing on top of the fuse?
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It is a zenith ch 750, you can tell by the defining reversed airfoil tail and horizontal stabilizer. Hers one that was built at airventure in 7 days!
If we made a cabin section where the top of it is part wing, your idea might work and no dead space. If you used round rod instead of square you could also rotate the wings similar to the video except they would both have to rotate at the same time.
I'm not good at drawing it but what I imagine would be similar to the antenna's we are all used to on our transmitters. They rotate and fold at the same time. Take your dowel idea and make the square parts round parts instead.
We would have to add something to keep the wings from rotating in flight but that could be as simple as another dowel.
I posted an article I found on that one the other day. It was a general article about STOL but from the same guy who designed that plane. I like that reversed airfoil explanation he gave for the horizontal stab. He seemed to take the Storch design to the next level but apparently that reversing was figured out all the way back to the storch days. The other design was the end shape of the wings. He set them at 45deg and claims more lift due to that change. I don't know how much those changes would make to RC flight though.
rcspaceflight
creator of virtual planes
I don't understand what you mean.
If you added a third pin, then your idea of having the spars round would work. Not sure how to connect it to the fuselage though. Probably some hobby plywood with a hole drilled in it for the spar to go through. Which might end up making it closer to a mid-wing at that point. Or I guess make the top of the fuselage wood (for strength) and then a... clip, for a lack of a better word. I guess U-bolt is a better word.
Internet photo of the "clip" I'm thinking of:
I don't feel like re-drawing it, but exactly what you're talking about, but with a third pin that stops it from rotating that goes into some hobby plywood that is on top of the fuselage, would work. Actually, I guess you don't need the third pin. The removable one could stop the wings from moving at all.
Everything in the "system" is going to see a lot of stress, so it's going to have to be rather heavy, but it shouldn't weigh too much as it's just a fancy spar. The spar doesn't have to run the length of the entire wing though.
Anyways, I'm thinking that the final plane would look like the Bird Dog.
The nice thing about the Bird Dog is that it has a lot of windows on top of the fuselage, so just keeping that wide open would keep the look of the plane. And now that I think of it, allowing the wings to rotate will stop them from hitting each other so the wings can be closer together. There will still be a "dead space" though.
rcspaceflight
creator of virtual planes
I drew it up anyway:
Looks really neat spaceflight. That is a pretty similar to the system(minus the hydraulics) that was used in the TBF Avenger, F4f Wildcat and the E-2c Hawkeye.
When you said dead space I was thinking you meant no wing crossing the top of the fuselage. All I was saying is that you could make the top of the fuselage in that dead area look like a wing so the plane appears the same as what we are used to seeing with full wings all the way across the top. I agree on the stress problem but it shouldn't have to be supported more heavily than the rubber bands and skewers we use now should it?
Okay so maybe that was a lame joke...
More on topic:
What I'd probably do is take a length of steel rod and put a "dove tailed" hinge in it, so you can slide a brass tube over it when it's straightened out.
put that rod on your fuselage, so you have a hinge that can swivel backwards about an inch outward either side of the fuselage.
Now put the tube inside your wing spar.
Straighten out the rod and slide your wing on all the way. The tube will now keep the joint from moving. Add a second tube and rod pairing to the back of your wing to keep it from swiveling up and down and your wing will be good to go.
Now pull your wing out again to the point where the rear rod disengages. Twist the wing 90 degrees so it's perpendicular to the ground. You can now swivel the wing back against the fuselage
The other joke was better.
The problem we face next is keeping the weight down.
Re: your idea. Have you ever seen one of those collapsable walking sticks? Just a tube partly inside another tube with a bungee cord pulling them together. No need for hinges that way and still folds easily.
rcspaceflight
creator of virtual planes
I was originally thinking of using the support rods tents come with. Which also is just tubes and bungee chord. I think the problem with that is that it would be just as tricky to line up the wings as it would be to just remove the wings. Maybe pulling on the chord from the center of the fuselage would force it to line up, at least without much giggling.
But then what prevents the wings from rotation around the rod/spar? Would you then use two spars?
If you stick with a 40" wingspan for the plane, then I don't think the system would have to be that strong so it won't need to weigh too much. I think aluminum arrow shafts is the best bet. Yes, carbon fiber is lighter, but I don't think it could handle having a hole drilled in it as well. I did use aluminum arrow shafts in a plane before where I drilled a hole in it. Which did eventually break, but that was after beaning a shed pretty hard. (So not normal wear and tear.)
But then what prevents the wings from rotation around the rod/spar? Would you then use two spars?
If you stick with a 40" wingspan for the plane, then I don't think the system would have to be that strong so it won't need to weigh too much. I think aluminum arrow shafts is the best bet. Yes, carbon fiber is lighter, but I don't think it could handle having a hole drilled in it as well. I did use aluminum arrow shafts in a plane before where I drilled a hole in it. Which did eventually break, but that was after beaning a shed pretty hard. (So not normal wear and tear.)
Yes, the tent rod is the same idea. Now forget the tent rod and collapsable walking stick and rememer when Josh B built the supersized cruiser. Can you see how we might not need any tubing??
. Just refine the monster build wing connecter a bit. The only thing the shock cord has to do is pull our two wing halves together. It doesn't care if we pull two foam spar channels together or two carbon rods or etc. For durability, adams foam might not hold up but what about an elmers board channel. This keeps it in the FT flavor.
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