Can you make one of these

Hoomi

Master member
You would have to make it big enough for a Steve Austin [$6,000,000 man] action figure for the pilot!

Casey
Only if you want it to fall from the sky, as he's transmitting, "I CAN'T HOLD HER! SHE'S BREAKING UP! SHE'S BREAKING UP!"

(I always wanted to do my own version of the Six Million Dollar Man opener, starting with the actual one, but then, when it shows him running at 60MPH, cut to his sneaker laces coming untied, then pulled back to the cloud of dust tumbling across the horizon, and the voice-over saying, "Steve Austin.... a man barely alive, again. We can rebuild him - again. We can make him better than he was - better. Stronger. Faster. With Velcro sneakers." Then, the title comes up, with $6,000,000 crossed out, and scribbled above it, "$12,000,000.")
 

PsyBorg

Wake up! Time to fly!
Only if you want it to fall from the sky, as he's transmitting, "I CAN'T HOLD HER! SHE'S BREAKING UP! SHE'S BREAKING UP!"

(I always wanted to do my own version of the Six Million Dollar Man opener, starting with the actual one, but then, when it shows him running at 60MPH, cut to his sneaker laces coming untied, then pulled back to the cloud of dust tumbling across the horizon, and the voice-over saying, "Steve Austin.... a man barely alive, again. We can rebuild him - again. We can make him better than he was - better. Stronger. Faster. With Velcro sneakers." Then, the title comes up, with $6,000,000 crossed out, and scribbled above it, "$12,000,000.")

That there is funny I dont care where yer from.
 

Sheriff

Active member
Hello from a fan in New Zealand
Do you think you can make one of these
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_HL-10
Thanks gary

This is pretty fancy aerodynamics, Nothing to do with the Clark-Y Airfoil. One would have to study and understand how lifting-body aircraft fly.

Even than, would the creases of the foamboard disrupt the airflow and cancel the lift ? Could the lifting-body principes still apply when scaled to 1:10 the original size?

..I doubt it.
But still, I would like to see someone try !

Au revoir
Guillaume
 

Hoomi

Master member
This is pretty fancy aerodynamics, Nothing to do with the Clark-Y Airfoil. One would have to study and understand how lifting-body aircraft fly.

Even than, would the creases of the foamboard disrupt the airflow and cancel the lift ? Could the lifting-body principes still apply when scaled to 1:10 the original size?

..I doubt it.
But still, I would like to see someone try !

Au revoir
Guillaume
If I recall correctly, most of the lifting body aircraft that saw test flights, were dropped from other aircraft, rather than taking off in the conventional manner. Since the scale model is going to have significantly lower wing-loading than the original, one might work just fine as a toss & boss aircraft, getting its initial airspeed and altitude from a fast throw.

Fortunately for our modeling enjoyment, mass doesn't scale down at the same rate as physical dimensions, so that a 1/10 scale aircraft doesn't weight 1/10 of the original.

This is especially beneficial to model railroaders, as a modern diesel electric locomotive such as the AC-4400 weighs around 200 tons. If that weight decreased at the same rate as physical size, an HO scale model of the locomotive would still weigh nearly 2.5 tons (2,268KG). The typical caboose model would weigh in at around 600 pounds (272KG).
 

Brett_N

Well-known member
Hoomi has a point. Aside from some of the Nurfugel designs and the XF-5U (which both are more pancake shaped, but still lifting body) the "lifting body" designs were towed or dropped. Some had rockets for additional trajectory and landing. yes - rockets for landing....

The designs themself were intended for very high speeds, but as powered gliders that would rocket up to high speed and altitude, then glide home. In fact they would speed up by nosing down on approach, and had rocket engines to provide more flare on the roll out. A lot of them had flare speeds in the 200mph range.

the biggest issue was stability and lack of lateral control.

With a prop, you'll end up with massive torque roll. I don't think you have enough aileron to counter it. Maybe an EDF with a bungee launcher would work....
 

Delta IV Heavy

New member
Very interesting discussion here. I am attempting to make a scale X-24B from styrofoam to see if and how I can get it to glide nice, just as a "play catch" model. I agree on the torque issue Brett_N brought up, an EDF at the CG might be an answer as the control surfaces on these things were not big. That would mean, of course, opening up intake holes where the originals were smooth. I don't know if I'll ever get into powered flight but if I can make a "catch" model perhaps others could go the next step.
 

Piotrsko

Master member
Bumps and etc dont affect much except drag on lifting bodies. Ref: Barnaby Wainfain's Facetmobile

Part of the reason they dropped stuff from B52's: lifting bodies were mostly for orbital re-entry. Take off was by rocket

A lot of full scale isn't applicable to us because of "scale effect". Build one and see wha thappens