Combat Wing for FF23

[Pieliker96]

With the experience from last year, I'm planning a new-and-improved version.

Design Changes:
Hand-launching was hard and unreliable so I'm giving it a far bigger motor and ESC to take off vertically as a tailsitter (as originally intended). I'll add a bit more wing area to make up for the extra weight and split each elevon in two parts for redundancy and load distribution - especially with the inboard surfaces being in the propwash for control during takeoff. I'll be moving the control linkages and covers to the bottom side of the wing as it's aerodynamically cleaner and they're less vulnerable - turning to stay towards the center of combat exposes the top side of the wing. The nose will be reinforced even more than it was to help crashworthiness.

The design did great on the defensive last year, not so much on the offensive. I'm going to find a better method of deploying the low line, and make it longer, to maximize its chance of getting out untangled and snagging another plane. I'm also making provisions for wingtip-mounted streamers, in addition to the diffuse lighting for night flights.

Some parts are ready, some are on the way. Shooting for a better showing this time around!

 

[Jonny Gum]

Sounds well thought out. I'll try to take you down!

 

[Pieliker96]

CAD mostly done, should have some foam cut by next week. Ended up at 50" WS

 

[LitterBug]

I've been watching too much battle bots..... Where is the rotating spinners that chew through whatever you run into? ;-)

 

[JasonK]

no split to your elevons, to have reducent sevos for each side?

 

[Pieliker96]

no split to your elevons, to have reducent sevos for each side?

They are split as inboard/outboard. Inboards are smaller to deal with the increased flow from the propwash during vertical takeoff. Two servos per surface is tedious to do without servo binding/fighting and still doesn't guarantee control in case of a servo failure (which is then twice as likely): a jammed or stuck servo probably can't be sufficiently overpowered by the other. In my 8 years of flying I've only experienced one in-flight servo failure (electrical, it just died), it's not something I'm concerned about. They're metal-geared and will be protected by shrouds so I'm not worried about mechanical failure.

 

[Pieliker96]

Got things mostly finished today. Still need to figure out a battery/camera mounting solution and a good drogue line deploy method but otherwise it's good to go!