Pieliker96
Elite member
Well it would be done now if it had the TWR. I got up to 6100g on some mostly charged batts, but the weight increase from the center section puts the TWR at just 1.28. It's time to go tri-motor, methinks
Combat Wing III for FF24
- Thread starter Pieliker96
- Start date
Well it would be done now if it had the TWR. I got up to 6100g on some mostly charged batts, but the weight increase from the center section puts the TWR at just 1.28. It's time to go tri-motor, methinks
Pieliker96
Elite member
Good TWR with the tri-motor setup, a comfortable 8kg of thrust with 5.2kg AUW gives a TWR > 1.5 and a cube loading of 7. Flight testing next weekend if weather permits.
Zephyr1
Elite member
I love what you've been doing with the combat wings @Pieliker96, and I've been inspired to do my own combat wing. While not as advanced or with as many engines, I've fiberglassed an FT Versa and plan to send it up against you.
Pieliker96
Elite member
Fiberglassing has always been an end goal for my combat wing ideas - just so tough and durable, not chewy like foamboard. I just haven't really had the composites experience to execute up until recently - maybe next year. Look forwards to seeing your wing in combat!
Zephyr1
Elite member
I've been learning a lot about how composites are manufactured at work and ended up just buying stuff from Walmart (for auto repair) and sacrificing an FT Versa. With the foam models I think it's better to learn by doing and make mistakes.
I hope your beast survives long enough to meet mine in glorious combat!
I hope your beast survives long enough to meet mine in glorious combat!
Pieliker96
Elite member
Maiden flight was good. Launching was a bit of a challenge, I ended up with full-down elevator and rolling out of an inverted pull to get flying - should be fixable with some trim to the center fixed elevon and maybe thrustline. It felt nice and stable in the air and sounded really really mean - the presence it has in the sky is just immense. Endurance seems to be on-target with half the battery gone in around 10 mins of total flying time.
Next up is the snag and drop system.
Next up is the snag and drop system.
Mutley
Well-known member
Last flite fest, I wrapped my combat wing in corrugated plastic, and switched out the brittle APC props for clunky master aircrew props. I must have hit 12 aircraft before crashing. Try to get some master aircrew props. The APC disintegrate after one hit. Otherwise will love to see these fly, I think you are on the right track with ribs and spars.
Pieliker96
Elite member
I haven't managed to break a prop yet in any of the previous years' flights, prop-in-slot seems to protect them pretty well. They are APCs and I have spares if need be. I'll make changes if they become a problem this year.
Got some drogues made, they're pretty much identical to last year's design with the addition of some skewers on the tips. Hopefully the drogue itself can do some snagging this time, instead of just the line. They've got some solid-core wire clipped on the front so they balance aerodynamically.
I promised I would go up on chute size, so here's that. They're made from 55-gallon trash bags, approaching 6ft in diameter - these should be a show-stopper hindrance to flight (and certainly endurance) for the average plane. I made these in the same way shown in this video from SG WaterRockets, just with the whole bag instead of half.
The line is 50-lb fishing line. I looked for the most florescent color I could get, which I do wish was a brighter yellow or red to stand out better in the field. It should be stronger than the string I had last year, though it may have less inherent snagging and cutting power. The plan is for 100ft lengths, which is around what I had last year.
No minute like last-minute, I'm going to be printing the chute tubes tomorrow and doing a final test flight just before I leave for FF.
Pieliker96
Elite member
Got the chute tubes done yesterday. They slot together then it all gets clamped to the aft spar from the front. Chutes were a bit of a slippery fit (plastic on plastic is a real low friction coeff) so I added some nozzles to help keep them in better.
Glad I got a test flight in last-minute. The tip skewers catch during the unwinding process which results in minimal line extension, I've already cut them all off. 3 lines seemed doable, and it launched better with the extra down-elevon authority I gave it. I also had some washout put in by deflecting the elevons up more the more outboard they were, which has made the stall tendencies very benign.
See you all at Flite Fest!
Mutley
Well-known member
@Pieliker96 I witnessed it working in action! Well done!
Pieliker96
Elite member
3 FLIGHTS / 3 CHUTES / 3 MIDAIRS
Well it took a while to get the video edited but here we are!
This year's combat had it's ups and downs.
On the negative: The GoPro I was using to film onboard overheated during the first combat and gave me an SD card error while trying to record for the second. I had a big collision with a 200% Baron which proved my design to still be weak, I sustained far more damage despite being larger and heavier. While replacing props for the final combat, I overtorqued a motor shaft and sheared it. I tried to launch with around 2 threads holding the nut on after shaving down the prop hub, but with the motor trying to loosen the nut due to running a reverse prop, it threw the prop on launch and just fell forward into the field.
On the positive: The chute system was highly effective in taking at least 3 airplanes directly out of the sky via chutes, and at least 2 more by tangling with the line. It also took out at least 4 airplanes through midair - even though the Baron got the best of me, he still didn't stay up after the hit. My Dad helped film from the ground to cover the gaps in the onboard footage, and the overall quality of footage we got was incredible! A particular triple-chute deployment caught someone who had been chasing me for de-winging their Radian in an earlier combat, which was a crazy coincidence. All of that from 3 flights, 2 of which I landed on low battery, is a pretty darn good record.
Plans for next year are taking shape, I'd like to do fiberglass over foam core for maximum impact-worthiness. The chute system has proven quite effective, I'll be looking for better ways to keep the lines apart though.
Nothing is ever perfect,
Nothing is ever finished,
Nothing lasts.
If you've read this far, here's a little secret: I do have some thoughts about a potential mass area-denial strategy that could, if executed well, take out tens of planes at a time. That plane would probably not be a wing though, if the concept ever comes to fruition. I need to do some work to make sure it's theoretically possible, and if I do attempt it you won't see it until the day it flies in combat - I would need to keep it under wraps.
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