Walden
Member
A brief mid-build update (I tried hard to have everything finished before I came home for Christmas, but then it didn't quite work out that way). The only pieces I still need to cut out is the lower fuselage/battery pod and the winglets which connect the wings to the T-tail. With a build this complicated it is important that I make sure all the major assemblies fit together properly before I plan on going nuts with the glue. I altered the design and some of the parts from my original sketches and/or needed to trim to a proper fit, which added time.
Since I teased y'all with it in the previous thread, I'll point out a few of the more unique features of the plane. The wing design is meant to improve stability in ground effect. A flat canard and lifting T-tail combined with a thick, lower AoA, forward swept, negative camber, reverse delta main [inner] wing should provide good center of lift (eg. longitudinal/pitch stability) while flying close the ground. Also washout in the main wing should improve stall characteristics, thank you to Ryland Research LLC for that tip! Experience from flying the previous plane (the Mayfly) led to design decisions here: wood reinforcement on the front and outer edges of the canard with cross-brace (see above) and doubling up the foam board on the motor mount to greater sustain impact damage. Another feature is the removable wheels that slide into the skiis (see below), which should allow relatively easy switching from wheels to water capable takeoff/landing. Once I am able to finish the plane, satisfactionally test it, and make any needed changes and if a noticeable amount of people express interest, I will consider sharing the plans.
Since I teased y'all with it in the previous thread, I'll point out a few of the more unique features of the plane. The wing design is meant to improve stability in ground effect. A flat canard and lifting T-tail combined with a thick, lower AoA, forward swept, negative camber, reverse delta main [inner] wing should provide good center of lift (eg. longitudinal/pitch stability) while flying close the ground. Also washout in the main wing should improve stall characteristics, thank you to Ryland Research LLC for that tip! Experience from flying the previous plane (the Mayfly) led to design decisions here: wood reinforcement on the front and outer edges of the canard with cross-brace (see above) and doubling up the foam board on the motor mount to greater sustain impact damage. Another feature is the removable wheels that slide into the skiis (see below), which should allow relatively easy switching from wheels to water capable takeoff/landing. Once I am able to finish the plane, satisfactionally test it, and make any needed changes and if a noticeable amount of people express interest, I will consider sharing the plans.