Ground Effect Snow Skimmer (what I'll do with my electronics for planes that are too light for transponders ;)

[Ryan O.]

With the model above (N596IV) I like how ailerons are included. If I make the model large enough I'll slightly enlarge the wingtip polyhedral area for the ailerons.

 

[Ryan O.]

It turns out that the picture is from Pioneer Hangar at the EAA. Since I live less than an hour from Oshkosh I will try to find out if I can go to Pioneer Hangar to see the plane. Anyway, its been too long since I've been to the EAA.

 

[Ryan O.]

I've made the power pod and wing for the plane with a 7inch prop

 

[Walden]

I had my first flight on the field. Here is the video. One of the commenter's advice was contrary to most of what I had heard on ground effect, CP, CG, and other things. I want to know if what he said was right, and it likely is, or if what I had previously heard had been right, for example: I heard that ground effect works just as well without lift from an airfoil because is is a separate force altogether? is that right?

Since ground effect gets better as it gets larger, I might make a B-C pack Bixel wing or Lippisch style model.

I read the YouTube comment you were referring to. I will assume most of the lack of clarity was due to Google's translation. I would guess that what he was talking about was "cord dominated" (ram) ground effect vs "span dominated" (aerodynamic) ground effect. If my memory recalls, wings with less than ~0.5 aspect ratio fly more using the cord dominated GE, which has different characteristics, behaviors, and aerodynamic equations than span dominated GE. Couldn't tell exactly he meant about wing shape being wrong, but I will be sure to keep in mind what he said with regards to weight distribution.

 

[Ryan O.]

I read the YouTube comment you were referring to. I will assume most of the lack of clarity was due to Google's translation. I would guess that what he was talking about was "cord dominated" ground effect (ram) vs "span dominated" (aerodynamic) ground effect. If my memory recalls, wings with less than ~0.5 aspect ratio fly more using the core dominated GE, which has different characteristic behaviors and equations than aerodynamic GE. Hard to tell exactly he meant about wing geometry, but I will be sure to remember what he said with regards to weight distribution.

Since it was light enough I was thinking if putting a weight bellow the wing to also help when using a lighter battery, kind of like when gliders hold a weight bellow to keep stable.

 

[Ryan O.]

Here is the Lippisch plane. I have yet to paint it, and don't know which scheme I'll do.

 

[Ryan O.]

I flew it just now, and it worked great. Parts of it need reinforcement, like where the motor attaches, but otherwise it flies better than the Bixel Wing. I'm bringing it to my field's monthly meeting along with the Bixel wing to see what other members think of it.

 

[Ryan O.]

Because of the snow the meeting was delayed again, so it'll be another month until I show it to see what the other field members think.

 

[LitterBug]

Did you see Peter Sripol's build?

Cheers!
LitterBug

 

[Ryan O.]

Did you see Peter Sripol's build?

Cheers!
LitterBug

Yeah, it is pretty cool

 

[LitterBug]

They are nuts out on the water in freezing conditions. LOL

 

[Ryan O.]

Now I want to go bigger with a WIG that can easily take off from grass. Cue the Boeing Pelican. Mine would be a 2 engined 4s twin C-pack version with 10x4.5 props and wingtip skis. It would be much larger than the one I just made, and the wingtips will fold upwards to fit in the car. It would be somewhere between the size of my current one and Peter Stripol's Ekranoplan, likely about a half to 3/4 the size.

 

[Walden]

Looks a lot like it shouldn't be too hard to modify the Sea Duck design to resemble the Pelican [mostly]. Obviously if you are doing water-TOaL you are going to want to keep the step and nose design from the Sea Duck. Critically, I am not sure how pitch (longitudinal) stability is supposed to work with the tail design on the Pelican.