I am a mechanical engineering student and I have no experience with RC planes. So I am studying the basics of aeronautical from online journals and forums. The main rules are,nivin
Four points.
Are there any rules? Do you have any RC experience? How long have you got? and are you doing this alone?
The answers to these questions will rather determine your starting point.
With no RC experience and just yourself then you really have no alternative but to do as Merv suggests. Take an existing design FT design, build it and see what you can achieve.
An existing FT design will fly and it may be possible to modify it within the competition rules to improve its weight lifting capability.
Also never under estimate the benefit of just completing the required flight task as many of the potentially better but more extreme designs may simply fail.
Finally.
The competition rules will almost certainly be set to favour a particular approach. If you can work out what that is you will have a significant advantage.
In the rule book, there is no mention of the formula for the ratio of cargo weight to the plane's all-up weight.nivin
Interesting but to put it mildly it is a very ambitious task for a 'first' plane.
Does this competition count towards your study or is it just for fun? If it counts towards your study your team may have to decide if 'method and reporting' is more valuable than simply winning the competition.
Is there any 'formula' for the ratio of cargo weight to the plane's all up weight or does it simply come down to the maximum cargo weight that can be carried within the 1.5 kg all up limit?
How is the plane to be powered? Are there any restrictions on the maximum power that can be used? Does it have to take off by itself?
The flight requirement is modest. If it can fly in a controlled manner at all then a 300ft semi circle should be no problem but from an engineering point of view the design will be a more onerous task.
You should bear in mind that the strength to weight of a structure improves with a reduction in scale, smaller is relatively stronger, but aerodynamic efficiency in particular declines with reducing scale hence size is factor. Finding the best compromise is not at all simple as it depends very much on the materials selected and how they are used.
In general there is no particular advantage with such a task in flying fast so 'big and light' will work better but to achieve this successfully does of course require detail engineering design, sound aerodynamic principles and appropriate material selection.
Does your "design report" have to cover an analysis of your actual chosen design or does it only have to cover the design principles to be used?
If the former then starting with an existing design may be the only practical option.
Just as an aside I do have a modest (0.7 kg all up) RC plane (I even flew it today) that includes a payload, actually a battery that is 10 times the size required for it to fly, so as a result the battery weight is equal to the planes bare weight. It did however take me several attempts to design and build before it flew successfully.
You will want a flat bottom wing, the Clark Y is hard to beat. The wing thickness should be about 15% of the cord.So I am confused about airfoil shape.
The plane parts should fit in 3 feet cuboid box.You will want a flat bottom wing, the Clark Y is hard to beat. The wing thickness should be about 15% of the cord.
Take a look at the Cabbie, it may be larger than your rules allow. My normal size FT planes weight in at 850g or less. Somewhere in between is your target size.
Readiboard is a great strength to weight ratio building material and I would opt for a simple design like the skyvan. Here’s a great FT article on the RC skyvan https://www.flitetest.com/articles/the-skyvanI am participating in an RC plane competition at my college. The goal is to build an RC plane weighing up to 1.5 kg, consist of a cargo section (5*1.5*1.5 inch L*W*H) and carry the maximum load. So please suggest a design and material for my RC plane.
Readiboard is not available in our area. Can you please suggest another materials?Readiboard is a great strength to weight ratio building material and I would opt for a simple design like the skyvan. Here’s a great FT article on the RC skyvan https://www.flitetest.com/articles/the-skyvan
If still seeking a design to with or to use as a basis for your own design you could build on of these; https://www.flitetest.com/articles/reworking-an-old-favourite-das-ugly-foamie-stikI am participating in an RC plane competition at my college. The goal is to build an RC plane weighing up to 1.5 kg, consist of a cargo section (5*1.5*1.5 inch L*W*H) and carry the maximum load. So please suggest a design and material for my RC plane.
Most hardware stores carry insulation foam like styrofoam or big green/blue sheets of depron that are good for building big rc planesReadiboard is not available in our area. Can you please suggest another materials?
Can I use balsa wood instead of Readiboard?Most hardware stores carry insulation foam like styrofoam or big green/blue sheets of depron that are good for building big rc planes
The plane parts should fit in 3 feet cuboid box.
Yes, it will take a bit more time but if you do it right it can be very light and strong.Can I use balsa wood instead of Readiboard?
Readiboard is not available in our area. Can you please suggest another materials?
Can I use balsa wood instead of Readiboard?