The gauntlet has been picked up...challenge accepted >:o)

[DeltaAerospace]

(Jets, schmets!)

Hello to all,

My name is Tyler, and since I was a kid, I've wanted to start my own aerospace company. I started with a Cox .049-powered Super Chipmunk I got for Christmas when I was 5 in 1987...and I've been hooked ever since. I progressed to 2 channel R/C (Guillow models, upcycling the .049 engine), then 4 and more channels. My favorite type of airplane, though, was pylon racers. I had brushless Aveox 2T delta-wind motors on 28+ NiCd cells back in ~1995. This was before most people even knew what a brushless motor was, and Lithium Ion (let alone polymer) wasn't in anyone's vocabulary.

I've been into giant scale models since about 2004. I started with Extras, Edges, and other 3D stuff. Then I moved into warbirds...and modifying them (like full-sized guys at Reno do) to make them more powerful, stronger, and faster.

During all of this, I attended first Technical college (for an AAS in Manufacturing Engineering Technology), then University (for a double B.S. in General Physics and Chemistry).

Then, I see this video come out from Flite Test...Red Bull Air Racing challenge...ok, ok, Reno is a separate racing organization, but this is still a really cool coincidence! For the past 2 years, I have been amassing parts, tools, and raw materials to build what is basically the ultimate R/C airplane.

I am basically creating what is a full-sized airplane which has been scaled down, instead of a wood or foam model which has been scaled up. Here are the specs:

Length: 96in.
Wingspan: 110in.(x 39in. mean absolute chord)
Weight: 125lbs. (AMA LMA2 legal)
Engine: Fuji 500cc 2-stroke inline twin, air-cooled, with turbocharger (200hp@7000rpm)
Prop: 26", carbon fiber, 6-blade, variable-pitch unducted fan (aka, propfan)
Fuselage and wing construction: aircraft-grade plywood, spruce stringers, and carbon fiber/zylon+carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy skin.

The aircraft will have redundant systems, including:
Dual receivers (Futaba)
Dual GPS-compensating PowerBox iGyros (gyro gain automatically decreases with increase in velocity)
(4) Four LiPo Receiver batteries with no-fault switches (automatically switches to the good battery in the case of a failure)

High-spec items will be used for additional safety, Including:
Hybrid ceramic engine bearings rated to nearly twice the max engine RPM (continuous rating) and a load saftey factor of greater than 2.0
UAV grade (FAA approved) bladder fuel tank and pump
Genuine GE Lexan canopy
Tonegawa Seiko UAV-grade servos (directly driving the control surfaces--no linkage to fail)
Control surfaces will be mass-balanced (multiple points)
Aircraft-grade aluminum and rivets used on engine subframe assembly

The entire aircraft is currently undergoing FEA/CFD simulation/testing to determine weak points/ turbulence as the design approaches the transonic flight regime.

A link to my inaugural Youtube video will be coming soon. (whenever I can enlist the help of my stepson, he's much better at the video editing stuff). Picture to follow...

This.Is.Not.Vaporware.

Delta Aeropace
Change IN

 

[jajefan]

One heck of a project! I wish you luck, and i can’t wait for pictures!

 

[ElectriSean]

More horsepower than half the cars I've owned... Subscribed

 

[DamoRC]

Gulp! Sounds like its going to be epic.

DamoRC

 

[Namactual]

This sounds pretty crazy...

I like it!

 

[PsyBorg]

yeah yea yea but will it break the sound barrier

Are there at least teaser pictures or a drawing to show us? Cant just toss somethin this epic in the ring with out some kind of morsel for us to chew on hehe

 

[DeltaAerospace]

Here are some pics of some of the parts. The engine is in pieces right now; the crankshaft is at a local machine shop being pressed apart and re-balanced for the new hybrid ceramic bearings and forged connecting rods.

Here's the resin. Wasn't kidding about the nanotube bit. I tried a test spot on a small piece of pink Owens-Corning foam board, and it made the foam nearly indestructible! This was with ZERO CLOTH....

Here's the drill press (with cross slide table that works quite well as a mini-mill) That my Grandfather bought out of the Sears catalog when he got back from World War 2. He gave it to my dad back in the 70's, and now dad gave it to me. You can see the 6" round stock I bought to make the main prop hub for the variable pitch prop unit.

On the left is a 586gsm triaxial Toray T-700 carbon fiber rated at over 700,000 pounds per square inch tensile strength. Genuine, made in Japan, aerospace-grade....not sketchy fiberglass dyed black from China off eBay. On the right is a 300gsm Carbon/Zylon hybrid cloth for the underside of the wing. Pulling out of a dive (or pulling back on the elevator in a high-g banked turn) tries to bend the ends of the wing upward, and the middle downward. Zylon is the only fiber I've found (except Boron fiber, which would cost about $4,000 for 3 yards!!!) that is stronger than carbon. It will reinforce the underside of the wing. (it will be one-piece....I need a big Ford van!)

Here you can see my custom-built, heavy-duty, 25mm diameter oleo retracts from Century-Jet Models. They did a heck of a job.

This is my trusty Tronxy x3a 3D printer. Well, it used to be, now it's mostly upgraded stuff, including a 32bit Duet WiFi mainboard, and an e3D Volcano extruder.

Here's the turbo and wastegate. I've torture-tested both, and they've passed the test. you can see the heat discoloration on the wastegate valve. I consulted with a friend of mine who's from North Dakota and owns a snowmobile racing shop up there. He knows his stuff when sizing turbos, and I trust his judgement.

My trusty Futaba 12Z radio and redundant receivers.

This is just some shop art for fun! This is a Bendix-Stromberg PD-12K pressure carburetor off of an Alliso V1710 V12 engine in a WW2 P38 Lightning!

Enjoy for now, more to come. Working on the simulations and graphics. Video to follow.

Take care,
Tyler

 

[DeltaAerospace]

yeah yea yea but will it break the sound barrier



The NEXT airplane's goal is exactly that. It will be dual-turbine powered, and the goal is to be able to supercruise. (that is, be able to cruise over Mach 1 without the use of afterburner(s))

Goal? Hopefully, to work for North American, Lockheed (Skunkworks has been my dream since before I could remember).....any of the above... )

 

[PsyBorg]

Ok mate you stepped up to the line!! Awesome stuff... I'm thinkin you pull this off and you will get your wish. they will come to you.