Active drag control

[HankF]

Other than wing devices (spoilers, extreme flap angles, pivoting wide chord lift struts, split ailerons, etc) has any other means of drag control been tried on model aircraft? How about split rudders and/or elevators.

Hank

[Gary Warner]

I used a double throw, double pole switch to reverse the prop on decents and landings. Fair results with some odd handling due to the loss of prop blast over control surfaces. It also cooked the motor (brushed) due to reverse motor timing.

I'd like to try this with a BL motor, but I haven't yet.

Gary
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[HankF]

I used the Realflight G2 simulator to try one method of drag control and it proved to be quite effective. Rf won't let you have superposed flaps and ailerons but it will allow superposed spoilers and flaps. I used the "Dazzler" model and put that combination on it with 50% ailerons and 50% flaps/spoilers with a deflection of +- 60 degrees.

The results were amazing. You could pop the flaps/spoilers at altitude, dive for the deck without much speed build-up and spot land with hardly any roll out. It also didn't affect the handling of the airplane very much. It just did maneuvers more slowly.

Rf can be an interesting tool. Too bad they won't allow more combinations.

Hank

[macr0t0r]

Split rudder would need to be mixed with elevator to prevent pitch-up, but it seems to work great on the Shuttle. Split-elevator sounds a bit daring since elevator-control is such a necessity on landing.

I've always done a slip so that I could use the side of my fuselage to slow down. Works great if you have enough rudder control to do it.

HankF's idea seems to be the most effective. Gary's idea would be great in that you don't have the weight of adding all those flaps, spoilers, and servos to the wing. Simple and works.

[flying4fun]

I think some of the big jet guys use speed brakes as per on full scale aircraft, but other than that, i think most people use wing devices exclusively(mostly to save weight and for plain simplicity). On twin-tailed airplanes, you could do as the F-22 or F-117 do and just make both rudders move in opposite directions of one another towards the wingtips. Gary, have you ever thought of using a variable-pitch prop to reverse the prop orientation to avoid having to reverse the motor? Slips would work well, but im not coordinated enough in the ol' fingers to do one effectively. But i know that they work in full scale! When i go flying with my dad he likes to do them at very high bank angles and to pop out of them really low. Freaks me out :eek: :eek: .

Alex