scratch built plane....

[Evilhomer]

hi all,

I'm building a plane, from balsa, but im not sure if the wing have to have any pitch or not for it to provide lift? and also how big do the wings have to be compared to body length?

[slipstick]

There are thousands of plans and pictures of model planes around. Have a look at some and roughly copy the proportions of a few you like.

BTW your questions can't be answered without knowing what type and size of plane you're designing. Gliders, aerobatic models, 3D flyers, trainers, park flyers......they're all different.

Steve

[Evilhomer]

Just a 3 ch park flyer, roughly based around a cessna shape

[Wingin' Wayne]

Try www.palosrc.com. Look for Instructors Corner at bottom of page, go to Design Parameters. Try www.geistware.com for some good building ideas. No design help though.

[Scaledown]

If the plane is fast and well powered it does not need any positive incidence on the wing. (In flight the whole plane flies at a tiny upward angle).
But for a pleasant parkflier you will want 2 or 3 degrees incidence. Note that the wing datum line is from the tip of the leading edge to the middle of the trailing edge, not the flat bottom as some people assume.

A fuselage for a parkflier is usually about 2/3 to 3/4 of the wing span.