ok.. ive redesigned my glider to make up for some of the mistakes i made in the design of the fuselage.. it was a bit short so i decided to sweep the wings so i wouldnt have to add so much weight in the front of the glider.. Now it has this evil drone look and i like it lot.. i just had to show everyone.. i went crazy on the tail design just for the hell of it... this is a catch only glider.. no landings or you'll brake the tail surfaces.. have a look.. What kind of control problems do you guys think id have doing a tail like that? i havent tried it yet, but have always wanted too.. do you think sweeping the wings will have a positive effect or a negative effect? something tells me this will fly really quite nicely.. it reminds me of a DLG version of the bird of prey.. i heard that with that wing design had an excellent LD.. but im not sure if that was hype or not..what do you guys think?

Robert

Robert

I had a DLG with swept tips. It made it fly fast. This isnt good if your trying to stay in light tight thermals. It was a great flying sailplane just wouldnt slow down enough to thermal with the other High Performance DLG's

Its the way I felt about it. It was good in high winds though

Jeff

you can slowit down easily with camber can't you?

I wouldnt buy a DLG that you had to catch every time. I catch almost all my landings, but once in a while, when ranging far out for lift I may hit some sink/etc and not quite make it back. If I was flying your plane it would be broken.
Walter

this glider is for me.. im not selling it.. however if i did turn this into a kit i would put a more standard tail on it...

I liked your firts tail you posted.

also, im afraid that under V tail would blow off very easily on a launch. Even if it did not, it would be a lot of drag on launch.

Hi Austin,

A guy named Art Markiewicz in San Diego has been flying a DLG with anhedral stabs for the past three years and hasn't blown them off as yet. And he is a very competitive pilot, having been within the top 10 finalists of the International HLG Competition several times. The stabs he uses are very light balsa that is bagged with 1/2-oz cloth. It's just a matter of how well you attach them. As for the drag factor.... I can't even begin to touch that one. I think we need Dr. Drela on that one.

mlee8249

Cool, Id like to see that plane.

A question you may want to ask is this:

Does the inverted V-tail have any REAL benifit? IS that benifit worth the price paid in durability and weight?

Originally Posted by AustinTatious

Cool, Id like to see that plane.

A question you may want to ask is this:

Does the inverted V-tail have any REAL benifit? IS that benifit worth the price paid in durability and weight?

Hi Guys

Try "http://www.prop.at/kurzber/pic_2004/f3k_oem/Seiten/Wolfgang%20Zach%20mit%20dem%20Turbo-Mercedes.htm" for a picture of a european design using this set up.

No idea how effective it is but Wolfgang keeps coming up with new ideas and is high up the winners list.

Cheers

Martin

On the older pattern birds, the anhedral stabs were used to place the flight surface into a wide area of clean air. It was found that at certain angles of attack, there was wing turbulence that blanked out the stab and elevator with it. The net effect was no response from the elevator and the plane felt like doo-doo when that happened. A side effect was that the elevator was very sensitive when inverted, which helped out the pattern birds as they fly a lot of inverted stuff.

So, with the anhedral, your flight surface will keep a significant portion of the surface in clean air even if part of the surface is blanked out by turbulence. Therefore, there should not be a situation where any given angle of attack will blank out the stab completely, allowing you to maintain elevator control. BTW, one of the reasons for T-tailed models is to prevent surface blanking.

mlee8249

Wolfgang i believe makes some of the most beautiful gliders... i would love to take a tour of his shop...

Robert

Does anyone out there know anything about foam injection molding.. cuse i was thinking when i go into production with my glider, The Complex, i was toying with the idea of having the wings made from a CNC mold that is foam injected so i can still do its complex and accurate shape and make it as strong as the bagged wings.. I love the european wings but i think the american bagged wings last longer and can be fixed and stuff.. i would greatly appreciate any information or conection to someone who has experience doing it..

Robert

Robert

I'm no expert but thought I read somewhere that injection molding does not work for our wings because it kinda gives a range of foam densities in different areas, not a nice even material. (Due to injection points and material flow into the mold). I know it has been used for models but not the sort of glider you have designed where weight is critical.

Also having said that some blocks of foam I've cut vary pretty wildly!!

Martin

yes, that is proably very ture...