Hello everyone ! 
It's been quite some time now that I'm seriously thinking about buying the Hummel Bird plans BUT I still have doubts :
The plane fulfills all of my desires except the cross-country bit.
I know it has not been designed for this purpose, however, me living in France, cross-country is not quite what it is in the US...
:gig:
Then I came across Bruce King's bird and his full VW fitting...as i'm not quite found about fitting a larger, heavier engine unit on such a small bird, I was thinking about something else:
What about about reducing the drag ? It would improve speed and thus range.
And so, after some photo viewings, I came to the conclusion that in addition to covering hinges, control rods, wheel struts and engine cylinders, I "could" redesign the wing shape to make them wider at base and shorter (keeping the same surface though) in a Mustang-like shape.
Moreover, a VW conversion isn't an option for me as VW engines are rare in France...which would lead me to design additional tanks for better range ( 2-strokes are not as economic, fuel wise).
I would appreciate some advice on this as it is quite the only thing keeping me from cutting metal:
Would the fuselage need to be longer with a wider wing ?
What about the engine ? Anyone has an idea ? ( i've seen that a Mac could be an option while browsing the forums)
Thanks to you guys and best of luck with your projects.
It's been quite some time now that I'm seriously thinking about buying the Hummel Bird plans BUT I still have doubts :
The plane fulfills all of my desires except the cross-country bit.
I know it has not been designed for this purpose, however, me living in France, cross-country is not quite what it is in the US...
:gig:
Then I came across Bruce King's bird and his full VW fitting...as i'm not quite found about fitting a larger, heavier engine unit on such a small bird, I was thinking about something else:
What about about reducing the drag ? It would improve speed and thus range.
And so, after some photo viewings, I came to the conclusion that in addition to covering hinges, control rods, wheel struts and engine cylinders, I "could" redesign the wing shape to make them wider at base and shorter (keeping the same surface though) in a Mustang-like shape.
Moreover, a VW conversion isn't an option for me as VW engines are rare in France...which would lead me to design additional tanks for better range ( 2-strokes are not as economic, fuel wise).
I would appreciate some advice on this as it is quite the only thing keeping me from cutting metal:
Would the fuselage need to be longer with a wider wing ?
What about the engine ? Anyone has an idea ? ( i've seen that a Mac could be an option while browsing the forums)
Thanks to you guys and best of luck with your projects.
