Senna
Well-Known Member
OK... calling this cutting edge may be a slight stretch... but I believe this product will benefit designers and builders alike.
I have been building an ultralight design called the Invader MK IIIB. Well... I have been storing it much longer than I have been building it so it would be more truthful to state I HAD been building this airplane. So what's an Invader MK IIIB you ask??? Well... it's an ultralight design out of the early 80's. Quite advanced for it's time. A fully cantillevered 31' wing when most everything that was flying in the ultralight catagory back then were the lawn chair fabric types. It's a pod and boom pusher with tricycle gear, a V-tail, and fighter-style side contol stick for the aileron/ruddervators. The designer was a Floridian by the name of Nick Leichty. I bought plan set #340 from his now defunct company Ultra Efficient Products, Inc.
I have the fuse pod, boom, and landing gear completed. I had built and completed the center wing section (the outer 12' panels detach), and both main, rear, & aileron spars. I also cut rib sets for both wings.
The stated G-load rating was +3.5 at gross 365lbs. Although I had never heard of any problems with this design... I was always in the back of my mind questioning the integrity of the main spar. Maybe this is what kept me from moving forward and completing and flying this craft.
I retired early and have plenty of free time to indulge myself with hobbies... the computer being one of them. So... I surf the Internet...ALOT! I started reading about the Carbon Dragon (an ultralight sailplane) and that led me to the MARSKE Flying Wing site. I viewed pictures of the construction of Wes Whitehurst's CARBON MONARCH flying wing. The techniques and materials used to build this craft spoke of tremendous strength AND lightness. The use of a product called Graphlite™ carbon rod in the Carbon Monarch's spar caps was of great interest to me.
I found on Jim Marske's site a link to a paper he wrote detailing the virtues of this particular product. Wow! Amazing stuff! I've since incorporated Graphlite™ carbon rods into the upper and lower spar caps of my ultralight Invader and by doing so I've increased (so far only on paper) the G-load to +6. This certainly has given me greater confidence as to the structural strength of the wings. A static load test will be the proof of the pudding.
I guess what makes this cutting edge is the cost of this material. It's certainly within my budget! I not only get the carbon rod, I get a little peace of mind... all at $.57 a foot!!!
If you haven't heard of this material... you can find the information here...
http://www.continuo.com/marske/carbon/carbon.htm
Build light... build safe...
Senna
Crooked River Ranch, OR
I have been building an ultralight design called the Invader MK IIIB. Well... I have been storing it much longer than I have been building it so it would be more truthful to state I HAD been building this airplane. So what's an Invader MK IIIB you ask??? Well... it's an ultralight design out of the early 80's. Quite advanced for it's time. A fully cantillevered 31' wing when most everything that was flying in the ultralight catagory back then were the lawn chair fabric types. It's a pod and boom pusher with tricycle gear, a V-tail, and fighter-style side contol stick for the aileron/ruddervators. The designer was a Floridian by the name of Nick Leichty. I bought plan set #340 from his now defunct company Ultra Efficient Products, Inc.
I have the fuse pod, boom, and landing gear completed. I had built and completed the center wing section (the outer 12' panels detach), and both main, rear, & aileron spars. I also cut rib sets for both wings.
The stated G-load rating was +3.5 at gross 365lbs. Although I had never heard of any problems with this design... I was always in the back of my mind questioning the integrity of the main spar. Maybe this is what kept me from moving forward and completing and flying this craft.
I retired early and have plenty of free time to indulge myself with hobbies... the computer being one of them. So... I surf the Internet...ALOT! I started reading about the Carbon Dragon (an ultralight sailplane) and that led me to the MARSKE Flying Wing site. I viewed pictures of the construction of Wes Whitehurst's CARBON MONARCH flying wing. The techniques and materials used to build this craft spoke of tremendous strength AND lightness. The use of a product called Graphlite™ carbon rod in the Carbon Monarch's spar caps was of great interest to me.
I found on Jim Marske's site a link to a paper he wrote detailing the virtues of this particular product. Wow! Amazing stuff! I've since incorporated Graphlite™ carbon rods into the upper and lower spar caps of my ultralight Invader and by doing so I've increased (so far only on paper) the G-load to +6. This certainly has given me greater confidence as to the structural strength of the wings. A static load test will be the proof of the pudding.
I guess what makes this cutting edge is the cost of this material. It's certainly within my budget! I not only get the carbon rod, I get a little peace of mind... all at $.57 a foot!!!
If you haven't heard of this material... you can find the information here...
http://www.continuo.com/marske/carbon/carbon.htm
Build light... build safe...
Senna
Crooked River Ranch, OR
Last edited:
