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  1. M

    New Flying Wing takes flight - Facebook's Aquila

    Just wanted to pass this on. Eventually they are going to release the plans, it will be interesting to look over them to see what decisions they made on this carbon fiber flying wing. Facebook's Aquila drone takes to the air - BBC News
  2. M

    Acrobatic Fauvel type Flying Wing?

    @Battler Britton Sadly even the French Yahoo construction group is quiet. @henryk Perhaps I should have said semi-acrobatic. But what a view that cockpit would provide! The BKB1-A is interesting, but so little is known and so few built. Didn't a recent rebuild result in death of pilot...
  3. M

    Acrobatic Fauvel type Flying Wing?

    Been watching youtube vids of an AV-36 doing loops. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SAb6epuBhc Which got me pondering a variation on Pelican/Vampyr. The Pelican was designed to be low cost/low HP. 5g/2.5g. But it doesn't have to be. What if? 1) Go with a thinner wing section, Graphlite...
  4. M

    Strojnik Spar Question

    OK maybe that last part shouldn't say less record breaking (aka within sport pilot rules) but (aka with a heavier pilot)
  5. M

    Strojnik Spar Question

    I'm not even at the point of designing a spar, I'm more exploring concepts. I have been able to find local douglas fir that is cheap and so far has tested out to aviation grade. But only in small amounts, nothing near spar or longeron length. I can buy 6061T6 angle locally, so I am wondering...
  6. M

    Strojnik Spar Question

    Anyone who has his books...(or just happens to know)...could you go a little into detail on his spar design. The AL angle cap, AL stiffeners, glued(?) plywood web one. Does anyone know what AL thickness, plywood type/thickness, glue used for that design? Which of his books covers that? I'm...
  7. M

    Bingelis's article 'Construction Methods Wood Wing Ribs' Les Long rib questions

    No time for tests yet, but I've found this which covers a lot of wooden rib testing...haven't even begun to digest it but thought it worth sharing. http://naca.central.cranfield.ac.uk/reports/1931/naca-report-345.pdf
  8. M

    Plywood differences

    Mil P 6070B lists Birch (Sweet and Yellow with min Specific Gravity of .58) as a Group I High density plywood. Birch (Alaska and Paper with min Specific Gravity of .53) as a Group II Medium density plwood and Basswood (min Specific Gravity .36) as Group III Low density plywood.... So it...
  9. M

    Bingelis's article 'Construction Methods Wood Wing Ribs' Les Long rib questions

    Thanks rtfm, I've got to get better at searching this site's rich resources. That article gives an example of just the type of test procedure I was wondering about. Though I admit, seeing the different designs has got me brainstorming on different ideas/construction techniques for light weight...
  10. M

    Bingelis's article 'Construction Methods Wood Wing Ribs' Les Long rib questions

    I did see the Henderson Longster has regular truss/gusset style ribs, I wonder why the change. I've decided to go ahead and build a few and test them to see how they hold up.
  11. M

    Bingelis's article 'Construction Methods Wood Wing Ribs' Les Long rib questions

    The article is in the EAA Aircraft Building Techniques Wood... He mentions a Les Long ultra-light truss rib design....it uses four 1/4" x 1/4" spruce strips as double cap strips between which are slid the uprights and diagonals which are glued and held by a 3/4" 20 gauge nail. (no plywood...
  12. M

    washout Fike's Book question/wing testing question

    Thanks for the info, I've got a better handle on adjusting a two spar wing for wash out. And I like that spar testing set up, NorthwestJack, very nice. I think I will use that too. I will probably still test a semi-completed/completed wing to destruction though, mostly because I'm coming at...
  13. M

    washout Fike's Book question/wing testing question

    I've been reading Fike's Practical Lightplane Design and Construction and I've got questions... He mentions in the section on wings...."conventional two spar wing construction....Even after the wing is covered, the tips can be washed in or out several degrees..." How is that done? Is it in...
  14. M

    New composite metal foam...uses?

    nsf.gov - Special Report - Science Nation "Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Afsaneh Rabiei set out to make a material as light as aluminum and stronger than stainless steel." Basically it looks like cast aluminum with hollow steel spheres through out which makes the metal foam...
  15. M

    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    I wonder if labor costs have to be as heavy as with a normal company. I mean, are not lots of homebuilts made by retirees? Would it be possible to draw from them as temp workers when orders come in? Thus keeping the permanent payroll on the low side? Speaking of different ways to look at...
  16. M

    Cheap aircraft are simply impossible? :(

    If I understand this discussion (leaving aside the old man/young man, is the plane sexy enough to market), we've concluded that Labor Costs are what make this impossible, specifically connecting of all the bitty parts? And other materials/designs that are not so bitty, are too heavy to make...
  17. M

    Steam Power Plant

    To compare some numbers, a Rotax 912S is about 100HP at 136lbs. Cyclone Power Mark V is 100HP at 336lbs. (Probably not weight optomized for aviation, but it was designed for use in a car) I seem to recall the Besler engine being 40HP at 150lbs?
  18. M

    Steam Power Plant

    If you want a steam engine aircraft, these would probably be the people you should talk to... Cyclone Power Technologies - How It Works
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