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  1. D

    Crashes in the News - Thread

    Thank you for that. Sounds like the passengers did not get a safety briefing, did not put on seatbelts correctly, nobody investigated engines that wouldn't start, the pilot didn't do a run up, took off from an intersection, lowered the gear before it was clear they would make the runway, and...
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    Crashes in the News - Thread

    They might have been referring to blowing nitrogen into the magnetos to remove condensate -- a procedure that can only be conducted on the ground.
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    Article about General Aviation

    Understandable, but autonomous vehicles are in the Wright Brothers stage of development. When self-flying airplanes demonstrate a better safety record, passengers will not trust human-operated vehicles. Autonomous cars and planes will most likely be owned by corporations, who will operate them...
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    Hello everyone, i'm new!

    Please verify with experts but my understanding is wood wing airplanes should be stored in a hangar. Also, do you have a preliminary 3-view sketch?
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    Vaporware

    Another parameter: How easy is it for low-time pilots to fly and how safe is it?
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    Electric Self Launch Options

    Don't disagree, but with one aboard the 2-33 is a delightful glider. Not the most nimble aircraft but very pleasant to fly and surprisingly viable in light air if you don't weigh too much and have the fabric (Hindenburg) nose.
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    Two cylinder gear-less twin aircraft

    Trivial point but the Graf Zeppelin made numerous intercontinental passenger flights in perfect safety. The Hindenburg is the one which suffered the hydrogen fire. There were actually several other Zeppelins (and blimps) before that destroyed by hydrogen fires, but those catastrophes were not...
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    Engine cost

    I agree. I've seen the asking price of homebuilt airplanes just equal to the value of the engine and instruments. The airframe is effectively thrown in for free. I also believe real estate is a good money laundering vehicle. That means sellers enjoy enhanced returns, and buyers who are not slave...
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    Raptor Composite Aircraft

    The 50 pound weight UAVGuy calculated would keep cube loading the same. Accounting for Reynolds number is another, separate concern.
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    Vernon Payne's Sky Kitten Biplane - 1936 Design

    I would guess partly because it's untested. People aren't sure how a Sky Kitten would stack up against other designs in the same class. We now have easy instant access to detailed comparisons between similar tested and proven airplanes competing for homebuilders' time, attention and dollars.
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    The "Beast One": What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

    Besides an uncomfortable, bumpy ride, what are the problems when wing loading gets too low?
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    Any Tailwind owners / pilots?

    Why would you say that is? Your analysis, please. I have wondered if the seat is like a chair (i.e. your lower legs are almost vertical) then it would be more comfortable -- similar to a captain's chair in a van. Also, if the cabin floor is kept unobstructed, you'd have room to shift your feet...
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    An argument in favor of multi-engine design

    You're correct. There was not a 1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3 split. The nose (main) engine alone was just enough to keep limping along if you open the throttle. I believe if a wing-mounted (auxiliary) engine fails, the pilot shuts down the other auxiliary engine, and doesn't have to deal with asymmetric thrust.
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    Preparing to build a TBD

    Ditto for weather radar, glass panel, or anything that encourages overconfidence.
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    All-moving tail surfaces on pivoting, tubular spars

    I believe it is standard practice for the stabilator to be mass balanced, and have an anti-servo tab so the axis of rotation can be moved farther back.
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    A challenge to you all

    It's possible. Although the lady pilots I saw (of that era) wore pants. My opinion is it was to appeal to automobile owners.
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    First attempt at design for electric delta pusher

    You could use a variable sweep canard. This would also help landing and takeoff.
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    Have I got my spar bending / shear diagrams right?

    Right. That's the way it's taught, but that method underestimates the load on the wing.
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    Have I got my spar bending / shear diagrams right?

    To keep the load diagram on the conservative side, usually advisable to assume fuselage is not as efficient at producing lift as the wing.
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    Cracks found on Challengers

    The struts subtend a shallow angle with the wing because the fuselage isn't that deep. The tension load on those struts has got to be enormous.
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