Autodidact
Well-Known Member
Interesting spin (is that a pun?) on the Flea configuration, and it is a Flea IMO, because it has no ailerons and the pitch is controlled by increasing lift on the front wing, controls are the same etc:
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I see what you did there ....
John Pontius is still heavily involved and looked up to in the Flea community, French Canadian in Canada I believe.
John Pontius is still heavily involved and looked up to in the Flea community, French Canadian in Canada I believe.
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I suspected a Pou-du-Ciel joke was coming. I believe John Pontius of California has long since gone west, but Canadian Paul Pontois is still very active in both the English- and French-language Mignet communities online, though he doesn't get out much anymore. What is the source and date of that article, Autodidact?
The idea of using camber-changing flaps on the front wing to change both angle of attack for pitch control and the lift/drag characteristics of the main wing is very interesting. It shows how there is a whole range of variations between something like the original Pou-du-Ciel concept and a conventional wing/horizontal stabilizer configuration. This Pontius design with fixed wing incidence is one small step towards the middle and the Gatard Statoplan with its more conventional proportions but similar control system (plus ailerons) is there to meet it from the other direction.
Here's a small clip of the Pontius "flea" in action: http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675045448_John-Pontius_plane-parked-on-ground_pilot-in-cockpit_plane-takes-off
The idea of using camber-changing flaps on the front wing to change both angle of attack for pitch control and the lift/drag characteristics of the main wing is very interesting. It shows how there is a whole range of variations between something like the original Pou-du-Ciel concept and a conventional wing/horizontal stabilizer configuration. This Pontius design with fixed wing incidence is one small step towards the middle and the Gatard Statoplan with its more conventional proportions but similar control system (plus ailerons) is there to meet it from the other direction.
Here's a small clip of the Pontius "flea" in action: http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675045448_John-Pontius_plane-parked-on-ground_pilot-in-cockpit_plane-takes-off
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Autodidact
Well-Known Member
Crud, had to go find it again, March 1954, FLYING pg 28-29 (Nice vid clip!):
https://books.google.com/books?id=Vg-e_Iia8-AC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=Vg-e_Iia8-AC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
