skwier
Active Member
Here is a preliminary design, the 'Damselfly,' for an ultralight (US 103) updating the Santos-Dumont 'Demoiselle' of 1909.
http://www.westernexplorers.us/Damselfly_Copyright_2016_Stuart_K_Wier_Sheet_1_10Aug.png
(I am still using an image file name from 2016 but the design is evolving.)
The original Demoiselle plans were published in Popular Mechanics in 1910, but those are not a sensible idea for a modern aircraft. For one thing, Santos-Dumont weighed close to 110 pounds; some early copies using those plans failed to take off simply because the pilot was too heavy. Also original design details and construction are far from what one would choose today. But it was quite an advanced and successful aircraft in its day.
Several improved 'Demoiselles' have been made, starting with The Magnificent Men movie about 1965. You can have fun with Google trying to find all of them. Of course a lot of ultralights have similar designs.
This is entirely my design and I am not a trained aircraft designer. Any suggestions about overall design, construction, or technical details would be appreciated. This will remain only a design project unless the lottery comes through. If by some chance if you want a plane like this, I suggest the Dream Classic kit from Airdrome Aeroplanes in Holden Missouri.
The first version of my design was posted in the Aircraft Design / Aerodynamics / New Technology forum in 2015. Many excellent comments were submitted.
http://www.westernexplorers.us/Damselfly_Copyright_2016_Stuart_K_Wier_Sheet_1_10Aug.png
(I am still using an image file name from 2016 but the design is evolving.)
The original Demoiselle plans were published in Popular Mechanics in 1910, but those are not a sensible idea for a modern aircraft. For one thing, Santos-Dumont weighed close to 110 pounds; some early copies using those plans failed to take off simply because the pilot was too heavy. Also original design details and construction are far from what one would choose today. But it was quite an advanced and successful aircraft in its day.
Several improved 'Demoiselles' have been made, starting with The Magnificent Men movie about 1965. You can have fun with Google trying to find all of them. Of course a lot of ultralights have similar designs.
This is entirely my design and I am not a trained aircraft designer. Any suggestions about overall design, construction, or technical details would be appreciated. This will remain only a design project unless the lottery comes through. If by some chance if you want a plane like this, I suggest the Dream Classic kit from Airdrome Aeroplanes in Holden Missouri.
The first version of my design was posted in the Aircraft Design / Aerodynamics / New Technology forum in 2015. Many excellent comments were submitted.
