pwood66889
Well-Known Member
`Preesh, b7.
What Happened To...Le Pelican
- Thread starter lake_harley
- Start date
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jedi
Well-Known Member
Any interest in Solid Works on other projects. Sea Era, floats, LSA or UL trailerable seaplane?Count me in for helping with the Solidworks part.
Absolutely. I have lots of irons in fires, but PM me and we can take a look.
Any news on your pelican, Percy?
pwood66889
Well-Known Member
" any news? "
Successfully (?) retired end of May, this year. Got the -042 motor out of So. `Bama, but have to get capacity to haul the airframe and floats. URL for FSW forum?
Successfully (?) retired end of May, this year. Got the -042 motor out of So. `Bama, but have to get capacity to haul the airframe and floats. URL for FSW forum?
So, from a structures perspective, I’m intrigued by the drag spar design. More of a trapezoidal box rather than the traditional right triangle I see in so many other d tube designs (Lazair, ULF-1 come to mind.) Anybody have any commentary or insights into why that shape was used?
Also, looks like the spar caps were just sheet metal bent to resemble angle with a stiffening curl on the web. This certainly seems light weight. The Lazair used extruded angle for these as I recall. I suppose as long as there’s enough cross sectional area, located far from the neutral axis of bending of the beam, and those caps remain stiff under stress, they should work. It does look a bit dainty though.
Also, looks like the spar caps were just sheet metal bent to resemble angle with a stiffening curl on the web. This certainly seems light weight. The Lazair used extruded angle for these as I recall. I suppose as long as there’s enough cross sectional area, located far from the neutral axis of bending of the beam, and those caps remain stiff under stress, they should work. It does look a bit dainty though.
I just assumed it and the Lazair were plagiarized from the Super Floater wing.
WBNH
Well-Known Member
Every Superfloater I've seen was a ladder style, double strut wing. Close to the Goats, Challengers, and a million others. No similarity to the D-cell of the Lazair, Le Pelican, or Toucan.
Found this site a while back, a guy rebuilt a number of these designs. No connection, just a site I found. Lots of good pictures, though. http://mict04.ottawarobotics.org/restoring-super-pelican/
Found this site a while back, a guy rebuilt a number of these designs. No connection, just a site I found. Lots of good pictures, though. http://mict04.ottawarobotics.org/restoring-super-pelican/
Not all of them. There were several iterations of the 'Floater.
Edit:
As near as I can tell from my investigations the only one that had the "D" tube was the rudder only version. I too have never seen, an aileron version with anything but the "V" lift struts.
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HW, I also have only ever seen a double tube spar ladder frame Superfloater, any links to share? Also, seems like the Lazair has a less abrupt transition from drag spar to fuselage tube?
Links have dried up*. I was pretty sure I had a photo in my collection - but I don't. Probably had Pelican wing photos stuck in my brain. See edit above. The Hill/Hall "D" tube version predated the other 2 by several years. (1975)
* Still some good "V" strut photos on the Nest of Dragons site.
I don't remember mentioning this? WAY....... too early for a thread. I have been toying with the idea of a primary glider based on the Marske formula. But so far it's nothing more than napkin grade. Much like the Mitchell U-2 getting a flying wing to fold up into a legal trailer-able width is actually harder than an conventional plane - if you want quick one man rigging with automatic connections. Going to a 2 man setup car top-able formula needing some pins/bolts (Mitchell B-10) makes thing much easier.
Once I get the various bits moved around so the structure is still simple to build then I'll start with the "D" tube single strut aluminum wing. Depending on how the weight come out it might be lighter to use a Marske style cantilever composite wing with simple locating struts. But I'd like this to be build-able by anyone from plans to fit with the Lithuanian formula of training.
No plans for a Le Pelican in my future - unless I just happen to be traveling on I-80 through Nebraska with a trailer...............
Like the name 'Le Vampyre'!
I worked on a quick CAD file and posted it on here about a year ago of a Powered Goat/Marske Monarch hybrid. I even sent it to Jim Marske and also met him at the ESA event last year and talked to him about it. So Basicaly it was a Monarche type wing but built with pounded sheet ribs or CNC'd plywood ribs and tubular spars like a RANS. Forward fuselage was built like a goat with a short KOLB type boom to hold the vertical fin. Engine would have been a Polini 250.I don't remember mentioning this? WAY....... too early for a thread. I have been toying with the idea of a primary glider based on the Marske formula. But so far it's nothing more than napkin grade. Much like the Mitchell U-2 getting a flying wing to fold up into a legal trailer-able width is actually harder than an conventional plane - if you want quick one man rigging with automatic connections. Going to a 2 man setup car top-able formula needing some pins/bolts (Mitchell B-10) makes thing much easier.
Once I get the various bits moved around so the structure is still simple to build then I'll start with the "D" tube single strut aluminum wing. Depending on how the weight come out it might be lighter to use a Marske style cantilever composite wing with simple locating struts. But I'd like this to be build-able by anyone from plans to fit with the Lithuanian formula of training.
No plans for a Le Pelican in my future - unless I just happen to be traveling on I-80 through Nebraska with a trailer...............
Like the name 'Le Vampyre'!
The images below were done on a lunch break so they are very crude to get the point across.
I also drew this as well and it was built around the Briggs motor with simple constant chord wing and Sonex/Moni type construction.
One day I will make some sort of simple motorglider of my own design. In the meantime I have the Zigolo. Or better yet while I play with the Zigolo, Topaz will finish his design and I will just build his as its better thought out.
Marc
>snork< At the rate I've been going, it'll be your grandkids building my design. But thank you for the compliment.
pwood66889
Well-Known Member
Do have wing pictures, but had no luck last picture posting attempt.
Percy
Percy
GeoB
Active Member
There still exists a Le_Pelican_Ultralight in Yahoo Groups I started 9 years ago. Has some good stuff.
pwood66889
Well-Known Member
Guess I have not read through their archives, George. The pieces I am missing are the elevator/horiz. stab and lift struts. You know the lengths/material?
Percy
