Author Topic: Flights of Fancy  (Read 85072 times)

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #325 on: 13 December, 2020, 08:35:27 pm »
Getting there, but now run out of superglue and the stuff on order hasn't arrived yet, calling a halt to proceedings.

Canopy now complete, maybe a bit of tidying at the edges.
K8 covered and fitted
Wing struts covered, and drying
Front anti glare panel finally looking matt
Now just need superglue to fit the motor peg, then the decoration if I go that way
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #326 on: 13 December, 2020, 09:11:46 pm »
Don't glue motor peg in!!!
Write more tomorrow evening.
03:00 start so need to crash now.
Repeat. Don't glue peg in place.
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #327 on: 14 December, 2020, 08:53:49 am »
NO - superglue to harden the hole for the motor peg.  I know the peg is not to be glued in place  :thumbsup:
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #328 on: 14 December, 2020, 03:06:31 pm »
Phew!  You had me worried.  :)
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #329 on: 23 January, 2021, 10:32:19 pm »
Been working the plan for this one up for about  a year now off and on.  Airspeed Tern, Free Flight, 34" span.  This really is a bit of a punt and if it ever gets aloft it could get sticky (metaphorically and actually) very, very quickly.  Strongly tapered wings are more than a little iffy for Free Flight.  Hoping to counteract any tendency to tip stalling and spinning with 3 deg. of dihedral and 3 deg, of washout.  Fallback is to build a second wing with 4.5 deg of dihedral.  Construction started a fortnight or so back.  Slow progress.  Port wing last weekend, wing centre section this last 3 or 4 days.

 








Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #330 on: 27 January, 2021, 09:40:12 pm »
Something slightly different, a radio controlled glider sets a speed record: 548 mph

https://newatlas.com/aircraft/dynamic-soaring-speed-record-spencer-lisenby/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/4eFD_Wj6dhk

It's flying on the downwind side of a mountain using dynamic soaring.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #331 on: 29 January, 2021, 09:34:36 am »
Barking!
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #332 on: 29 January, 2021, 12:45:39 pm »
I liked the idea that albatrosses can dynamic soar their way across the oceans in their sleep.

I wonder what they dream about.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #333 on: 29 January, 2021, 12:56:13 pm »
I liked the idea that albatrosses can dynamic soar their way across the oceans in their sleep.

I wonder what they dream about.

Riding a bike.

Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #334 on: 29 January, 2021, 06:29:03 pm »
And narwhals  :D
the slower you go the more you see

Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #335 on: 29 January, 2021, 06:55:31 pm »
Electric narwhals.
Miles cycled 2014 = 3551.5 (Target 7300 :()
Miles cycled 2013 = 6141.4
Miles cycled 2012 = 4038.1

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #336 on: 13 February, 2021, 09:58:17 pm »
Quote from: philip
Something slightly different, a radio controlled glider sets a speed record: 548 mph...
Crumbs.

Meawhile, back at the shallow end of the pool... it's beginning to look like a Tern.





Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #337 on: 21 February, 2021, 07:22:27 pm »
Airspeed Tern. It marches very slowly. A photo-bomb post.

Ballast chamber. Plan is for bulk of noseweight to sit on shelf under nose stringers and the chamber is solely for day to day tweaking of trim to suit the wind conditions.


Fitting the coaming and forward wing roots to form the cockpit space. Coaming is tissue reinforced soft 1/32" sheet.





Noseblock showing removable front cone.  Ballast, adjustment. For the use of.


Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #338 on: 22 February, 2021, 12:06:01 pm »
Airspeed built these in York at their original factory right in the middle of town (it had been a trolly bus depot) which was unfortunately demolished about five years ago.
Interesting company, Nevil Shute was one of the founders and Lord Grimthorpe who's estate is based in our village and Alan Cobham were among the other directors.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #339 on: 22 February, 2021, 03:51:23 pm »
...Interesting company, Nevil Shute was one of the founders ...
Ahem. I think you mean Mr. Norway.  ;)
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #340 on: 27 February, 2021, 08:19:23 am »
Quote from: pcolbeck
Airspeed built these in York at their original ...
If you haven't already read it and can get your hands on a copy, read, "Slide Rule" by our hero.  It deals mostly with his time at Vickers on the R-100 with Barnes-Wallis and the setting up and running of Airspeed.  No, you can't have my copy.  :)


Airspeed Tern.  Last night saw the final "large" sub-assembly done.  As pictured 21g, but by the time various bits & bobs like skids, pegs, hooks and so on are added the true bare bones weight will be more like 25g or so, so allowing 10g for tissue and dope and taking the Baby Minimoa as an example for noseweight probably looking at about 40g AUW.  There are a few hem hem, "not queit rite" bits, but, as any fule kno, it is a model not a faxsil faccslil excat copy.







Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Beardy

  • Shedist
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #341 on: 27 February, 2021, 04:48:23 pm »
That’s reminiscent of the swallow I once flew. It’s a bit nerve wrecking as a noice pilot getting into a single seater for the first time because up until that point you’ve had someone to check that you’re DOIN’ IT RIGHT.
For every complex problem in the world, there is a simple and easily understood solution that’s wrong.

Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #342 on: 27 February, 2021, 08:46:46 pm »
I used to own a ninth of a Swallow but that looks far more elegant.


Only photo I could readily find:



It definitely had a tailplane, canopy and central coaming when I flew it.

Beardy

  • Shedist
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #343 on: 27 February, 2021, 09:21:53 pm »
A lack of tailplane seems to be something of a theme on that there airfield  ;D

I like the paint job.  :thumbsup:

My first launch (aero-tow) in the swallow, and also my first single seater launch, got as far as the end of the runway. PIO resulted in the tug pilot releasing the tow at the same time I did which left the towrope free to drape itself over my starboard wing and jam in the aileron. Fortunately I wasn’t high enough to need to do anything other than land ahead and I had sufficient excess runway to do so safely. I wasn’t allowed to get out of the plane and was pushed back to the launch point, clipped on to the now returned tug and launched successfully. I had to buy the tug pilot a pint in the bar that evening  :D
For every complex problem in the world, there is a simple and easily understood solution that’s wrong.

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #344 on: 28 February, 2021, 08:04:37 am »
I used to own a ninth of a Swallow...
I own a whole Swallow, but it's only 1/9th, well 1/14th if we're being accurate, the size of a real one.  :) 

West Wings semi-scale take on the design.  I have to say mine looks a good deal shabbier these days than it does in the pic.

Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #345 on: 02 March, 2021, 12:51:45 pm »
Quote from: pcolbeck
Airspeed built these in York at their original ...
If you haven't already read it and can get your hands on a copy, read, "Slide Rule" by our hero.  It deals mostly with his time at Vickers on the R-100 with Barnes-Wallis and the setting up and running of Airspeed.  No, you can't have my copy.  :)

Thanks for the recommendation. Just ordered it off that Amazon.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #346 on: 02 March, 2021, 04:12:47 pm »
Quote from: pcolbeck
Airspeed built these in York at their original ...
If you haven't already read it and can get your hands on a copy, read, "Slide Rule" by our hero.  It deals mostly with his time at Vickers on the R-100 with Barnes-Wallis and the setting up and running of Airspeed.  No, you can't have my copy.  :)

Thanks for the recommendation. Just ordered it off that Amazon.


I've just started reading... I think that it's going to worth it! So thank you, Lurker.

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #347 on: 26 March, 2021, 10:27:05 am »
Ready for flight trials.  Just as the settled weather comes to a close and we have wet, windy and generally unpleasant grot for the foreseeable.  Some "glamour" snaps without the uglifying pegs & bands.

Underside & nose won't be covered until balanced and hook positions confirmed as OK.  Windscreen to be fitted after all covering complete.  Looking like my estimate of 40g for an initial trimmed AUW is about right.  Weight this morning including all components not yet fitted 33.5g and assuming, cf Baby Minimoa, it'll need between 5g & 6g up front.  Puts the wing loading at about 7.5g/dm^2.  A bit on the high side to my mind, but that, taken with the, FF unfriendly, strongly tapered planform was factored in as one of the risks for this "project".

Cock-ups? Oh dearie me, yes.
- Coaming should be about 3-4mm deeper at the front.
- Should have used medium strip not soft for the dorsal stringer.  Noticeable starved horse due to tissue tension.
- No ply facing on wing LEs.  I had intended to do them, but I'm using EzeDope and domestic tissue and that's a poor combination for multiple layers of tissue. The "ply" facings at the bottom of the rudder did not go well and I'm not going to bugger up the LEs.





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TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #348 on: 30 March, 2021, 09:52:24 pm »
It flies.

Like the Baby Minimoa, it's never going to break any records, but it does fly so I'm quite pleased.

There's a tight LH circuit says something's not straight, but my dud old eyes can't see what. My money is on the washouts being not quite identical as result of my having to remove & reset the port outer section when I fouled up the dihedrals during the build.  Not going to fret too much as I can probably trim it for a more open circuit.

As shown it's flying at between 40 & 41g with a 1/32" (ish) shim under the LE of the stab, a touch of right rudder and (probably undersized) gurney under the port wing.

These flights all in very light airs to near flat calm.

1st more or less trimmed test glide -  https://vimeo.com/ 530934126

Maiden Flight - https://vimeo.com/ 530941681  Yes, that really *is* the maiden flight.  Launch off 10m 0.045" strip, 10m line and 10 paces

Couple of later flights. All 11 or 12 paces on the line.

https://vimeo.com/ 530946610
https://vimeo.com/ 530941681
https://vimeo.com/ 530951753

It's the usual, glue the URLs together, game and if you're using a Linux machine you may find they won't play.  Sorry.  They don't on my Linux (Mint 20) box, but they're OK on my (now retired) Windows 7 and Android machines.

Cheers,
Lurk
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: Flights of Fancy
« Reply #349 on: 31 March, 2021, 06:22:16 am »

Slight cock-up on the cut and paste front last night, *this* is the maiden flight.   https://vimeo.com/ 530936483
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου