Airplane design basics for hand thrown un-powered planes.?

Question

I am not an engineer but an inventive experienced artist. I enjoy designing then flying small air planes with no engines. I find a spot with prevailing winds and test my designs. Some work right away, some need redesign., In simple terms, is there a source where I can see and easily understand placement of main wings(high and low fuselage positions) , rear stabilizer configurations such as in relation to the main wing configuration. The trial and error process of designing is rewarding in itself but understanding these basics would help me picture my designs before I design and make the parts (balsa wood, foam core board and ballast). Yes it takes a good arm to launch these planes but a good steady wind is always ideal. Thanks in advance for your insight.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Hand thrown aircraft are not nearly as sensitive in design as full-sized aircraft.  Things like detail streamlining and airfoil design only marginally affect the aircraft's performance.

This is what I came up with...

First, you need enough wing area to fly your aircraft. More wing area will make the plane easier to fly, but more sensitive to wind gusts and very quick to slow down.  Less area will require a higher launch speed.

Second, you need enough surface area behind the centre of gravity to ensure pitch and directional stability.  For a forward wing aircraft, this generally means having the centre of gravity somewhere along the wing chord and horizontal and vertical airfoils mounted on the tail.

Third, you need roll stability.  Without going into too much detail, simply give the wings a dihedral (angle them up from the root to tip).  This will help keep your plane's wings level.

Fourth is control.  Since I imagine you don't have any controls on your aircraft, this would simply be tweaking the stabilizers, wings, and centre of gravity (ballast) until you have the desired flight characteristics.

Have fun experimenting.  Sometimes the best lessons aren't learned from books.

? · Answer

1

Anonymous · Answer

Not sure about "whole" craft modeling, but NASA has a virtual Wind Foil simulator that's free for use.  Check it out here:

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/foil2.html

Good luck to you.

dss110

Airplane design basics for hand thrown un-powered planes.?

Trending Questions