General Anyone Interested In Planes?

[RandyDSok]

I guess my real question is why two wings vs one?

Without going into a lot of details... I'll cover that one first...


If you go back into aeronautic history... the primary reason for having two wings was/is more about structural strength than it was about lift ( although that is also part of it ) . Having two wings that are rigged together, gave the airplanes the ability to handle higher stress levels during their maneuvers. The down side to having two wings is the added weight that they bring. As the engineering skills and knowledge increased... along with the availability of better materials ( like strong aluminum etc )... the two wing design has fewer advantages over a one wing design.

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Hey Tony. Speaking of 3D... what do you (or anyone else reading) feel is the most acrobatic style of plane?

3D and being aerobatic are two different things... often they do come together... but 3D is about power, weight, lift and control surface size that allows the plane to stay in the air maintaining it's control even during a full stall. So it's mostly about the power and the weight... ie being able to hang it on the prop... and the lift and control needed to maintain the plane in the air.

Aerobatics is more about how unstable the plane can fly and still retain control. A less stable plane can turn, flip and change directions quicker. A more aerobatic plane will have a shorter tail movement... ie the distance from the CG to the end of the tail will be shorter. Weight also plays an important role since the less mass it has, the quicker that mass can move/change it's direction.

A pattern plane on the other hand... is less about aerobatics than it is about having stable flight characteristics. A pattern plane will therefore have a longer tail movement ( more distance between the CG and tail controls ) allowing it to move more gracefully.... it's about being able to keep it on rails so to speak... it's about the lines it can fly.

Some of the more aerobatic planes out there are the Yak ( as you mentioned ), Edge, Extra ( 300 and 330 ) and Laser just to name a few. If you add a good power plant and some large control surfaces... these also become good at 3D.

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In addition....

My own personal preference .... A good pattern flyer with some 3D capabilities. Most of the time, I prefer the graceful lines but still like the ability to hang it on the prop when it's wanted.

 

[Smoggie]

Good post Randy!

Biplanes can be fun because they usually have low wing loading, couple that with their relatively short wings makes them 'turn on a sixpence'. Wing loading plays a big role in the way a plane flies. 3D models trend to be built very light with lots of wing area making them maneuverable and giving a very slow stall speed. More traditional 'pattern' aerobatic models tend to be heavier and faster flying making them good for smooth and precise 'big air' manoeuvres.. But it's not a black and white thing, there are many planes that sit somewhere in the middle and can do a bit of everything.

 

[RandyDSok]

To me... biplanes will always have a place in my heart for their classic style that borders on the romantic ...

( beyond and to not mention their flight characteristics )

 

[Tony]

Yup, biplanes have their own little way of flying, that's for sure. The one that I have can be a handful.

 

[Derek]

Planes have always been fun to me. I have some new creations to shard with you guys, including my 12S build. Id be interested to see any kind of plane "how to."

 

[Tony]

Copy that. I will see what I can do.

 

[Nep]

I'm definitely into planes, infact thats all i have at the moment. I own about 8 planes before i knew how to fly them, i lost 3 out of 8 trying to get my wings but i have improved since then, would love to see some plane videos, i watch them on youtube all the time.