Projects Need help designing a contest plane!

Wanaero

Member
I will be participating in a flugtag redbull contest and need suggestions on how big of a wingspan to carry a person weighing 70kg-80kgs.

It needs to glide well as well!! I'm aftaid if i place a permanent flap at an angle the plane would simply be trying to go up but no power thus making it fall backwards!
 

Tony

Staff member
For those that don't know, that is 154-176lb. That is friggin heavy for an Rc plane. I'm thinking you need something around a 15' wing on that thing (3x the height of the person). What exactly are you going to have to do to this thing? Or with this thing? Is this going to carry a dummy, or is it going to be a real plane?
 

Wanaero

Member
Have you seen a flugtag before? It's a competition where you build a plane without motor or anything electrical and jump off a ledge 6meters high above sea and try to glide across.

Whoever glide the furthest win!!
Currently i am trying to come up with design and get a few of my friends to help me push the freaking thing.

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Woah Tony!! What time is it over there! It's afternoon here in Singapore, so i'm guessing it should be midnight or later there!
 

Tony

Staff member
Actually it's about 0130 here. I'm working graveyards now so you will see me on here at this time from now on until something changes.

As for the plane, I"m thinking a glider of some sorts. Is a hang glider off limits?
 

Wanaero

Member
1. All flying machines must be launched from the 6m high runway using only human power.
2. No auxiliary lifting devices, power sources, or stored energy (e.g. elastic, batteries, clockwork springs, rocket fuel etc.) may be used.
3. Modified aircraft – e.g. paragliders, hang-gliders, jet-fighter planes, light aircraft, commercial jets etc. – are not permitted.
4. Pilots are not permitted to be physically attached to the flying machine.
5. The wingspan of your flying machine must be less than 8m.
6. The wheelbase of the flying machine can be no more than 4m wide.
7. The maximum weight of your flying machine is 200kg (without a pilot) - any heavier and our salvage teams might drown.
8. All flying machines must have some kind of buoyancy device on all major parts of the plane to avoid them submerging on landing.
9. All competitors must wear the buoyancy aid and helmet provided by the event organisers.
10. For their own safety, all competitors must be able to swim unassisted a distance of 100m.
11. Teams may have no more than 4 members, including one pilot and a team captain (the pilot can also be the team captain).
12. All team members must be 16 or over by the entry deadline of 15 August 2012.
13. Teams will have to be available a day before the event for the final airworthiness test of the flying machines.
14. For safety, changes may need to be made to the flying machine at the discretion of the scrutineers at any time during the building process until the actual event day.
15. Only flight-worthy machines will be cleared for take off .
16. After the flight all flying machines will be cleared by our water safety crew and gathered in our bone yard.
17. Unfortunately our salvage teams cannot return any part of your flying machine, so don’t use anything you’re not prepared to leave at the bottom of the sea.

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That's the rule so far.. It will be judged by distance, creativity and showmanship..
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
I weigh 75KG and my paraglider has an area of 27m and my light wind kitesurfing kite is 14m. So i'd say for that comp, something with an wing surface area of around 18/20m would do the job.
 

someguyinsandy

Crash Test Dummy
Why not just do something like this???
The key to this is that they worked within the rules to build in height to their launch...

 
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Tony

Staff member
what I want to know is what is wrong with the embeded videos lol. No play button, nothing. But that was a great flight.
 

Wanaero

Member
Woke up this morning and had an idea for stabilisation system. Pilot seating on a chair which is placed on a roller bearing which will control the flaps. If the plane is diving, chair will slide forward thus pulling the flaps up, making the plane go up.

Going to try built a wing type approx 7metres long and 4metres wide and on a tall base of 3metres.

What do everyone think?
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
I would think you want it to work the other way round. To go up, the pilot pushes himself back to work up elevator. This would also move the CG back to take weight off the nose. This is how a hanglider works.
 
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