Dear Diary

[wookman]

Hi Mike.

First time flying rudder ele model for several years. Very relaxing after flying mostly F3f stuff for years. 

[wookman]

Just found this on Google street view. Morgans at Whitesheet. Not sure who the "broken" Pike belongs to.

[wookman]

And this one on the Bowl taken from the hump.

[Phil.Taylor]

Vladimir Elf - beach "slope" soaring fun this morning - Seaton, Devon

Phil.

[oipigface]

Bit of a red letter day today. Some months ago, I set out to master a CAD system (Fusion 360). This afternoon, I finished the main design work on some wingtips for a 4m soarer. This plane will have a fuselage sold in the 80s (?) as part of a design called Rubicon. I’ve moulded a tailplane for it using much the same design as the original. The wing will consist of a 2m centre section (AG40-41) with spoilers, and the two 1m wingtips whose exteriors I finished today. These are possibly the most complex wingtips ever, with three sections (AG41-43), 1.5 degrees of washout over the outboard 350mm. I did it like this as a challenge, but I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as much of a challenge as it turned out. I had to make minor mods to trailing edge of the AG43 to reduce the degree of under camber, which was causing problems with the lofting on the underside.

it’s been a bit of a struggle, but I succeeded in the end!

I’ll post some pictures when I’ve done the internal structure (which I am sure will be easier!??)

[Phil.Taylor]

BMFA classifieds strike again - this Pilatus B4 jumped into the car on the way back from the Mynd last weekend - along with a Baudis Salto 2.5m

Pilatus B4 first flights from Whitesheet today - 25-30mph wind into the SW bowl - its a lovely old thing, flies really well - 1:4.5 scale, 3.3m span - by MHM Modellbau - 1980s/90s vintage - Ritz airfoil & blade wing joiners like the original Alpina.

Phil.

[oipigface]

On 24/06/2023 at 19:24, oipigface said:

Bit of a red letter day today. Some months ago, I set out to master a CAD system (Fusion 360). 

I’ll post some pictures when I’ve done the internal structure (which I am sure will be easier!??)

Another red letter day. It turned out that the internal structure for the Rubicon wingtips that I was boasting about in June was far harder to complete than I had expected. But 6 months later it’s done and I’ve sent files off to Cliff Evans of Laser Cut Sailplanes to be cut for me. Here’s the design: planform is based on the Perlan experimental high-altitude soarer ( ‘cause I like the look of it); Drela sections plus completely unnecessary washout; direct drive ailerons; tips and servo retention blocks are to be printed (by Mark). I did all of this to make it more of a challenge to my Fusion 360 skills. Drawing omits cap strips and D-box sheeting. Next job is to draw it again, properly, as a wing for a 2m soarer called provisionally Ruby Tuesday.
 

As a kind of trial run, I recently sent Cliff files for the tail boom of my projected BAC VIII 1/4-scale waterglider. The result was not quite perfect because I’m inexperienced with the whole process, but here are my parts, which are usable if not exactly what was intended! At the top of the picture are some templates for cutting foam wings: two for the BAC VIII, and one for a water tug called Dampley. This will be a Greenfield Ampley on floats with two little EDF’s mounted on the wing to provide steering on water.

 

Tail boom design complete with skin:

 

… and a concept drawing of Dampley. It will eventually have a tailplane and a rudder:

 

 

 

[wookman]

3 hours ago, oipigface said:

a water tug called Dampley

Like it!