Discussions

I am a couple weeks into a new project I started.  The goal is make a long endurance (2+ hours) aircraft capable of carrying a couple pounds of payload using an off the shelf wing.

• I chose the Rascal 110 wing for its lifting capacity (I think the typical weight is 12lbs) and its efficiency.  The Rascal 110 can almost be flown as a glider and I have seen it ride thermals very well. With about 1550 sq.in. of area it will have a light wing loading.
• The fuselage will be a 4.5" carbon fiber tube about 55" long.  This was made in 2 pieces using braided CF sleeve and a single layer of cloth wrapped around a PVC pipe.  Special heat shrink tubing was used in place of vacuum bagging.  
• For propulsion it will have a DLE-20 setup in a pusher configuration.  The DLE-20 will be a little overkill in terms of power but it should be easy to prop for endurance which will take away from total power output slightly.  It will sit on a anit-vibration mount to help smooth things out.
• The gas tank will be built into the fuselage under the wing and centered on the estimated CG.  The epoxy is still wet but once it dries I'll know the exact capacity... should be in the 40-50oz range :).  There will be a sump hanging from the bottom feeding a header tank to ensure reliable fuel delivery.  The tank will be packed with fuel tank foam to prevent sloshing.
• Since it is a pusher, tail configurations are limit.  I could of gone twin boom but that would be annoying with the 2 piece wing.  If I was using a 3 piece wing I would definitely go that route.  Instead this airplane will have full flying canards up front and a vertical stab in between the engine and wing.  
• The forward fuselage will be completely empty  except for the nose gear mount/servo and the canard servo; leaving plenty of room for payload.  
• The nose will likely be tipped with a camera to feed into an OSD and video Tx.  Also installed will be a PixHawk once my preorder arrives. 

I will update this thread as things slowly progress.