This week I flew and crashed my MTP3. I know, I know, I crash more than I fly sometimes!
I learned a lot from this experience;
1.) Rudder/elevator needs to be much larger, or keep it at a standard of 1/3rd of the wing area
2.) Don't expect control surfaces to work if they don't have any air going over them
3.) CG (at least for me) never really works at 33%, it needs to be more like 25% or even 20% on my clark-y airfoils.
4.) While seeking for a light aircraft is a great goal, having something so light with so much drag that when the motor turns off it practically stops mid-air, may be a bad thing. I donno, just something I'm observing.
Instead of fixing or making a MTP4, I'm going replicate the easy star as closely as possible and make a "geek star" (aka. mygeekshow version of easystar) that I will then improve/modify to work better for FPV/Drone objectives.
Learning, learning. Just be patient with me!
Comments
I found the ST Models Discovery to be quite functional as a first UAV.
Has enough space inside, can fly in reasonable winds, handles the odd bumps well.
Have a peek over on the Arduplane user Group
It never hurts to educate yourself. Part of that is experimenting. I say, if you want to continue to plug away at your own designs, with input from others, like you've done in the past, then do it. It's the best way to learn. When you've done a lot of different design attempts and then study material from others it will make sense why your design was or was not successful. It will give you the insight needed to blend multiple concepts together. It may not be as quick as just going to tried and true designs, but I'll bet you'd have a much better understanding.
Just my 2 Cents...
@Paul Yeah, i'd say conceptual approach is a little too advanced, great book though. Design for homebuilders is an excellent reccommendation, it's sitting beside my bed right now!
Dan Raymers books are excellent I would reccomend it, but it you have access to R/C clubs, someone should be able to lend you some books on design which are presented in much more accessible form
Trent, I appreciate you passion for building and flying, but I recommend that you purchase an aircraft design book and do some reading before your next build. Either of the following will get you started and it is what we use in the aerospace industry (all of my aero guys have this on their desk at work).
Dan Raymer "Aircraft Design: A conceptual approach" and his less technical book - "Simplified Aircraft Design for Homebuilders". Buy both!
I have used these books and others to to successfully design and build (with a team) several airplanes, anything from homebuilt gliders to at least 5 transonic and supersonic jets.
Luca: I agree... : ) Given what you see thus far, what would your top three recommendations be for improving my set up?
Toby: I've considered a flying wing, and have built a few before (and loved them!). I'm going with your more standard set up for now, but will most definitely try a flying wing later on. We've all seen what Trappy and others like him can do with them, they have tones of potential.
Matthew: Red on top and yellow on bottom... I like that. Does ultracote add weight/strength?
Hamish: Excellent links, both very very good. I'll try to internalize it all. I've read and studied quite a bit, but as you may know, the application of the knowledge is often the hardest part.
Thank you everyone for watching and providing recommendations! I'll be joining you in the sky again soon enough.
read this http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/aeronautics-and-astronautics/16-01-unifi...
download and learn to use XFLR5 (free) http://xflr5.sourceforge.net/xflr5.htm .. it can get quite technical but it's totally worth it, you'll never have an out of balance plane again.
I crash a lot also. Mostly flying in windy conditions and trying different tricks. When I loose orientation of the aircraft it is all over. I like putting red ultracote on the top of the wing. And blue or yellow on the bottom of the wing. Having a smoother surface might reduce drag. I found have a color scheme where you can easily tell how the airplane is orientated helps. Being able to tell if it is flying towards you or away from you is also important.
Have you considered a flying wing such as the rite wing zephyr.
It will satisfy your desire to build from scratch.
Is big, heavy and allows a very long duration.
You can start with a small one the move up to a VERY large one for the purpose of your long range plan.
They are also almost indestructible which might be useful for you.
I started on small skyfuns and have now almost finished a 68" zephyr. They are the perfect apm platform because you can chop them up to put things where you want.
I think you need some serious advice, feel free to ask.
regards
Luca