[Fang Glider]

I am making an ultralight aircraft (not from a kit) and have made a rough model of it. The rudder and cockpit are their just to show they're there, this is not what they will look like
Feedback?
anyone feel free to ask for advice here
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/bda64 ... 406a51ec80
thanks

[cockney steve]

I am not any sort of qualified Engineer,Aerodynamicist or even a pilot. -However, I have made model aircraft and studied Aviation casually, over many years.

I make the assumption that you intend to climb /descend by twisting the entire wing assembly? Given the extremely short fuselage and lack of Canard or Horizontal Stabiliser, I feel there would be extreme instability and overly sensitive controls Weight and balance would also, likely, be critical in the extreme.

As a simple-to -construct design, I can see where you're coming from. Suggest a cheap learning-curve is to build a large-scale R/C model.
"cheap" being a relative term nevertheless, it could save someone's life and would certainly reduce development costs. A fairly large scale is desirable in order to have sufficient mass....small models are notoriously twitchy ! May i also suggest purchase of thee "Realflight " model R/C sim?
It comes pre-loaded with lots of accurate aeroplanes, helicopters and even an airship and floatplanes. A good-quality dummy transmitter is also part of the package which will run on any modern PC.....but the real bonus is the ability to create your own models ! the flight physics are excellently modelled and you can even alter time, giving a slower-motion than "real-time" . Crashes see a realistic disintegration and a red button on the controller supplies a shiny new clone, ready for further abuse.
There is a ready secondhand market for these Sims. There are others available, but Realflight,IMO leads the field. There is an active Forum on the Runryder model heli. forum where you'll get a lot of valuable info.

HTH.

[Fang Glider]

Thank you for the answer. I have not gotten to adding an elevator, I do not plan to twist the wings. Sorry about that. I will add stabilizers, what would you suggest for stability? I will attempt to build a plane to fly in, but I intend to be careful. On the first flight, I'll only go about ten feet up (but it will be designed to go higher). Thanks for your concern though. Would the simulator work on a chromebook?

[cockney steve]

Have a look at the Pou de Ciel (Flying Flea ) It too was extremely short and was ,initially a death-trap (cured by moving the position of the upper wing , which was also the elevator......IMO, a longer fuselage,with an elevator/horizontal-stabiliser at the end, will give more stability and less drag.....longer leverage means the tail will have to travel a greater distance vertically or horizontally, to give a given number of degrees change of direction, than a short arm would....of course, this means that it will not be so responsive (aka less twitchy, more stable) AFAIK, Realflight only works on PC's, as does ot's major competitor, Phoenix. All sims are discussed on Runryder. best money I ever spent, trying to master RC helicopter flying. I can assure you the flight dynamics are amazingly well modelled, you can design and test as many concept-models as you want and modify/test-fly at will,from a huge choice of realistic scenery. the whole shebang, including controller, under £200...great fun as well and strong resale value . upgrades are usually free unless there's a major development to a new version.. keep us all up to date with your progress!.

[Fang Glider]

Ok, i only have a chromebook, so I can't get the simulator. When you say add an elevator/horizontal-stabiliser, you mean the elevator is the horizontal stabilizer, so there aren't 2? I looked at the flying flee. How big should the rudder and elevator be? can the they intersect (and therefore have 2 of each)? thansk

[cockney steve]

Realflight 7.5 from£135....plenty of change from £200 visit "great planes" website to get compatibility details. a secondhand PC via ebay should be little money. you could either have a h/s + elevator or an all-moving h/s (read about breaking the sound-barrier to learn a bit about this) or you could have a Vee-tail instead and do away with the tail-fin and rudder. size would depend on authority required. I am not an aircraft designer. you need to study a lot more about aerodynamics and the theory of flight, as well as the design of aircraft. whilst "suck it and see" may eventually produce a flying aircraft, you need to be able to calculate the stresses. That's a bit late to think about if it disintegrates in mid air. This is a very complex subject and well beyond a quick answer on a forum. you really need to read a lot of books or gain a Degree in aircraft design, at University,before attempting to build a human-carrying aeroplane.

[rf3flyer]

I had a little difficulty interpreting what I was seeing there so cannot sensibly comment on the design. I wonder if you know of the homebuilt airplanes forum which deals a lot with such design musings: http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/forum.php
Some of the things on there are, IMO, barking but by no means all.