If You Could Build a 3D Air-frame From Scratch What Would You Do and Why?

[AKfreak]

Let me get the obvious stuff out of the way. The plane would be an Extra 300 or a Edge 540.

It would have low wing loading and extra large control surfaces.

I am interested in what you think it takes to build a 3D monster that's nice and Floaty in Post, yet still has enough penetration at speed to wad up and tumble well during the high energy stuff.

Remember if you had a chance to work with a factory of your choice and design the ultimate 3D monster what you you do and why?

 

[AKfreak]

I am surprised that no one wants to offer their thoughts on this subject. Imagine is Extreme Flight or 3DHS gave you free rein to design and build your dream plane. That would be incredible right? I really would love to hear what you think.

 

[gyro]

I am surprised that no one wants to offer their thoughts on this subject. Imagine is Extreme Flight or 3DHS gave you free rein to design and build your dream plane. That would be incredible right? I really would love to hear what you think.

Things move a little slower here, give it a little more time

 

[3dNater]

I'm afraid my plane would look a lot like the ones they make already. Big flat bottom fuse, a good balance of weight and wing loading... I would probably build it up a tad more than 3dhs but would still be really careful with the weight. Either way, I really doubt I could come up with anything nearly as good as what these guys do... There are just soooo many things to try and balance out. If you goal is just to do 3d I would build it to tumble like mad... probably at the expense of precision. That is a lot like the 103" 3dhs extra. It does not track really well for a plane its size but it really wants to huck. Their new 108" is trying to be a lot better at precision to make it more competitive for competition flying while still doing 3d very well.

This is not to say there isn't plenty of room for continued innovation...

 

[AKfreak]

After researching and studying 3d planes for weeks and weeks every waking moment, I think I have a good idea of what makes a good 3d plane. I am just curious what you guys would do if given free rein to design your own series of planes for 3d.

To me weight is critical. The fuse needs to be considered a control surface in post stall so it's shape is extremely important.

Also we need huge control surfaces, with ridiculous throws so the wind from the prop can be fully utilized in post stall.

The fuse length needs to be considered for how well the plane folds up. The airfoils have a huge impact on how the plane penetrates in high energy maneuvers like the Gyro special, aka the pop top

I think the weight of the plane is controlled by the actual structure, interlocking pieces, the use of phenolic and carbon material as well as the choice of covering .

Lots to think about, and I hope you guys take time to chime in with your thoughts.

 

[Stu48]

Tail length adds to smooth motion but the long moment can make balancing more difficult. You can design 0-0 for the wing & stab but the wing should be adjustable to give up to 1 to 1.5 degrees incidence. The stab has less impact but should be adjustable to eliminate elevator trim. The convention of putting two servos in tail I think came into place to eliminate slop found in long push rods. I'm going to work on that.