Unbelievable Two-Ship

Ironflight · #1 05-10-2006, 06:51 PM

Yeah, I know they're not RV's, but once you can tear yourself away from this display, Google "German Indoor Model Airplane Videos", and you'll be lost in videos the rest of the night....

http://airtoimedia.nl/web/upload/Jur...DO2006-Duo.wmv

I can only ask "How...???!!!!"

rv8ch · #2 05-11-2006, 12:49 AM

I've seen this in person at Aero Friedrichshafen and I really wanted to have someone like Isaac Newton with me to explain how it was possible for those little airplanes to do what they do. Then I wondered why you couldn't scale them up so that you could fit a person in there. I think the Gs would be even stronger than the F-22 could handle.

jcoloccia · #3 05-11-2006, 01:26 AM

We even have adjustable pitch propellors....and they can do reverse thrust too! It's remarkable how far the technology's come in just the last few years.

Ironflight · #4 05-11-2006, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rv8ch

.....I wondered why you couldn't scale them up so that you could fit a person in there. I think the Gs would be even stronger than the F-22 could handle.

We had the same question at work yesterday - someone wanted to forward this to our image-analysis guys to have them figure out the G's in the turns if they were full-sized. Engineers think alike!

Paul

Alex · #5 05-11-2006, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rv8ch

... explain how it was possible for those little airplanes to do what they do. Then I wondered why you couldn't scale them up so that you could fit a person in there.

It's mostly a because of ultra-low wing loading and ultra-high power to weight ratio. The G's aren't high at all.

Alex · #6 05-11-2006, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironflight

We had the same question at work yesterday - someone wanted to forward this to our image-analysis guys to have them figure out the G's in the turns if they were full-sized. Engineers think alike!

The G's in a steady turn are directly related to bank angle alone.

G's = 1/cos(bank angle)

Mike S · #7 05-11-2006, 08:07 AM

Paul, you ask how they can do this--------------

1. Technology. High output brushless motors, lightweight lithium/poly batteries, carbon fiber, "Depron" foam, ETC.

2. Practice---------LOTS!!!!

3. Immagination

By the way these apear to be regular production models you could buy----check out Horizon Hobbies.

You might also Google microlite R/C---------some of these are flying with TOTAL weignt of just a few grams.

Mike

RV7Guy · #8 05-11-2006, 08:13 AM

Hi Paul,

The small electric RC stuff has really evolved in the past 3 years. With Lithium Ion batteries, extremely small servos and affordable prices everyone can learn quickly. Those in the video are typical of the indoor aerobatic models and "no wind" planes. All up weight of these planes is 8-12 oz.

I have one very similar that I fly regularly in my hangar. Also have a micro helicopter that I plan to take with me in the RV for fun. If I can find it I have a video of a guy with the reverse pitch prop set up. Very cool.

smokyray · #9 05-11-2006, 08:40 AM

The F22 does some amazing things, but it's not magic. Watching these guys fly though reminds me of trying to fight an F22 in an F16 last summer, it LOOKED magic...

same comment: "how do they do that"...

RR

Mike S · #10 05-11-2006, 08:49 AM

Just clicked in my poor brain------AMA soaring editor.

Good tie-in with the -7 drag reduction and R/C sailplane performance.

Mike
AMA 50246
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