Air Force Shuttle Concept...

[burkefj]

So this started out as an homage to the booster section of the old Centuri Space shuttle dual piggyback glider...I started out with a 34" bt-80 lightweight tube, a pnc80bb and made a paper cockpit and used 6mm depron foam wing high mounted for simplicity. I didn't want to slot the tube so I put the wing at the top and used an offset motor that is at the top inside of the body tube right under the wing line. Since I didn't have a parasite glider I put an extra central fin for lateral stability and shaped it sort of like the parasite tail. It came in at 11 oz rtf with no nose weight neeed and flies great on E-6 RC motors. It almost has a B-36 feel to the nose....

I also got a longer cone from sirius rocketry that was slightly heavier and required 3/8" of tailweight to be added but I think looks better, added a paper cockpit from the Centuri Mach 10, looks now more like an XB-70 than the shuttle..

Rail buttons are attached using flange head t nuts offset to the side slightly so that they aren't on the bottom and catch on anything during landing. Some Interceptor vinyl markings from stickershock and a little trim monokote on the bottom to keep the tube from getting wet and that was it.

42" long, 2.6" diameter, 21" wingspan

If AstronMike is here I think this is right up his alley with free flight deltas....

Some videos...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n02EVjrv-gE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOsfEuMHPoc

[shrox]

Looks nice!

[stefanj]

Ohhhh, pretty!

Gary mentioned a mid-power launch in Silverton this spring. I hope you can bring these there.

[burkefj]

If I can make it I'll be there with lots of gliders.

Ohhhh, pretty!

Gary mentioned a mid-power launch in Silverton this spring. I hope you can bring these there.

[AstronMike]

42" long, 2.6" diameter, 21" wingspan

If AstronMike is here I think this is right up his alley with free flight deltas....

Some videos...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n02EVjrv-gE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOsfEuMHPoc

Ok, *this* is a near perfect candidate for what I've explained in my other post under the Bomarc header. A single 34" BT-80 with the NC80BB nose looks about right....

Top mounted winged deltas are butt-simple to build and fly, since you can just use one elevator at the middle and have a paper clip on your pod to hold/release it. Two elevons adds complexity, if one ends up getting a little 'off', then it spirals in, and BT-80 is not really adept at surviving glider crashes. I *may* have a 'little' more XP than you guys knowing that.....

Anyways, on this version, as a free flight, I'd ditch that central rudder right off. Doesn't seem to be necessary, and prevents you from having a single elevator. If you still want 'that look', though, you can add smaller 'rudderlets' to the top of your single elevator too.

Overall, this would be little different than the non-RC Bomarcs I've described here, and TRF for that matter, ad nauseum. I'd think that the only possible 'catch', might be ending up a bit noseheavy, depending upon how much BT/NC is really ahead of the wing. Oh, one last note: If you do a FF version, of anything like this, it's never a bad idea to make the elevator a little larger than you'd normally deem necessary. I've found its much easier to raise a larger elevator less than trying to get a smaller one to trim out something that ended up inherently nose heavy.

[burkefj]

Mike, thanks for that. You could simply move the central rudder forward slightly and still have a single elevator. I was not considering that you only needed the elevator to go "up" for a freeflight model so a single elevator makes it simple. Any comments on pop pod design?

Frank

[burkefj]

btw if anyone is interested the plans are here on my site:

http://www.dynasoarrocketry.com/plans.html

click on the picture of this model, there will be a link icon that will get you pdf download, you'll need to print them with no page scaling, no margins, no fit etc....This will have a wing template and fin templates and some suggestions on components.
There is also a link below the pictures to a sort of build thread that shows some detail pictures.


Frank

[AstronMike]

Mike, thanks for that. You could simply move the central rudder forward slightly and still have a single elevator. I was not considering that you only needed the elevator to go "up" for a freeflight model so a single elevator makes it simple. Any comments on pop pod design?

Frank

Well, rear ejecting pods tend to be pretty much vanilla, design wise, even at 4" plus.

For lightweight based BT-80 gliders, I tend to use regular thin walled BT-50. Yes, this isn't very durable, and crimps easily. Repairs/splints just as easy, though..... If weight is not very critical, then you can use the foil lined version, which of course adds some weight but is MUCH more durable.

Two standard C-rings, even the fiber board versions, tend to work. Once again, if you are exceedingly weight conscious, you'd go for the lightest ones. If not, then lite ply is cool, and much easier to keep in round.

Pod ballast, on a 50-80 pod, is simply taping pennies or such to the forward end since there is so much room inside the glider. For Bomarcs, you tend to need a bit more ballast than the heaviest intended motor. Chutes used are either 18" to 24", keep in mind that the thin mill nylon types still add a bit of weight.

For the elevator hold down hook, you have two choices. First, just bend some music wire into the C- shape. One 'arm' of the C is taped to the rear of your pod BT, and the top 'arm' MUST hold down the elevator snugly but *NOT* tightly. If you use .062 or a bit thinner wire, this works very well, and is adjustable some if your initial C bending is a bit off.

The other idea is to use a standard LARGE paper clip, bent a bit, with some Kevlar or such tied to it and around your pod. This eliminates the 'futzyness' factor of trying to bend .062 music wire if you are not already used to such :o Once again, what's so cool about top mounted wings with a central single elevator is that since it's sitting atop the main BT, you can just 'pinch' it a bit to keep it flat for boost, and upon ejection, your clip is yanked off since it's corded to the pod. WAY easier than doing arcane dual rig setups involving two separate elevons!

I'd hoped that someone here would have built and flown a Bomarc LV by now, especially in it's lightest version (this is what the LV stands for, anyways). Properly trimmed, in still air, a BT80 LV model gets a good 45 seconds on BP E's, and can thermal a bit for more if you're lucky. Or George :chuckle: .

Glad to see your involvement in 'my' direction, Frank!