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haven chuck wrote:At our regionals and states (PA) i don't think they read them, but they deffinately look to make sure you have everything required.

???
Um, they read them.

at states, would you go for the bonus? where the wing cord is less than 6.5 cm or would you just ignore the bonus.

I'm not going to bother going for it. The reward just doesnt seem like that much to me.

How long does the body of the plane have to be? The wing span is 40 centimeters I think.

yes the wingspan is 40 cm. MAX there is no requirement for the length of the plane.

bob3443 wrote:at states, would you go for the bonus? where the wing cord is less than 6.5 cm or would you just ignore the bonus.

What is the bonus? 40 cm x 6.5 cm is very doable for a wing, but it's a tad on the small end. You'll definitely get better results from something with greater surface area, say 40 cm x 10 cm, but it depends on how much the bonus is worth.

SuperAwesomeAirplane wrote:How long does the body of the plane have to be? The wing span is 40 centimeters I think.

The rules set limits on only a few of the possible specifications for the plane. Where there is no limit you are free to design what you wish.

So, you can only make the wing span 40 cm max, you can make it as short as you 'd like. Of course aerodynamics will tell you to make the span as long as possible.

For something not specified, like the chord or length of the plane, you can make it as short or as long as you like. Aerodynamics can give some guidance here, but in the long run only testing will tell what the 'best' length is.

Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI

I was wondering about the different ways to make a plane turn, and which might be best for Wright Stuff. The wiki talks about two methods.

1. setting the wing and stab at different angles.
2. turning the rudder/vertical stabilizer so the whole plane yaws

I've also read about a third method:

3. setting the propeller thrust line at an angle (like 3 deg left to turn left)

Is there any common wisdom on whether any of these methods are best? What are the pros and cons? I've seen method #1 mentioned in the Ron Williams book when he talked about building the EZB, but I think he's talking about creating a roll torque to counter the propeller torque. Method #2 could be done a number of ways, but does this create more drag than the other methods? What about method 3?

i think someone said this before that you should have a little bit of each method to have it turn, or it creates too much drag. like you should have the wing and stab at a different angle, but not by much, and also turning the verticle stab by a little and setting the propeller at a very small angle.

Your wing should be offset on the fuselage (one side is longer than the other). That will be the primary method of making it turn.

The other methods will just assist it and help it turn more stable. I would both offset the vertical rudder (if you use one) and twist the stab. Prop thrust should also be slightly angled.

All are done to increase efficiency and stability. But definitely offset the wing.