He reports that it "flies well enough, but it still is in its early experimental stage" He thinks it has greater potential.. Watch this space for developments
Charlie and Chris are discussing the advantages of the different wing tips. Chris is thinking winglets.
Chris sent me these gorgeous plans along with the text that can be found below the plans.
Chris writes
Notes -
1. Build body, front wing, aft wing and
vertical tail. I would recommend not adding the landing gear. The
weight savings will add to the flight duration.
2. Cover body, front wing, aft wing and vertical tail before assembly. Don't cover the body where the wing joins. Cut out the windows on the side and front after the covering dries.
3. Add Wing Join Plates to outboard front wing where the two wings join at each side.
4. Make sure that the front wing panels are at a 10 degree dihedral to the wing center section.
5. After covering, carefully glue the vertical tail to the body. Make sure the tail is perpendicular to the body or there will be problems attaching the aft wing.
6. Next, glue on the front wing. It should fit snugly in place on top of the fuselage.
7. Let everything dry overnight at this point.
8. Add the left and right aft wing panels to the top of the vertical tail and the Wing Join Plates. the Join Plates will set the incidence of the aft wing panel to the front wing.
9. I used a 5 inch prop and a 24" strand of 3/16" rubber for flying. The balance is tricky. After adding 350 winds to the motor for the first run, hold the plane at the balance point, point the nose up slightly and give it a gentle push. Where you hold the plane can make a difference as to whether or not the plane will fly correctly. I was able to get a 50 foot diameter circle outside with a very gentle climb to the left. It glides well after the motor run.
Future stuff - I plan on adding 3" tall winglets, a better airfoil to the front wing and a lifting airfoil to the aft wing to improve performance. Also, small tabs to all four outboard wing tips could make for some interesting flap/aileron setups.
You can e-mail Chris at
Chris
Holtorf <lholtorf@nwlink.com>
Or me at
dannysoar@att.net