Fauvel AV48 (oz15515)

About this Plan

Fauvel AV48. Simple profile glider model. Wingspan 550 mm. Tailless layout.

This plan appeared in the book "Flugmodelle Bauen und Einfliegen" by Werner Thies & Willi Rolf, 1975.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Note see Ente (oz15512) for article (full chapter from the book).

Quote (google-translated): "Fauvel AV48. Now to a new balsa glider. This time it is a tailless aircraft that is to be reproduced (Fig. 46, see Plate IV, at the end of the volume). The AV 48 is a new design by the French designer Charles Fauvel. It is built as a motor glider with a pressure screw and has excellent flight performance with a wingspan of 15 m. The maximum glide ratio is given as 30, ie the aircraft can glide a distance of 30 m from a height of 1 m without a motor! The lowest sink rate is 70 cm per second.

The construction of the small glider model is again very simple and similar to the construction of the Grunau Baby IIa (oz15513). Balsa wood of 1, 2 and 3 mm thickness is required. After cutting out the wing from a 2 mm thick balsa board, the wing profiles are sanded according to the section drawing A-B and C-D. This is very important, because only then will the model fly stably. Then the wing, which has a double V-shape, is glued together with the intended V-shape of 30 mm on each side. As with the construction of the other models, you place a strip of paper about 2 cm wide under the wing bend and glue the strip in place to reinforce it.

The fuselage is cut out of 3 mm thick balsa wood, the edges well rounded. It is then pushed into the recess provided in the wings from behind and glued in place. The two small vertical stabilizers are made of 1 mm balsa wood and are reinforced with a small balsa strip. The view drawing shows where the stabilizers are glued in place. Of course, they have to be parallel to each other, otherwise the model will definitely fly an unwanted curve.

The prerequisite for a nice glide (the pilots call this a longitudinally stable flight) of a tailless model aircraft is the exact position of the center of gravity, which is marked by an arrow in our plan. You must therefore be very careful when balancing the model.

The same applies to take-off as was said for the previous model of the Baby II. If the glide angle is too steep, the end of the center section of the wing can be bent up a little. If, on the other hand, it is uneven and the model flies in a wave shape (in aviation terms: the model pumps), then we can attach a tiny bit of lead to the nose of the fuselage, either with an all-purpose glue or with adhesive tape."

Note photo of completed model [main pic] is thanks to Simon Rogers.

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