Invader (oz8063)

About this Plan

Invader. Powered sailplane model.

High performance powered soarer, for single channel or multi channel. Power .09 to .35.

Quote: "Hello here is the plans for The Invader Sailplane by Gene Rogers that I found in some of my old plans. info for size is on the plans."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 08/12/2016: Replaced this plan with a cleaned-up version, thanks to TonyP.

Update 20/01/2020: Added article (incomplete) thanks to JulienL.

Quote: "It's sort of a glider in a heck of a hurry. For .09 (enough) to .23's (stand clear) kind of thrust. Super Tigre .23 and Micro Avionics R/C. 73 span, 3 lbs. It's a different kind of animal, pure spirit! The Invader, by Gene Rogers..

A change of pace is always a welcome feast! Not having done any glider work since my early free-flight days, I'm far from being an expert on R/C gliders. True, I could have built a proven design from one of the many excellent types available. Somehow however, I felt that I was not quite ready for the sudden change of pace, from the rather potent ships I've been designing and building of late, to a slow graceful soarer. The gap seemed immense, hence the Invader. It was conceived to bridge that gap. While it doesn't have the thermal seeking potentials of the ten foot giants, it will ride a good thermal and offer plenty of action in other areas.

The Invader needs no towlines, nor slopes to perform its objective. Once a reasonable amount of altitude has been gained, the ship will fly with or without power. The design has much of the grace of a real floater, yet it has the versatility of a powered model. When designing the plane something in the order of a U-2 reconnaissance plane was lurking in the back of my mind. The U-2 was not a fighter plane, nor was it a glider; it was however, a very efficient aircraft!

With a wing area of 576 square inches, the Invader might appear to some, as rather diminutive for an R/C glider. When determining a wing's lifting capabilities, we must not evaluate it solely by the number of square inches of area it contains. We must also consider its airfoil section and how the area is distributed.

The Invader's wing is long and slender in planform, with an aspect ratio of 9 to 1. This high aspect ratio offers a lifting surface that is 14% more efficient than a wing having an aspect ratio of 6 to 1, as used on the average R/C powered plane..."

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