Speed Wing (oz9922)

About this Plan

Speed Wing. Radio control biplane model, for .40 power.

Quote: "Pappy does it again - this time with a pylon turning, fun-fly winning, great-flying, sport biplane.

THIS HOT ROD SPEED Wing is just the plane for all the 'fly boys' out there. You know, guys who attend all the sport meets just for the fun of flying. The Speed Wing's competitiveness will tantalize any sport pilot.

The idea for this model originated when I saw Ralph Mong's home-built sport biplanes. I also had a desire to make Sport Pylon more interesting. The idea was to add a semi-scale requirement, a la Formula I, without specific aircraft restrictions, and to end up with a biplane that could compete with a monoplane in racing.

Here's an explanation of what actually went into the Speed Wing. If you have the R/ C experience to fly this plane, you have plenty of building experience and don't need step-by-step instructions. Instead, I'll explain its aerodynamics, special structural features, and other attributes.

Aerodynamics. First consider the compact size. There are no large surface areas and no weights stretched out along the long-moment arms. Use plenty of power for the size and weight, and you'll have a maneuverable design that moves. Notice that the thrust line, center of gravity, center of lift, center of resistance or drag, and the thrust line are all close together, a feature that is uncommon in other configurations.

These aerodynamic factors work against each other to create flight. They must outbalance each other to suit the type of flight desired. When a craft is in level flight, all these forces are in equilibrium. For a maneuver to work, it must upset that balance. The longer the force levers, the greater the effort required for the maneuver. The Speedwing has very short levers. When the craft is in level flight it requires little effort to disturb the equilibrium. A skilled pilot will find this plane highly maneuverable because the Speed Wing's aerodynamic balance requires the controls to return to exactly the required settings every time. This is one reason why Pitts and Laser-style planes dominate full-scale aerobatics. Because they are more compact, the forces are closer together. This is the kind of heritage the Speed Wing has.

The size of the Speed Wing's airfoils and area were also dictated by Sport Pylon rules. To be legal, an area must be 500 square inches while the airfoil must be 15-percent thick. To compensate for the thickness, I used a NACA 65015 laminar flow airfoil for drag reduction..."

Speed Wing, MAN, December 1982

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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