[Frank Colver]

By jlatorre
- Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:59 pm#406111
Frank, have you ever flown the Pacific Windcraft Eclipse? It had many of the characteristics you were looking for. It was designed by Jean-Michel Bernasconi and Bob England, and was one of the best low-speed "scratching" gliders I've ever flown ... light handling and a stubborn resistance to stalling, even if provoked. Its main drawback was a lack of glide at speed and a low top speed, but these wouldn't be factors in the glider you're envisioning.

Last time I talked to Bob before he died, he said he was working on the design for a beginner glider much like the one you describe. Maybe there's somebody in the SoCal flying community that can find out what happened to that design, and how far he might have gotten with it.


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By USHPA7
- Mon Jan 07, 2019 8:34 pm#406116

Thanks, that's interesting information. I probably never saw these designs since I quit flying hang gliders in 1979 but I have always read the HG magazine "religiously" over all the years since then.

It would be good to know what he was working on when he died. One of the reasons that I'm describing my design thoughts here as a open source project is so that all is known and could be picked up by someone if I kick the bucket (I'm almost 84 so it has to be considered). I've said before that I have zero interest in making any money from this, if I manage to build one it will be the only one and anybody is welcome to pick up the ball and run with it ( I would like credit for any ideas of mine used).

< Its main drawback was a lack of glide at speed and a low top speed, but these wouldn't be factors in the glider you're envisioning.>

My HGBT design will also have both of those drawbacks. Nobody would ever set a cross country record with my basic trainer.

Red's suggestion of the name "Puffin" for this glider I like and I'm now referring to it as the Puffin.

BTW - Something I should have mentioned in my recap of the thoughts behind this is, that all through aviation history people have begun training in low aspect ratio, larger wing area (light loading), craft. There is a reason, those usually make for a docil, easy to fly, slower more forgiving aircraft. Exactly why the Puffin is low aspect ratio with large area.

Frank

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[Frank Colver]

By PocoPete
- Sat Jan 12, 2019 4:10 pm#406190
The late d--- Boone (of Progressive Aircraft fame) applied for a patent of a design feature that would lower the stall speed of a hang glider. I wonder if his idea might be applicable to your basic trainer design?

See:
http://www.patentsencyclopedia.com/app/20130299627

Excerpt:
Patent application title: Low speed, high performance hang glider
Inventors: Richard Boone (Wichita, KS, US)
Publication date: 2013-11-14
Patent application number: 20130299627

Abstract:
Sail deflection, from large resultant moments, creates excess aerodynamic twist and limits hang glider performance. Incorporating a rear spar and sail attachment system, as a design feature, allows control and definition of this critical performance component. Hang gliders with this design feature will produce more total lift which in turn will produce lower stall speeds and less drag.

Claims:
1. Replacing the conventional "Cross Bar" with a "Rear Spar" and Sail Attachment System, per this claim, provides an effective method to control performance limiting aerodynamic twist on hang gliders.

2. Lower aerodynamic twist, created by the incorporation of a rear spar and rear spar sail attachment, increases the potential for lift, which in turn lowers the stall speed.

3. Lower aerodynamic twist, created by the incorporation of a rear spar and rear spar sail attachment, reduces drag which, for any effective lift, increases glider performance.

<snip>
[0012] This combination of low speed and high performance is suitable to training operations and allow training to be performed at lower risks and at vastly more locations. With help from a support staff, a glider per this claim can be used to train pilots of limited physical ability including small children and individual restricted to wheel chairs.

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By USHPA7
- Sun Jan 13, 2019 2:48 am#406196
Thanks for the information. It's an interesting concept, I don't know about the spar loads and the attachments to the sail and spar out toward the tips.

Since my spar goes to the tips and is farther back than conventional HG's spars I could play around with some sort of attachments to the sail battens out there. Also, my truncated tips help support the rear of the sail more than conventional HG.




Richard's comments about the need for slower, easier to fly, trainers is right along the line of my thinking on this subject.

I didn't know Richard personally but I've known of him for many years. I'm sorry to learn that he has passed.

Frank C.

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[Frank Colver]

By red
- Sun Jan 13, 2019 12:21 pm#406200
PocoPete wrote: ↑
Sat Jan 12, 2019 4:10 pm
The late d--- Boone (of Progressive Aircraft fame) applied for a patent of a design feature that would lower the stall speed of a hang glider. I wonder if his idea might be applicable to your basic trainer design?
See:
http://www.patentsencyclopedia.com/app/20130299627
Abstract: Sail deflection, from large resultant moments, creates excess aerodynamic twist and limits hang glider performance. Incorporating a rear spar and sail attachment system, as a design feature, allows control and definition of this critical performance component. Hang gliders with this design feature will produce more total lift which in turn will produce lower stall speeds and less drag.
Claims: 1. Replacing the conventional "Cross Bar" with a "Rear Spar" and Sail Attachment System, per this claim, provides an effective method to control performance limiting aerodynamic twist on hang gliders.
Campers,

I can understand how excessive twist (washout) is a limit on performance, but limiting that twist may or may not be helpful to beginners. You may indeed get better performance, but maybe at the expense of the forgiving stall characteristics which help a beginner. Seems to me, sprogs with upward limiters could do the same thing, for less weight than the new rear spar and cabling.

Being a long-time Fledgling pilot, it almost seems that this new design is a re-imagining of the "Fledgling A" model (the original Fledgling). I'd expect very similar performance, certainly, but you may need spoilers (or other aerodynamic controls) to steer it. I greatly favor the use of such aerodynamic controls, on all HGs. You could do worse than to fly with power steering and power brakes; trust an old Fledgling pilot, here. When you have solid roll authority and retractable dive brakes, the small LZs are much easier to deal with.




I'm all in favor of new designs with HGs, and I would really like to see Mr. Boone's ideas being constructed and well- tested. I would not want anybody to think I am being critical here, when maybe I just need more information. If anybody has more information or actual pictures of this new design, please post them.

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By USHPA7
- Mon Jan 14, 2019 1:38 pm#406219
Progress update.

As of midnight last night I finished the design of my nose and tip plates. It was a little more effort on my autoCAD than just designing a nose plate because the tips have a different folding situation and I wanted to make all six pieces identical, for my labor efficiency when it comes time to fabricate them. With these plates the glider will be able to be folded with the six foot tip tubes in place. The diagonal brace for the tip will need to be removed or at least disconnected at one end, minimum.

Next design effort will be all the hole positions on all the airframe tubing (I've already done the portions that go between the plates).

Red, I agree with your comments regarding the sail billow out toward the tips which Richard was attempting to eliminate. I regard that billow as an advantage in a training glider, even though it subtracts from the glide performance. And it certainly helps with weight shift roll control an important factor in someone learning to fly. You mention tip stalls also and my permanently twisted tip will also help with making the tip portion the last to stall.

Frank C.

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[Frank Colver]

I am all for anything that helps grow the sport of hang gliding.

But when a prospective student walks up to the beach and watches Andy or Josh lift off effortlessly, and fly along the ridge what do you think the prospective student is thinking most?

• That looks too hard to turn.
• That looks too heavy to carry.
• One hundred bucks ... for only 4 flights!?!   

Imagine the difference if people could just walk up and try it for free. ... with any glider.

As I said, I'm in favor of anything that grows the sport of hang gliding, but some things will be more effective than others. I am extremely disappointed that the desire to gather support for this "Puffer" has led to silence in defending USHGRS. I sure hope this glider is a star or I'd hate to be among those who put the "Puffer" ahead of USHGRS.   

[Frank Colver]

Mon Jan 14, 2019 11:59 am

Progress update.

As of midnight last night I finished the design of my nose and tip plates. It was a little more effort on my autoCAD than just designing a nose plate because the tips have a different folding situation and I wanted to make all six pieces identical, for my labor efficiency when it comes time to fabricate them. With these plates the glider will be able to be folded with the six foot tip tubes in place. The diagonal brace for the tip will need to be removed or at least disconnected at one end, minimum.

Next design effort will be all the hole positions on all the airframe tubing (I've already done the portions that go between the plates). When it comes time to actually drill the holes I'll be using John Heiney's method of a digital level for setting angle differences between hole positions along the tubing.

The name is Puffin not Puffer. Puffin is a low aspect ratio bird that flies well.

Please don't hijack this thread for USHGRS discussions which have nothing to do with my basic trainer design thoughts, that discussion has its own threads, go there. Presumably, anyone earning a rating with the Puffin will get that rating listed in USHGRS.

Frank

[Frank Colver]

By USHPA7
- Fri Jan 18, 2019 9:31 pm#406254
Construction has begun with the fabrication of the nose and tip plates (6 pieces in all). The nose plate is larger than most nose plates because I wanted all of the plates to be identical and tip plates have to be larger to accommodate the tips folding along side the spar.

I've sent an order to Wills Wing for the 7075 tubing and the particular Condor 330 battens I need.

Still need a sail designer / maker.

Frank

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[Frank Colver]

75

[Frank Colver]

By USHPA7
- Sun Jan 20, 2019 3:42 pm#406272
Here's a photo of the actual beginning of fabrication of this glider. Drilling what will become nose and tip plates.

The finished total weight, for the six identical pieces, came out at 2.5lbs which kind of bummed me since I'm shooting for a complete glider weight of under 40 lbs. I thought of adding some lightening holes but then I decided to wait until I see how the tip plates behave under the stress of holding the tip twist under negative loads. I can always reduce the weight of any "over designed" parts, after the glider has been tested.

Frank Colver
Puffin fab begins, nose & tip plates.JPG
Puffin fab begins, nose & tip plates.JPG (311.29 KiB) Viewed 1473 times
Completed six plates.jpg
Completed six plates.jpg (184.09 KiB) Viewed 1471 times


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[Frank Colver]

By USHPA7
- Thu Feb 14, 2019 4:19 pm#406510
Progress report.

I've been buying hardware for the glider's construction. Tubing end plugs, saddle washers, aircraft bolts, nuts, flat washers. The saddle washers were for 42mm tubing but a lot of my tubes will be 50mm. However, the washers were economic in a 50 pcs bulk package. So, I rigged up a holding jig for enlarging the washer's curve to match 50mm tubing using a 2" hole saw - it worked beautifully! 8)

Since I will be assembling and disassembling the glider sections many times during the development period I will use cheap hardware store wing nuts, on the AN bolts, until final assembly with AN lock nuts. So don't panic if I post photos during that time showing wing nuts.




At the present time I'm waiting for Wills Wing to notify me that the materials I ordered from them (tubing & battens) are ready for pickup.

How I'm going to get the sail designed and made is still up in the air but I've been learning some things about how to design it using my AutoCAD drawings and my scale model, thanks to Steve P at WW.

Stay tuned, folks, :popcorn:
Frank C.


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[Frank Colver]

By kukailimoku2
- Thu Feb 14, 2019 6:53 pm#406513
I'm a little surprised that WW is selling you tubing and battens for anything other than repair of one of their birds. Have you been working closely with Steve on this project?


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By red
- Thu Feb 14, 2019 7:10 pm#406514
USHPA7 wrote: ↑
Thu Feb 14, 2019 4:19 pm
Progress report.
I've been buying hardware for the glider's construction. Tubing end plugs, saddle washers, aircraft bolts, nuts, flat washers.
Frank C.
Frank,

"Nuts & Bolts" is a separate heading in the Yellow Pages phone book, far better than "hardware" or some such. The real Internet Yellow Pages IS the Yellow Pages tab at:

http://www.anywho.com

Enter the Nuts & Bolts heading in the "Business Name or Category " line, and give them a local ZIP code for your location. You can SORT the list by Distance. All other Internet "yellow pages" are just wannabees.

AN-4 bolts are 28 Threads Per Inch (1/4"-28). An-5 bolts are 24 Threads Per Inch (5/16"-24). Call around first, for these special wingnuts. The AN spec wingnuts would be AN-450 (1/4") and AN-550 (5/16") but nobody will have them. Just ask for 1/4"-28 wingnuts, or 5/16"-24 wingnuts. Those thread numbers may also be called National Fine (NF) thread, in each size.

Prolly more than you wanted to know , and a NICE aircraft "AN bolt chart" linked as a free .PDF download, can be found on one of my special web pages:

http://user.xmission.com/~red/AN%20Bolts%20Decoded.htm

Happy hunting!



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By mario
- Thu Feb 14, 2019 7:55 pm#406516
Frank,
I’ve got parts from a WW Eagle 180 that you are welcome to if it could be helpful.
Just PM me.
Mario

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By USHPA7
- Fri Feb 15, 2019 1:36 am#406521
Thanks red. I have all that stuff pretty well under control. I've been buying AN bolts, nuts, washers, etc., for many years and the plastic parts, end plugs & saddle washers, I found a good inexpensive source in London. They got here in about 5 days.

The difference for the AN hardware is that now instead of a 50 mile round trip to Aircraft Spruce, in Corona CA, I just get on the web and order from them. Shipping is less than the gas I would use to drive to their store. Plus, I don't get there and find they are out of stock on one of the AN bolts I need.

Because the wing nuts are temporary I'm not going to use the very expensive aircraft wing nuts, just hardware store stuff. However, I'll probably need to do a web search to find them in 1/4-28 thread. The local Home Depot most likely will only have 1/4-20.

mario: I sent you a PM about the WW parts.

Frank

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