Tapered Airfoil Glider (Updated)

thingiverse

This glider showcases a practical exercise in crafting and printing a tapered wing using vase mode, relying on three specific airfoils: NACA 4415-4412-4409. These airfoils are as described in the 1946 model airplane book "Airfoil Sections" by R.H. Warring. The wings turned out exceptionally well and look great! The fuselage is straightforward - just a quick sketch to test the wing. UPDATE: A longer fuselage has been posted, divided into two parts: long_fuselage_nose.stl and long_fuselage_tail.stl. Also included is a slicer view of the fuselage laid out on print bed. This is still a quick and fairly weak design. Building one with balsa or CF tube would be superior. As designed here, weight needs to be added at the nose to balance the CG. The calculated CG is 27% back from the leading edge (measured at the root where wing meets fuselage). At 400% scale, that is approximately 19mm back from the front of the Leading Edge of the wing root. UPDATE: The longer version is too long! See comments for notes on a good flight with the original fuselage. All parts are designed to be scaled up to 400% for printing on i3 Mk3 or similar models. The wings are designed to stand upright from root to tip during printing, each measuring 200mm tall at 400% scale. The fuselage is designed to fit snugly on the print bed at 400% scale. Wings should be printed individually. All other parts can be combined for one print. There are three choices for wing join, which determines dihedral: 2%, 6%, and 12%. A 2% dihedral produced a nice flat run for the top of the wing but is not ideal for free-flight gliders. If you want to fly it, try the 12% first. The wingtips are identical and serve solely for closing the end of the wing by gluing them in place. The hook should be printed with its bottom side facing down. The hook is optional if using a rubber band launcher; it snaps right into place when glued securely. The "glider.stl" included in the files is not intended for printing but serves as an assembly model and viewing tool in Thingiview. If you attempt this, I'd love to hear your experience! See comments for more updates on flights and progress.