DESIGN

SESSION
AERODYNAMICS OF A PLANE
FORCES ON A PLANE
The negative forces:
1) Drag
2) Weight

Planes counter it by:

1) Thrust for drag
2) Lift for weight
How does a plane fly?

How is the lift generated?

...Some thing special

about the wings?
 Airfoil

Cross section of the wing

Peculiar shape in order to generate lift
Aerodynamic characteristics vary greatly with airfoil shape
 LIFT GENERATION

Due to the peculiar shape of the airfoil, a curvature is induced in the

incoming airflow. Due to the asymmetry in this curvature on the top and
bottom parts of the wing, a net upward lift is generated.
THE LIFT EQUATION
ANATOMY OF THE PLANE
AIRCRAFT PRINCIPAL
AXIS
AIRCRAFT PRINCIPAL AXIS
ROTATIONAL MOTION AND CONTROL
SURFACES OF THE AIRCRAFT
AILERONS
ROLL MOTION DUE TO THE
MOVEMENT OF AILERONS
 RUDDER

Yaw motion is due to the movement of rudder

 ELEVATOR

Pitch motion is due to the movement of elevator

LONGITUDINAL STATIC STABILITY

Positive static
stability

Neutral static
stability

Negative static
stability
 CENTRE OF GRAVITY

The point at which the torque and force are balanced is the
Centre of Gravity

It should lie either at or ahead of 1/4 of the chord length of

the wing for neutral or positive stability, respectively
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
HIGH- WING PROVIDES ROLL
STABILITY
A HIGH WING BASIC TRAINER
PROPERTIES OF A TRAINER
PLANE
1. LOWER WING LOADING

Wing loading = Weight/Wing area

Lightweight aircraft
Large wing area
 WING LOADING
generally ....

Lower wing loading----> Smoother flight & better glide

Higher wing loading----> Faster, more maneuverable
For trainer planes, you would do well to aim for
40g/dm^2
 2. STATICALLY STABLE

A high wing configuration -----> a lot of stability

to trainer airplane
Flat bottomed airfoil-----> easy to manufacture
& a greater amount of lift ( even at low
windspeed)
DECIDING ON THE
WEIGHT
 DECIDING ON WEIGHT
Battery Weight = 100g
Motor Weight = 50g
Motor Mount Weight = approx 20g
ESC Weight = 30g
Servo Weight = 10g(*3)
Receiver+ wiring weight = approx 50g
Total Weight 295 grams, round up to 300g
Add to this the frame weight, which is up to you.
For trainers aim for a total weight of 500g. Allow for a
maximum weight of 700g
WING DESIGN
ASPECT RATIO
ASPECT RATIO

A.R.=Span/Area=b^2/S
Higher AR--> Better Lift, but leads to wing
bending.
Shorter AR--> g=Great for structure, better
maneuverability, but increases drag.
The sweet spot for you : AR in between 5-7
CONTROL SURFACE SIZING
THE SIZES OF THE AILERONS AND THE ELEVATOR MUST
BE DEICDED BEFORE YOU START CUTTING THEM
AILERONS

The area of each aileron is 10% of the total wing

area.
The span of the ailerons can vary. Most efficient
ailerons are thin and spread across the entire wing
however, they also tend to bend easily.
but they are more efficient when on extreme
ELEVATOR

The area of the elevator-> 35% of the Horizontal

Tail.
The Elevator must span across the entire tail, not
just a small part in the centre.
EITHER FOLLOW THE PLANE DIMENSIONING RULES OR...
EITHER FOLLOW THE PLANE DIMENSIONING RULES OR...
THE MAKING OF RC PLANE !

GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY

MATERIALS
Depron (best material for a begginer’s
plane)
Cutters
Glues and glue guns
Tapes
 WING MAKING ,
FOLDING & SLOTTING
ARMIN WING
Best design for trainer RC planes is Armin Wing

It is advised to apply tape before folding your

wing into the Armin shape as if not, the depron
can break. Also, for Aerodynamic reasons

Make bevel cuts for Ailerons. Note that Total

wing area includes Ailerons too
ARMIN WING
Keep slots for attaching your servos before
folding for convenience

If your wing is not dihedral, keep a circular slot

through the wing of 6mm diameter for carbon
fibre rod (Will be used during flying sessions)
MAKING OF FUSELAGE
FUSELAGE
FUSELAGE

Length can be determined by the wing span.

The inner dimensions of the fuselage should
be around 6.2*6.2 cm
These are incorporated with the Power Pods
which should fit tightly inside the fuselage
 POWER PODS

Note: 5.2x5.2 is internal dimension of power pod, consider

thickness of depron while making dimensions of power pod
POWER-POD

Standard power pod measurements: 5x5cms, length

25- 30 cm.
We will try to have extra of these during flying
session.
If your fuselage dimensions are a bit different, try to
make the power pods accordingly so that it can fit in
TAIL SECTION
TAIL- SECTION
IMPORTANT: While attaching the tail section
to the fuselage, always check the alignment
of the tail section with respect to the Main
Wing. If seen from the front, HS should be
parallel to the wing, whereas VS should be
perpendicular.
If not taken care of, your plane can roll off in
one direction, affecting your final
performance
MAKING YOUR PLANE
CRASH RESISTANT
CRASH RESISTANCE

Most of the crashes damage the fuselage to a

great extent. If your fuselage is strong
enough, your plane automatically becomes
crash resistant.
You can add a layer of depron to a specific
portion of the fuselage in the front for extra
protection.
DUCT TAPE - THE PLANE SAVER
Places that are vulnerable to cracks and deformation should be
covered by it.
The front part of the fuselage requires duct tape as it the most
vulnerable part of the plane.
BUT.... it’s really heavy. So if you are using it in excess, extracts a
heavy toll on your flight.
Decide optimum amount of duct tape you need.
For folding, DO NOT use this tape. Normal tapes should be used for
that purpose.
Duct tape is for strengthening. Cover only the breakage-prone areas
of your aircraft with duct tape.
BEVEL CUTS
BEVEL CUTS

45-degree single bevel is generally used to make

the control surfaces.
Edge bevel is used at he ends of ailerons and
elevators.
Edge bevels are made for aerodynamic reasons.
REINCFORCEMENTS OF THE
CONTROL SURFACES
While making bevel cuts you’ll have to tape on
one side
The control surfaces can be made strong by
turning the hinge completely and applying tape
on it from the other side
Try taping the depron on both sides on hinges
only as they have less breadth compared to
other tapes and thick enough to hold
ailerons/elevators in its place
CHEAT SHEET!
CHEAT-SHEET
Cheat sheet --> links to youtube videos regarding
tutorials --> how to build wings, fuselages, tails, and
control surfaces.
If anyone is willing to make some other model of an RC
Plane (other than a trainer), the decision is yours!
But keep in mind that if you don’t build it properly, the
chances are your plane may not even fly!
If the wing Area is taken, ‘A’ and the wingspan is ‘L’:

Fuselage Length: around 0.8L

Aspect Ratio: 5-7 (or chord length, roughly L/6)
Horizontal Tail Area: around 0.25A
Vertical Tail Area: around 0.1A
Ailerons: 0.1*A (ideally should be thin and long)
Elevator: 0.35*(Area of Horizontal Tail)
DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS TO EXPLORE!!
P-51 MUSTANG
Mid-wing plane: excellent
maneuverability but can
become unstable.
Nose shape: excellent flow
around the body and the
wings; thus the lift is also SPECIFICATIONS:
good. WING TYPE-TAPERED
Wing passing through the WING LOCATION-MID WING
MOTOR: 1400KV RATED
fuselage: makes the fuselage
ESC-30 AMPS
extremely prone to damage. POWER SOURCE: li-po 2200mAH,
30C
PUSHER PLANE

Mid-wing plane: excellent

maneuverability but can become
unstable.
Minimal propeller damage
Wing passing through the fuselage:
makes the fuselage extremely prone Specification
WING TYPE – TAPERED
to damage.
WING LOCATION – MID-WING
The motor being above the wing MOTOR – 880 KV RATED
gives it a torque making it nosedive ESC – 30 AMPS
POWER SOURCE- LI-PO 2200 MAH,
and needs constant correction. 30 C
HIGH WING TRAINER
High-wing plane: it has average
maneuverability but that also makes
it very stable and thus easy to fly.
The basic geometry of the fuselage
and the stabilizers allow for easy SPECIFICATIONS:
repair.
WING TYPE- TAPERED
The wing is fixed on the fuselage
WING
using rubber bands and thus is LOCATION-HIGH WING
prone to getting loose and MOTOR--1400KV RATED
misaligning , but that also makes it ESC-30AMPS
easily repairable. POWER SOURCE - LI-PO
2200mAH,30C
Electronic Components
ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

Brushless DC Motor
Servos
Li-ion Battery
Receiver and Transmitter
ESC [Electronic Speed Controller]
Y connector
 BRUSHLESS DC MOTOR
The three wires are connected to the
motor
mount

Electronic Speed Controller in random

order
If the rotation of the motor is incorrect,
just switch any two wires
Three-phase BLDC motors with
permanent magnet rotor are most
commonly used. [Outrunner BLDC Motor]

If you want to know more about BLDCs, refer to the following link
 ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLLER

The ESC is connected directly to the

Li ion battery for power.
The three wires from the ESC are
connected to the brushless motor
using the bullet connectors.
The ESC is also connected to the
receiver to get the signal from the
Transmitter.
Bullet connectors

If you want to know more about ESCs, refer to the following link
 SERVO MOTORS

The servos are connected directly to the

receiver for the required signal
The aileron servos must be placed such that
they are mirror images of each other

If you want to know more about servos, refer to the following link
 LITHIUM ION BATTERY

The Battery is connected to the power

connector of the Electronic Speed
Controller
Warning: Must Observe Polarity

If you want to know more about batteries, refer to the following link
TRANSMITTER, RECEIVER & BINDING KEY
PROPELLERS

Prop mounts
CONNECTIONS
CONTROL RODS & CONTROL HORNS
CONTROLS RODS, SERVOS & CONTROL HORNS
TWO TYPES OF COLOUR CODING!
DON’T GET CONFUSED !
 CONNECTIONS

Motor -> ESC -> Battery

ESC has a channel that can be connected to
receiver Remember the order (A E T R) for channel
(1,2,3,4) respectively of receiver
CONNECTIONS
SAFETY AND PRECAUTION
(MOST IMPORTANT)
SAFETY AND PRECAUTION

Do Not overcharge or over-discharge a Li-ion/Ni-Mh

battery.
It can explode.
For a LiPo/Ni-Mh battery, use the designated charger,
do NOT try to charge them with DC voltage supply.
NEVER short the terminals of the battery
Do not Puncture a battery, especially LiPo, it will
catch fire.
Do not connect two batteries in parallel directly.
 POINTS FOR INNOVATION & SUSTAINIBLITY

There will be bonus points for innovative designs

and add-ons as well as sustainability

For example your team can use plastic bottles as

fuselage or recycle/reuse some waste materials

Your team can have innovative plane designs, add-

ons like parachute, landing gears etc.
TIMELINE
PHASE 1
Simulator sessions will start from 29th September on
weekday nights and throughout the day on weekend
Venue for Simulators sessions will be LTs. These sessions
are really crucial as they will hone your piloting skills.
Alongside, you need to finish the build of your plane, and
it should be RTF. The deadline to finish the build is 4th Oct
(strict)
Phase 1 will end with the Design and Safety Inspection on
5th and 6th Oct. This will contribute (50%) towards
deciding the winners of the RC Plane Competition!!
 SIMULATOR SESSIONS
These are extremely important if you wish to not
crash your plane
We will be asking you to bring a Windows Laptop
with Simulator Software pre-installed on it
There will be 3 simulator sessions. 1st will be 1 hour
long, and the next two will be half an hour each
It is suggested that the team figure out who their
pilot is going to be during the final competition by
the end of the first simulator session so that
he/she can get the most practice
 DESIGN AND SAFETY INSPECTION (5TH - 6TH OCT)
In this session, your final aircraft will be tested to
ensure that all systems run
All control surfaces and lift surfaces should be properly
designed, and able to fly
Airfoil shape must be clean and able to produce lift.
Control surfaces should be sufficiently responsive and
should not be able to move significantly without servo
rotation
The build should be strong and able to resist damage
from crashes (within reason)
 DESIGN AND SAFETY INSPECTION (5TH - 6TH)

You will be marked on the above points, followed

by a short viva. This will count for 50% credit
towards the competition.
There will also be the best design and build
awards given based on this to teams.
Slotting for this on 5th and 6th October will be
made available later
PHASE 2

This phase consists of the flying sessions and the

flying competition
Flying sessions will take place tentatively from
8th October to 17th October
 FLYING SESSIONS
Flying on the Gymkhana Grounds. We will bring the
transmitter, receiver, and charged batteries for
these flying sessions.
These will take place during daylight hours. Hence
weekday afternoons and Weekend/holiday mornings
and afternoons. Slotting details will be shared later!
There will also be flying sessions after the final
competition, so you may enjoy flying just for fun.
They’re called ‘Lukkha Flying Sessions’
 THE END GAME
19th & 20th October
(tentative)
 THE FINAL FLIGHT!
Students will be tested on:
-Take-off: Safe take-off, without stall
-In air Manoeuvres: How well is the pilot able to control the
aircraft, and how does the aircraft fly during the flight?
- Bonus points will be given for maneuvers like Figure eight,
Loop de Loop, etc.
- The pilot will be tested on how well he/she can follow a
predetermined path during flight.
-Landing: A smooth Landing is tough to pull off!
-Any damage to aircraft will invite a penalty. This includes
frame breakage due to a crash or even a propeller breakage
during a less than smooth landing.
 TL
INSTRUCTIONS
 PHOENIX RC

[Link]
Check this video for full description
 Guidelines for Simulator Session:

Bring your laptops

Atleast one laptop per team
Three simulator session per group

Download Phoenix RC beforehand!

POWERED BY
THANK YOU !