1. 2016-17 Matthew Chalker chalker7@gmail.com
Wright Stuff – B
Matthew Chalker

2. Disclaimer
This presentation was prepared using draft rules. There may be some changes in the final copy of the rules. The rules which will be in the published Rules Manual will be the official rules.

3. What is Wright Stuff?
Students will design, construct, and TEST free flight rubber-powered monoplanes to achieve maximum time aloft.

4. Wright Stuff Basics
Allowed 2 Ultra light aircraft built and tested prior to competition
Flown indoors
Timed for duration aloft
No Impound
Aircraft to be labeled
Must be a monoplane with single two-bladed propeller assembly
Must prepare a flight log of test flights

5. Construction Materials
Any materials except Boron Filaments may be used in construction of the airplane
Can be made from published plans, commercial kits, and or student’s design
Kits must not have pre-glued joints or pre-covered surfaces

6. Building Specifications
7.5 grams - minimum total mass of plane (without rubber motor)
45.0 cm - max horizontal projected wing span
11.0 cm - maximum wing chord
22.5 cm - max horizontal projected stabilizer span
8.5 cm - maximum stabilizer chord

7. Power Specifications Rubber Motor Plane powered by wound rubber band
1.5 grams maximum mass (includes O-rings)

8. Propeller Single two-bladed propeller 14.0 cm - Maximum diameter
Commercially made OR
Propeller Assembly may be built by competitors
Variable-pitch propellers with mechanisms to actively change the blade diameter or angle are not allowed!

9. Launching & Labeling Plane is launched from the hand
Plane must be labeled for identification

10. Visibility
At least one vertical surface must be covered in an opaque, non-white material

11. Flight Log
6 parameters for at least 10 previous flights prior to competition
3 required parameters
Motor size before windup
Winds on the motor at launch
Flight time
3 Additional parameter examples
Turns remaining at landing
Estimated peak flight height
Estimated flight path diameter
Torque at launch

12. Competition
8 minutes to launch their 2nd flight after their 1st flight (trim or official) begins
Motors impounded after check-in, are available only for official flights
Teams must declare before any launches during the 8 minutes if it is an official flight or a trim flight. If not declared any launch will be considered official.

13. Competition During 8 minute Flight Period teams may:
Make adjustments & repairs
Launch trim flights
Qualify additional motors
Timing will be to the precision of the devices used

14. Competition - Timing
Timing Begins when the airplane leaves the competitor’s hand
Timing Ends when any part of plane touches the ground (this includes pieces falling off) or the plane comes to rest on any obstructions (even if prop continues to rotate)

15. Competition Competitors only allowed in testing/flight area
No outside assistance, materials, or communication allowed once competitors enter the cordoned off competition area to trim, practice, or compete
No Steering allowed

16. Competition
Test flights allowed throughout competition at the discretion of the Event Supervisor, ending at least by the last 30 mins. of the tournament
Test flights will yield to official flights
Multiple aircraft may test fly at once

17. Scoring
Winner is team with the longest flight time for any single flight
Ties broken by second flight time

18. Bonus – Wing Covering
10% of the flight time will be added for planes that have a colored panel on the wing that is at least the length of the wing chord and between at least 2 wing ribs.

19. Deductions & Violations
Flight Log
Incomplete flight logs will have 10% of the flight time deducted from each flight
No flight log will have 30% of the flight time deducted from each flight
Rule Violations without a specific penalty will be ranked after all teams that do not violate the rules

20. Critical Takeaways - build the plane as light as the rules allow
WARNING: these planes are fragile, you will break it, others will break it even easier if you let them, sometimes you break it intentionally, GET OVER IT!
Rule 1
- build the plane as light as the rules allow
Rule 2
- make sure your plane doesn’t weigh too much
Rule 3
- go back and read rules one and two!
Rule 4
- build accurately, spend time preparing materials, making jigs & patterns, etc. Build fast.
Rule 5
- take LOTS of data, which means lots and lots of flying!

21. Building Tools A flat building board, able to take pins
Wax paper or packing tape to cover plans
Lots of Razor Blades or Sharp knives with lots of spare blades
A good metal edge rule/straight edge
Lots of pins & scrap balsa blocks
A good scale accurate to 0.01 gm, cheap (less than $20)
Wire cutters and pliers

22. Building Tools – Nice to Have
Precision micro super glue applicator, two pins stuck through a stick at an angle to come together at their ends
Balsa stripper
A six inch piece of music wire
Mat board or writing tablet backs, not poster board, for jigs
¼ inch thick balsa sheets for jigs
Misc square blocks for jigs

23. Building Materials
KITS - easy way to get everything to build 1 or 2 planes, costly OR…
Balsa - 1/32, 1/16, and ¼ inch thick sheets, or suitable width sticks, light to medium density
Covering - indoor mylar, tissue, produce plastic bags
Glue - Superglue (also called: cyanoacrylate or CA) or balsa cement
If using CA, instant setter – accelerator
Music Wire diameter
Props
Prop hanger
Clay

24. Flying Items - Necessary
Rubber - FAI TAN Sport or Super Sport, various thicknesses - 3/32 is a good starting point
O-rings –
Size #60 - ¼”O.D. x 1/8”I.D. x 1/16”
Or Sliced from Teflon tubes
Winder
Stop watch, NOT your cell phone, you’ll get DQ’d
Your flight LOG and a pen/pencil!
A good carrying/storage box

25. Flying Items – Nice to Have
Stand to hold the plane
An anchor to wind motors - off the plane
Torque Meter
Repair Kit –
CA glue
Accelerator
Straight edge
Spare covering
Spare balsa

26. Building Techniques – Cutting Ribs

27. Building Techniques – Wing & Stabilizer
Pin spars to plan or jig. DON’T pin through balsa!
Dry fit ribs in position
Check rib position for accuracy
Glue with CA using microapplicator
Let dry or apply accelerator.
Remove from building board

28. Building Techniques – Covering the Wing
Cut covering to size and lay on flat surface
Any spray glue works
Once you drop the wing on the paper, don’t try to move it.

29. Building Techniques – Wing covering cont’d
Smooth down one edge
Roll down ribs
Trim using a fresh, sharp razor
Smooth down second edge

30. Building Techniques – Dihedral & Adding Wash
Cut halfway through right wing
Crack at cut, prop wing tip up
Same process for left wing washin.
Cut at last rib and center of leading edge,
prop up leading edge, glue at 3 crack points.
Use CA glue at 2 crack points

31. Building Techniques – Motor Stick, Thrust Bearing, & Rear Hook
Make a slit on lower side of motor stick for Thrust Bearing
Insert Thrust Bearing in slit making sure Prop shaft is parallel to motor stick. Glue with CA.
Insert Rear Hook through tail of Motor Stick adding a spacer of wood.

32. Building Techniques – Tissue Tubes
Use Ambroid or Duco Cement, NOT CA Glue

33. Building Techniques – Finding Center of Gravity
Center of Gravity is the Balancing Point
Assemble w/fuselage, stabilizer, propeller, & motor
Do not add the wing yet
Balance on thin piece of wood or your finger
Mark CG (Balance Point) on fuselage

34. Building Techniques – Adding Paper Tubes
Glue front Paper Tube in front of the Center of Gravity mark approximately 1/3 of the distance of the Wing Chord on the right side of the fuselage.
Measure the distance of your Wing Chord and glue the rear Paper Tube that distance from the front Paper Tube.
Make sure the Paper Tubes and Wing Posts are Perpendicular to the Fuselage and Parallel to each other.
Do not glue the posts into the paper tubes.

35. Building Techniques – Wing Assembly
Raise Leading Edge higher than Trailing Edge
Adjust after trim flights

36. Building Techniques – Checking
The Stabilizer is parallel to the table
The Left side of the Wing is longer and dipped lower than the Right side of the Wing (tilt compared to Stabilizer) This creates the turn in flight
Leading Edge
Wash-in - vertical difference in Leading Edge to Trailing Edge (gives lift)
Trailing Edge

37. Flying Tips Rubber Motor
Lube your motors
WIND THEM!
BREAK A MOTOR OR TWO to know when it breaks!
Pre Flight (develop a checklist, use it every flight)
Assemble plane
Check settings
Left wing should have leading edge a little high (wash-in), right wing flat
Stabilizer should be flat & parallel to ground
Prop should point SLIGHTLY down and left
Check for anything broken, fix it.
Test fly with motor but no winds, it should glide gently to floor.
Recheck settings

38. Flying Tips – Winding First Flights – Wind at partial winds
Wind off the plane using a hook, put the knot by the hook
Stretch 3-4 times length, start winding stretched, about 500 to 600 turns start coming in to end at motor stick length with 1000 plus turns
Transfer the motor to the plane
Have one partner hold the plane, lock the propeller and present it to the winding partner, watch the tail!
Winding partner, without touching plane (much) take motor off winder, put it on prop hook.
Then take other end of motor off anchor and put it on tail hook. Knot should be on the tail hook.

39. Flying Tips– Launch Launch at shoulder height
when you can consistently hit the ceiling, launch close to floor
Give the plane only a GENTLE push in direction of flight
Launch the plane level
Time and observe flight
Record all data including behavior

40. Behaviors & Fixes Note –
Change only One Thing at a Time and in Small Amounts!!!
It flies pretty good.
Rare, but it happens 
Start changing factors small amounts, one at a time to improve times
COLLECT DATA for future reference
It flies OK, but just doesn’t want to climb.
Try more winds
Try a fatter motor
Try a lower pitch prop
Add a little left wing wash-in

41. Behaviors & Fixes
Stalling - It tries to fly, but keeps repeating nose up, slows down, drops nose, and repeats
Move the cg forward with ballast
Lower the leading edge of the wing
Raise the trailing edge
It dives quickly to floor - try one of the following:
Raise the leading edge of the wing
Raise the trailing edge of the stab
Move the cg back with ballast
Make sure you didn’t wind the motor backwards!!
It climbs strongly, nose constantly pointing up until the plane hangs on the prop than stalls hard
Add some down thrust to the prop hanger

42. Resources & Supplies Resources Supplies on line Indoornewsandviews.com
indoorduration.com
Yahoo Groups –
Wright Stuff
SO website
Supplies on line
FAImodelsupply.com

43. Internet Links