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These are shots of Bob's
team approach to coming up with a man-carrying hang glider that could have
been something designed and built by Leonardo de Vinci. They started
with the basic Volmer Jensen VJ 24 and started making modifications.
The model was a post project proof of concept to see if it would have flown.
This British derived project was later switched to a British team in lieu
of "those Americans".
The plan was to construct the real aircraft using techniques available in the 1500's, like leather straps for tying the fuselage parts together and using old style glues for the wings. The crank in the leading edge was part of the design to give it that "de Vinci" look. |
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As you can see, this model only used two tip feathers for ailerons. They are set at - 27 degress for the first one and - 19 degrees for the second, as with the other models. The model is stable in flight, but they are still experimenting with it. There didn't appear to be any plans for building a full size version and taking it off a hill. |
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These pictures give
you an idea of what that pilot's cage would look like and, a better idea
of the airfoil shape of the wing. The aft portion is a single surface
with an 18% thick front section to allow for the cantalever wing.
Below left, you can see the aileron is up, which was the result of the radio mixer function allowing both ailerons to move in the same direction for trimming. This is on way they were able to find the "sweet spot" tip angle for each model. It was found to be pitch sensitive, but once Bob learned to just use the ailerons, it became much easier to handle. The lower front crossbar have a tendency to make it dig in on landings. |
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Part 3,Pelican....  |
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... ...10/8/02 |
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