My retirement project 1903 RC Wright Flyer

bryancobb

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
5,336
Location
Cartersville, GA
Aircraft
Owned Brantly B-2b/Fly Kitfox III/Mini-500b
Total Flight Time
1350
14ft. wingspan. 45 Pounds estimated. Wing warping and 2 chain driven 34" dia/26" pitch counterrotating props. All from scratch.
 

Attachments

  • mosaic.jpg
    mosaic.jpg
    173.5 KB · Views: 30
  • IMG_8166.jpg
    IMG_8166.jpg
    268.1 KB · Views: 29
  • IMG_8082 (1).jpg
    IMG_8082 (1).jpg
    134 KB · Views: 28
  • IMG_8076.jpg
    IMG_8076.jpg
    224 KB · Views: 26
  • IMG_8084.jpg
    IMG_8084.jpg
    217.6 KB · Views: 24
  • control stick 6.jpg
    control stick 6.jpg
    110 KB · Views: 25
  • il 300 goes here.jpg
    il 300 goes here.jpg
    198.3 KB · Views: 31
Hmmm, after your helicopter exploits, Bryan, this proves that you are certifiably nuts! ;) Nice work, sir. What's your intended power plant?
 
Hmmm, after your helicopter exploits, Bryan, this proves that you are certifiably nuts! ;) Nice work, sir. What's your intended power plant?
For first flights, I will use a CHEAP weed-eater type gas engine ...probably a Zenoah G-30cc. If the test phase succeeds and I get it flying well without it becoming a ball of sticks, I'll come-off-the-hip and put a $3000 O.S. .Max I.L.-300, 4-cylinder inline four-stroke (3.0 cu.in.).
 

Attachments

  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    46.4 KB · Views: 6
To be able to make several identical and mirror-image, RH & LH props, I need to create a duplicator rotisserie from an idea I stole from Youtube.
My circular saw will be mounted on a base that rises and sinks in unison with a follower wheel. It will be driven with a BBQ grill rotisserie and the frame holding the saw & follower will be manually advanced along the blade's span axis by turning a handle that is attached to a threaded rod jack-screw. I covered one blade of my master prop with 1/2mm veneer and adhesive aluminum tape, to make the finished blade "fat for sanding," and to get traction of the follower.
 

Attachments

  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    38 KB · Views: 21
  • silver.jpg
    silver.jpg
    183.2 KB · Views: 21
Last edited:
Interesting project Bryan, look forward to watching the progress. Like the duplicator. 👍
 
Bryan....As a woodworker by profession..you have my attention cause I have a lot to learn here. You are not a normal person and that is a compliment.
 
Thanks for the encouragement, guys. In 1968, my family went to Norfolk on vacation and wound-up at Kitty Hawk. I still have the souvenirs we bought that day. That planted the seed and since, I have been there three times. In 1991 (pre-internet) when we went, I had been an avid (obsessed) RC'er for 10+ years. I took hundreds of pictures of the replica in the museum there and actually took notes on how the controls were rigged. Then, in the hotel room, I did the sketch below while the details were fresh on my mind. From then until now, I have continuously been collecting detailed info about the plane with the intention of "someday" building a very large flying model of it. Original idea was for 1/4 scale with a 121" span. When I retired and actually started building last year, I revised that to 1/3 scale with a 168" span so the ribs and other details could be created more realistically. It is H U G E ! Now in the internet era, there are very detailed systems descriptions and hi-res pictures of fabrication details.
 

Attachments

  • ALL 4 SCANS 50 percent.jpg
    ALL 4 SCANS 50 percent.jpg
    147.8 KB · Views: 15
Bryan....As a woodworker by profession..you have my attention cause I have a lot to learn here. You are not a normal person and that is a compliment.
Stan, the Dayton Bros. used Ash for most of the plane. I am sawing the sticks from a couple of 2x8's bought from Marietta Hardwoods. I'm ripping the sticks on the table-saw and chamfering the corners with a router. I cut the 18 struts from a spruce 1x4. All my metal brackets are 0.020" brass sheet.close 16.jpgclose 15.jpgclose 14.jpgclose 13.jpgclose 12.jpgclose 8.jpgclose 7.jpgclose 6.jpgclose 5.jpgclose 4.jpg
 
Last edited:
Will and I have a few disagreements about the CG location on a canard biplane. The girl is going to Embry-Riddle Daytona to become a rocket scientist!
 

Attachments

  • Wilbur and I Discuss Aerodynamics.jpg
    Wilbur and I Discuss Aerodynamics.jpg
    254.9 KB · Views: 19
  • Acceptance Certificate 1.jpg
    Acceptance Certificate 1.jpg
    63.8 KB · Views: 19
  • Honors Invitation 2.jpg
    Honors Invitation 2.jpg
    51.5 KB · Views: 14
  • PLAQUE.jpg
    PLAQUE.jpg
    228.3 KB · Views: 20
Getting the components of my Prop-Duplicating rotisserie made. Maybe in a week or so, I'll be making the flying propellers. Stan, I made my master prop out of Ash and the tips are too flexible. They are only 1/8 thick there. I've decided to do the flying props out of either Maple or Birch. Which would be best, strength and stiffness wise?
 

Attachments

  • big cog B.pdf
    9.2 KB · Views: 0
  • big cog A.pdf
    9.4 KB · Views: 3
  • IMG_8358.jpg
    IMG_8358.jpg
    262.9 KB · Views: 9
  • IMG_8359.jpg
    IMG_8359.jpg
    118.2 KB · Views: 5
  • IMG_8360.jpg
    IMG_8360.jpg
    292.6 KB · Views: 6
  • Layers.jpg
    Layers.jpg
    31.9 KB · Views: 9
  • little cog.pdf
    11.4 KB · Views: 1
  • machine.jpg
    machine.jpg
    84.3 KB · Views: 8
Brian.....hard maple would be stiff and strong. I dont have any experience with birch...but my guess would be it is similar to maple.

That is quite the project you are taking on! Way to go. No doubt you will have a nice flying plane when you are done.
 
Have flown Wright Flyer simulator.

It is challenging.
 
To be able to make several identical and mirror-image, RH & LH props, I need to create a duplicator rotisserie from an idea I stole from Youtube.
My circular saw will be mounted on a base that rises and sinks in unison with a follower wheel. It will be driven with a BBQ grill rotisserie and the frame holding the saw & follower will be manually advanced along the blade's span axis by turning a handle that is attached to a threaded rod jack-screw. I covered one blade of my master prop with 1/2mm veneer and adhesive aluminum tape, to make the finished blade "fat for sanding," and to get traction of the follower.

Is this a better duplicator than the router type?
Very cool project, maybe up-size a bit and fly it as an ultralight.....

BTW I have a bunch of suitable motors...I could be talked out of reasonably....
Also, w/chain drive, you will need a cooling fan/blower on the motor, it will not have enough air flow to run continuously.

Pair of fuji 32 4stk.
Zenoah 80 twin.
RCGF 50 twin
3W B212 4 cyl.
ZDZ 120 twin
Ryobi 28 4stk
DA 50
 

Attachments

  • eng2.jpg
    eng2.jpg
    182.5 KB · Views: 9
  • twin fuji 32.jpg
    twin fuji 32.jpg
    127.1 KB · Views: 10
  • da50.jpg
    da50.jpg
    114.8 KB · Views: 9
  • ryobi 28 4stk.jpg
    ryobi 28 4stk.jpg
    143 KB · Views: 9
  • zen 80.jpg
    zen 80.jpg
    85.3 KB · Views: 8
Is this a better duplicator than the router type?
Very cool project, maybe up-size a bit and fly it as an ultralight.....

BTW I have a bunch of suitable motors...I could be talked out of reasonably....
Also, w/chain drive, you will need a cooling fan/blower on the motor, it will not have enough air flow to run continuously.

Pair of fuji 32 4stk.
Zenoah 80 twin.
RCGF 50 twin
3W B212 4 cyl.
ZDZ 120 twin
Ryobi 28 4stk
DA 50
Thanks for the kind words, questions, and sales proposal. I will have to experiment with my propulsion system on a ground based test rig to make the final engine size decision. The plan is to get my long-time Greg Roper involved and power the test rig with an electric motor so I can dial-in power as required to get the desired thrust/RPM and choose a gas engine with similar power. It doesn't need to fly straight-up but I do not want an underpowered canard biplane like the Wrights created.

I followed in the footsteps of folks who make FAA props. Their lathe is super-simple, cheap, and can make RH AND LH props from the same master blade.
 
Have flown Wright Flyer simulator.

It is challenging.
I plan on it flying U G L Y so I plan on hiding a modern 3-axis piezo electric, solid state, gyro in the wing center-section.
 
I've seen a few Wright electrics fly, The plane is a real floater, you won't need or want a lot of power.
There is already a lot of info on CG available. The ones I have seen flew well in calm air,
not something you want to take to the slope races...
On flying wings and canards, we always add extra nose weight for the maiden flight and then
incrementally move it backwards until it starts getting too sensitive in pitch. Usually the sweet spot
is about 10 to 20% forward of where it gets touchy depending on if you are after stability, maneuverability, or efficiency....
My obsession with flying wings is what got me back into all this stuff, so I had to deal with many longitudinal stability issues...
I will have look up more info on that duplicator, I have only seen the router types that do one upper, or lower at a time.
Can that rotisserie use a router with a ball mill instead of the saw?
 
Last edited:
I need a little "coaching" on the dealing-with-people aspect of my project. The engine I plan/hope to use was only made for a short period of time. New ones in the box for sale are rare. So I put a simple post on the RC Groups page asking for "leads" on where I might locate one. About 6 months went by without any leads, then a guy contacts me telling me that he had a new one in the box and started telling me how to send him $2900 right then and I could have it.

When I told him I wanted it but I need to do my homework on my test-rig (now under construction) to confirm the amount of horsepower needed to spin the two 34"dia./53" pitch props at 1000-1500 RPM. When I'm certain the engine will "tote-the-load" without running hot, I'll immediately send him the money. I commented that "You've had it since 2014. I'm pretty sure there's time for me to finish my test. If someone comes up with the cash, feel free to sell it to them."

He got upset, and told me it was no longer for sale. Now he won't even answer emails. Who is being unreasonable, him? or me?
 

Attachments

  • 1.jpg
    1.jpg
    359.8 KB · Views: 12
Top