Designing An RC Plane - Design Process

Now that we know some of the basics of RC plane design (different wing shapes, aspect ratio, wing loading, power systems and estimating maximum speed of a model), I thought it would be a good time to talk about a process that you could use to design your own RC plane. Airfield Models is a great sight to visit that really simplifies RC plane design and some of what I write is inspired by that website.

Step 1: Define The Purpose Of Your RC Plane

Here are some examples of things to consider when deciding on a purpose

- Maneuverability (aerobatics it should be capable of, maybe nothing) 

- Airspeed envelope (minimum and maximum flight speeds)

- Type of Plane (trainer, cargo RC plane, swept-wing jet etc.)
- Thrust To Weight Ratio

An airplane made by the youtube channel Aplane.  Has a low aspect ratio, rectangular wing, built for carrying lots of weight.

Step 2: Be More Specific! Decide On Some Specifications 


Things such as:

-Wingspan
-Chord or average chord (the width or distance across a wing. You can find average chord by adding up the chord at the part of the wing closest to the fuselage and the chord at the tip, then dividing by 2.)
-Weight (includes the weight of the servos, the receiver, battery, ESC, motor and airframe weight)
-Motor and prop combination (think about speed and thrust)
- Airspeed envelope (the minimum and maximum airspeeds that your plane should be able to fly at)




Step 3: Decide On A Target Wing Loading


Now that you know the weight of your electronics and have an estimate for airframe weight, add those two weights together. Then, you can decide on the target wing loading and play around with different wing areas until you find the wing loading that you are aiming for. Because of all things, wing loading should not be the surprise result after you have built the RC plane.

Highly loaded wing of an E-flite Habu 32

Step 4: Create A Plan

It doesn't matter whether its on a computer or on paper. Be specific with the dimensions of all the parts. 

Step 5: Build The Plane!

If you decide to change your specifications while building, remember to go back a step and see how this will affect the performance of your RC plane. Also, if the thing just won't fly or does not fly well, don't despair because this is almost exactly what happened with the TundraTrike from the previous post.

1. What was the problem

2. Why did it happen

3. How can you change the design and start flying again

Also, don't decide to stop any design because you feel that you don't know enough to make it fly properly. Just use your imagination and build what you have in your head. And again, if it doesn't fly, just analyze what went wrong, why it went wrong and redesign the plane. By doing it this way, you can get closer and closer to the RC plane that you really want, learn lots and make a great-flying airplane.