4D flying Paper Models, an Invaluable site!!

zathros

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I stumbled on a website that has great models that are designed to actually glide. This is pretty awesome in itself, as most models are static display models. There are so many aircraft models on this site, it is quite amazing, and they are all FREE!! The site is: https://www.4dpaperairplane.com/home.html

Please check it out. Not are only the models listed with instructions, but the history of each craft is listed, and that is just plain educational. Makes model building a learning excperience, a building experience, and ultimately, a flying experience, through gliding the aircraft you have built. A 5 star website!! 4D flying is called such as the four dimension they refer to is the flying aspect of their models. :)

4D flying.jpg
 
The neat thing is that if you shape the wings like airfoils, amd make sure the center of gravity is in the right place, cut out the ailerons and rubber, for control surfaces, you will have scale aircraft that should glide very well. ;)

The center of lift should always be behind the center of gravity, otherwise the plane will nose up and stall, a simple jig will show where the center of gravity is, always try to design the plane with a bit more weight towards the nose, forward of the center of life. The wings also shuold be slightly inclined upwards from the leading edge, this gives flight, without having to create drag by over using the elevators. The center of lift is usually 1/3rd down from the leading edge of the main wing.

lift principles.jpg

Lift2.gif
 
Scaled up, they will fly much better. ;)
 
Sounds like me when I get up in the morning. Seriously tho, kids making their own flying toys just sounds like too much fun. I love this kind of stuff!
 
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They learn so much too. It opens anyone's mind and gets them away from their damned phones or virtual games, into the world where they can actually learn something that will help them later in life, and face it, knowing how to make what you need, taileroed to your own needs ehances your own quality of life and state of mind. ;)