This semester the design groups are continuing to progress on the design of an Easy-to-Build sailplane. After finalizing two conceptual designs in the spring of 2002, work has now been started to consolidate the designs and quantify dimensions, weights, and other aircraft parameters. There are currently four separate teams working on an individual component of the aircraft; the fuselage, wings, empennage (horizontal and vertical tails), and control system.

Fuselage

The fuselage of an aircraft is what ties all other parts together. It is the main attachment area for the wings, tailboom, landing gear, struts, tow hook, and it contains the cockpit area where the pilot sits. This group is currently working on a safe structural design that remains lightweight yet robust. The biggest challenge ahead of the fuselage group is finding a way to attach the tailboom and the wing. The tailboom must have a permanent attachment integrating the composite skin of the boom cylinder with the metal frame of the fuselage. The wing on the other hand must be a removable attachment for transportability purposes. This throws in the added dimension of worrying about how to design an attachment method that is not only strong, but that can easily be put together by two or three people before flying.

The fuselage must integrate safety, aerodynamics, weight, and the correct ergonomic placement of controls for pilot comfort, while being the main attachment point for the two most important parts of the airplane, the wing and the tail. This provides a formidable design challenge for everyone involved.

Wings

The wing group is important because wings provide the neccesary lift for an aircraft to be able to fly...
	A model section of the wing dries after a fiberglass layup

Empennage

The empennage group was formed to design an effective horizontal tail (HT), vertical tail (VT), and tailboom connection to ensure structural stability and dynamic control of the aircraft. The HT and VT geometries are critical for keeping the sailplane stable. Likewise, proper elevator and rudder deflection ranges are necessary for the pilot to handle the aircraft effectively. Further, the empennage group must define critical load cases the sailplane will undergo. With these cases, proper rib spacing, spar sizing, pin connections, and other structural dimensions can be found to ensure the structural integrity of the empennage.

The group is currently checking the final geometries of the HT and VT. These checks include making sure that the VT and HT volumes fit into the recommended ranges for sailplanes. At the same time, the group is establishing critical load cases. This task is by far the most challenging due to the inexperience of the group in this regard. Learning the necessary concepts required in calculations is becoming a large part of the group effort.

Control Systems

The controls group is tasked with designing a system that will allow the pilot to maneuver the glider. The pilot uses a stick and pedals to operate the different control surfaces of the aircraft. These motions must somehow be translated into movement that moves the ailerons, flaps, elevator, and rudder. The control system is the means by which this is done. Typically the control system is an assembly of rods, hinges, and bellcranks, which work to operate the control surfaces. Additionally, a mixer is normally needed to turn the pilot's inputs into control inputs for the flaps, spoilers, and ailerons. These components must work together properly so that the pilot can steer the sailplane.

Currently the controls group is researching other designs typically used in today's gliders. Once this is done and the designs for the wings, empennage, and fuselage progress, the team can begin determining what kind of control system will work best for the glider. Coordinating the design with the other teams appears to be the biggest challenge at the current moment. This is because the control system design is almost completely governed by the work of the other three groups.