RC Model Aircraft Design Book

[David Cooke 1]

Can anyone recommend a book that teaches RC aerodynamics, balsa built techniques etc for designing your own model aircraft?

Thanks

David

[Robert Parker]

Hi David,

I can recommend the following books, they are a little old, but the laws of physics and aerodynamics have not changed over the years that I'm aware of.

1. Designing Model Aircraft by Peter Miller, this is still available from Traplet publications priced at £7.99. This really is an excellent book and takes you through the whole process from designing your model, aerodynamic considerations, material selection to test flights.

2.R/C Sports Aircraft from Scratch, by Alex Weiss, Available from amazon at $18.95 Again an excellent book covering the process as the above title.

3. Building & Flying Radio Controlled Model Aircraft, David Boddington, £14.95 from Amazon now in 4th edition is well worth getting

Two other publications worth a look at are

Radio Control Handbooks, Scale Model Airplanes, David Boddington, £1.80 from Amazon

Scale electric flight, Jonas Kessler, £0.05 from Amazon. Yes the price is only 5p it is an old book 1997. The electrics are very very dated motors are brushed and cells are SRC but it does cover wiring for multi engines.

I have found the above books very helpful over the years, forgotten how far back they went and even more surprised that they are still available.

I hope that these are of any help.

Regards

Robert

[Ernie]

If you can get a copy, Gordon whiteheads SCALE MODEL AIRCRAFT is a cracker. Yes, I do see the title, but, so much is relevant to all designing, building, and flying

ernie

[Keith Evans 3]

Also look at "Model aircraft aerodynamics "by Martin Simons and "Basic Aeronautics for modellers" by Alasdair Sutherland .

Keith

[Jonathan M]

I'm vaguely interested in the subject, and a quick trawl reveals (in rough order of novice-ness):

• 'Model Aeroplane Building: Sketch by Sketch' - by Peter Holland
• 'Designing Model Aircraft' - by Peter Miller
• ‘RCadvisor's Model Airplane Design Made Easy: The Simple Guide to Designing R/C Model Aircraft or Build Your Own Radio Control Flying Model Plane’ - by Carlos Reyes
• ‘Model Aircraft Aerodynamics’ (5^th revised edition) - by Martin Simons
• ‘Model Planes: Aerofoils and Wings’ - by Martyn Pressnell

Although I’m still brushing 40 years of dust off my old aero-modeling skills, and haven’t (yet!) designed a plane of my own, I can’t help thinking that building a few planes – from balsa-based kits and/or from plans or at least downloading and studying free plans for the sort of aircraft you’re interested in – will teach you a huge amount about weaving the construction and design sides together.

Standing by to be shot down…

[cymaz]

This book on the principles of flight.

[Geoff S]

Posted by Keith Evans 3 on 11/09/2016 09:16:57:

Also look at "Model aircraft aerodynamics "by Martin Simons and "Basic Aeronautics for modellers" by Alasdair Sutherland .

Keith

I have both those books and, whilst Martin Simons book is truly excellent, it is very dense and somewhat academic, Alasdair's is, IMO, the more useful and readable for the average modeller. So I'd suggest 'Basic Aeronautics for Modellers' as the one to go for initially and the other later if you feel you need a deeper understanding.

I would also recommend Peter Miller's book and I bought Gordon Whitehead's 'RC Scale Aircraft' last year and that's great especially if you fancy building scale models for every day use ie not necessarily a so-called 'rivet counter'

Geoff

[kc]

Model Aircraft Building Sketch by Sketch by P Holland covers all the tricks of building in balsa etc, and a few copies are available secondhand here for about £ 3.81 from Amazon.

[Daithi O Buitigh]

There are a lot of books (of assorted varieties) in rclibrary and hippocket aeronautics, all available in pdf for download.

Fair enough, they may be dated but basic principles remain the same

[Peter Miller]

Posted by cymaz on 11/09/2016 09:32:35:

This book on the principles of flight.

This is Keromode's Flight Without Formulae. Fabulous.

The only problem that I have with it is that I keep lending my copy and never getting them back so I have to buy another

Just going to order my fourth now!

[kc]

Probably the book that best answers David's original enquiry is this one by Andy Lennon free to download here

But it goes into things in depth and is more difficult to read than Peter Millers book on design ( in my view)

[Jonathan M]

Posted by kc on 12/09/2016 10:34:28:

Probably the book that best answers David's original enquiry is this one by Andy Lennon free to download here

But it goes into things in depth and is more difficult to read than Peter Millers book on design ( in my view)

Thank you kc. Waiting for my second-hand copy of Miller's to arrive in the post, I've just scanned through the Lennon download. This is a fantastic resource, perfect for reference (in as much detail as one wants or probably needs) of specific topics.

But the great challenge (in general and not directing this as Lennon's own personal designs) is to couple such principles of aeronautical engineering with aesthetics, attractiveness, style.

The iconic full-size example is Mitchell's Spitfire, and Chris Foss has in my opinion (and that of the RC marketplace) achieved this with his Wot series.

[kc]

I think there is a previous edition, or maybe different version of Lennon's book which has plans for a number of designs incorporated into the book at reduced size. His plans are mostly in the Model Airplane News plan service.

Lennon's own design seem to concentrate on efficiency of flight rather than ease of construction so in effect the opposite of Chris Foss designs.

3 articles on 'Improving Flight Performance' by Carl Risteen in Model Airplane News June, July & August 1995 also are interesting in much the same way as Lennons book. Copies of those issue are for sale at 1.90 each today.

Edited By kc on 12/09/2016 13:55:07