Posted by Dave Lewis on October 11, 19102 at 21:42:12:
In Reply to: Air foils ? posted by Frank H. on August 29, 2002 at 05:26:19:
: Does any one know where I can find a pre-fabricated air foil that I can fit to the Tornado or if anyone has any idea of how I can construct one myself ?
Jim, there is a slick way of making wings and airfoils out of hot wired foam sheets that are reinforced with a wood spar, and then encapsulated in fiberglass. It is too lengthy to go over in an e-mail, but you can get information on the Experimental Aircraft Associations Website. In a nut shell... you make a foam cutter out of a batter charger and piano wire. Then wooden airfoil templates are attached to either end of the foam sheet. The with an assistant, you guide the hot wire around the wooden templates at a steady pace. This is not hard, but there are tricks to making sure the wire does not dish in or over melt the foam. With this method, you can make very accurate airfoils.