Bi planes. What's the point?

[Flieger]

Originally Posted by Tobra

If you were clever, you could find a way to do the wing and struts out of carbon fiber, maybe the whole thing. I bet a little biplane with plenty of motor would be a hoot.

That would be Sean D Tucker's ride.

[cashflyer]

Originally Posted by tcar

All 'Sesquiplane' means is that one wing (usually the lower) is a lot smaller than the other wing.

Yes, but that also takes it out of being a "true" biplane.

[wdfifteen]

Why do they call them bi-planes? Most of the pictures posted here have two lower wings and one upper one. Wouldn't that be a tri-plane?

[tcar]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Why do they call them bi-planes? Most of the pictures posted here have two lower wings and one upper one. Wouldn't that be a tri-plane?

The wings are in two horizontal planes....

[john70t]

Möbius wing?
Nonplanar Wings: Closed Systems
'Still, the vortex drag of the circular ring wing is just 50% that of a planar wing with the same span and total lift..'

[red-beard]

That is just silly!

[recycled sixtie]

What is the point? So the pilot can take you up and you can feel the wind in your hair
providing it is an open cockpit. Pilot if he is a good guy will let you take control at a safe altitude. Attacks all the senses - very noisy etc

[widgeon13]

Here you go! Not one of those tiny things.

[tevake]

^^ Is that your plane Widgeon? the radial looks fresh, nice propellor. does it rotate counterclockwise?

[widgeon13]

I could only wish. I have a Maule. Four place tail wheel.

^^ Is that your plane Widgeon? the radial looks fresh, nice propellor. does it rotate counterclockwise?

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Completely OT, but I was driving around in Norfolk, VA two weeks ago and passed Widgeon Ave.

I LOL'd.

[widgeon13]

Originally Posted by BlueSkyJaunte

Completely OT, but I was driving around in Norfolk, VA two weeks ago and passed Widgeon Ave.

I LOL'd.

It was originally a duck, then an airplane, it became my dogs name and now it's a street (a dead end).

[widgeon13]

My plane but different tail number.

[Flieger]

Originally Posted by john70t

Möbius wing?
Nonplanar Wings: Closed Systems
'Still, the vortex drag of the circular ring wing is just 50% that of a planar wing with the same span and total lift..'

I still don't understand how a circular wing can produce net lift. Seems you have as much wing area upside down as right side up. Or does the cross section change between the top and bottom half?

Seems like it would need to fly at a higher angle of attack, thereby causing more drag.

[Iciclehead]

Originally Posted by Flieger

I still don't understand how a circular wing can produce net lift. Seems you have as much wing area upside down as right side up. Or does the cross section change between the top and bottom half?

Seems like it would need to fly at a higher angle of attack, thereby causing more drag.

You'd need to vary the airfoil cross section throughout the circle, but then again, most modern jets use a pretty close to symmetrical air foil, certainly far removed from the old undercambered airfoil designs.

Probably a bit of a complicated and precise build, not sure how it would do in cross flow situations and of course the most vertical parts would not contribute to lift at all in level flight.

I guess it is is a neat idea, the reduction of wingtip vorticies is a materal drag reduction but not sure if it would all net out positive when it is all done.

Dennis

[RWebb]

lifting bodies...

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally Posted by Iciclehead

I guess it is is a neat idea, the reduction of wingtip vorticies is a materal drag reduction but not sure if it would all net out positive when it is all done.

The RC models I have seen with "annular wings" have had ... interesting ... flight handling characteristics.

[flipper35]

I imagine the flight control surfaces to get something like that to bank would be interesting.

[john70t]

Not sure about the areodynamics, but a loop should be stronger and more stable than a straight lever.

Build one yourself (I think it works better if the leading edge is folded)


Not too far off. Youtube video of an eliptical wing:
Ellipse wing airplane - closed loop wing to reduced wing tip energy loses - YouTube

USAF concept. Something closer to the OPs biplane/canards inquiry:

BOX WING JETS

[zelrik911]

This is an Antonov 2 that does scenic flights around Melbourne Australia.
They must be quite cheap to buy out of the former Soviet Union (Poland) as I have seen some of them privately owned in club airstrips around Vancouver. Seems over over 20,000 were built & hundreds are still flying.
They have a nine-cylinder radial engine and four-blade propeller but in future may be upgraded with a US Honeywell TPE-331 turboprop and a Hartzell five-bladed propeller.

While not exactly pretty, it is quite rugged and kind of handsome (in a Howard Hughes way) up close.