Locost aerodynamics

[SR7 Hopeful]

This is one of the coolest (aero wise and in general) 7's I've ever seen except for the outboard shocks.
http://www.roadsports.co.uk/phpBB3/view ... 18&p=33201

[SR7 Hopeful]

How about this Donkey?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image ... vr_EMS.jpg

[SR7 Hopeful]

I must say this topic has prematurely fizzled out. There are some very interesting and rather do able solutions out there.

[fuoriserie]

Just get everything to fit within a larger version of this glider fuselage shape and you'll be aero. Don't forget the tail!

Kidding aside, this is the ultimate shape to shoot for.

I agree............but it would have to be a mid-enfine locost design.....

[Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F]

The only thing that could come close to being a scale version of that shape is a fully enclosed bike, but the elements could be applied to anything.

[fuoriserie]

The only thing that could come close to being a scale version of that shape is a fully enclosed bike, but the elements could be applied to anything.

will see if iIcan come up with a rough sketch over a mid-engine chassis drawing........

[fuoriserie]

the old 3wheeler lean machine comes close to that shape,

[fuoriserie]

http://www.bugev.net/

another 3wheeler that is inspired by the glider aerodynamics....

[Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F]

The front end has elements of the glider but the back end isn’t even close. Here is the rest of the story:

[Driven5]

The lean machine appears to taper (from the top view) quite nicely at the rear...The bugev has an ok front for what it is. But rear aero is where the biggest gains are made, and the bugev has none to speak of.

I would guess the glider tail length is probably dictated significantly by the need to have adequate control of the aircraft with reasonably sized surfaces. The further back you put the tail, the smaller the protruding sections need to be to stabilize and control the plane. I bet from a strictly aerodynamic sense for a land vehicle, you would lose little to nothing while making it significantly shorter. The Aptera falls pretty well within that realm of shape, although it's for a side-by-side seating configuration rather than single or tandem so it loses out a bit due to its width.

[Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F]

If you take the degree of taper that exists to the right of the guy in the photo, extend it to the left until it comes to a point, then that should be as good or better than the full length fuse which is what I was trying to show. The Lean Machine tapers nicely but steeply, with a inverted T tail and strip lights. It would be more accurate to call it a trike than a middy, maybe a middy trike?

I think we were talking about the Aptera before in this topic.

[Driven5]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. So maybe half-ish the length of the glider for a more 'ideal' shape. I couldn't find a really good view of how steeply, or not, the lean machine tapers so it's kind of hard to say one way or the other.

Sorry for brining up the Aptera again...With a thread this long, it's hard to remember what all has/hasn't been discussed thus far.

[Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F]

Not as good but better than I remembered! Actually this was the newer version, not the running driving one.

[fuoriserie]

I had forgotten of the Ecotec Lakester.........

[mcteardrops]

1930's aero: Would this actually work on a seven?