The Sparrow-Hawk
I basically wanted something with the economy, compactness and manoeuvrability of a Sparrow (for urban conditions) crossed with the range and flight versatility of a Hawk, for longer distance travel. It's never going to be cost effective marketing an aircraft basically only good for building hopping – it's got to be capable of proper range. The cost is never going to be cheap. The key here is configurable wings....
Public Clarification Board
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Contest Holder - 5 years ago
Hi Mark. Lovely design, but it seems rather complicated. Thank you for the post.
- 5 years ago
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DepartmentS
- 5 years ago
Thank you, very kind of you to say although – for the record – foldable, configurable wings are a standard feature of most light aircraft today - https://tinyurl.com/Folding-Wings - The only innovation here is adding pitch to the main flight surfaces, which of itself is nothing uncommon in helicopter rotor assembly design – we're just lifting the idea, nothing particularly complicated from an engineering standpoint.
However – if the idea appears too complicated for you – obviously it isn't the right design for whatever end project you have in mind, I presume some form of Crowd Funding exercise, correct...?- 5 years ago
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DepartmentS
- 5 years ago
Were one serious you could dispense with all of the flight surface articulation aside from folding away and still have a perfectly flight worthy aircraft with just the one, forward sweeping wing panel – it would still be light weight and effect VTOL exactly as required but, again – if that's too complicated to figure out, I completely understand.
Thank you for rating me on a par with the police-cruiser from the original Blade Runner movie.
Does my heart good to know the effort was worth it.
Have a good one.- 5 years ago
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DepartmentS
- 5 years ago
Forward swept wings yield significantly greater lift for far greater fuel economy and less thrust – parking space in a city is always going to be at a premium. Configurable wings make perfect sense. Lightweight, articulated carbon-fibre panels replace traditional fixed wings – studded with rotors on all surface's The Sparrow-Hawk should effect VTVL in confined conditions (such as rooftops) as well as effect more traditional short take-off on limited runways thanks to its forward sweep design.
- 5 years ago
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DepartmentS
- 5 years ago
Cruising can equally be maximised thanks to the Sparrow-Hawk versatility. One particular configuration I'm most keen on exploring with the idea is using the extreme forward sweep of its wings at extreme low-altitude – essentially turning the craft into a ground-effect vehicle. The potential for exceptional long-distance capability for a craft of its tiny size is enormous – well worth exploring.
- 5 years ago
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DepartmentS
- 5 years ago
The Sparrow-Hawk is envisioned as a two-seater vehicle, light-weight carbon fiber construction throughout. I rather enjoyed designing her. She's a little reminiscent of the aircraft Kenneth Arnold claimed he saw back in 1947 - a bit more updated, a bit more plausible. The main thing is - she looks fun. All the best with your project, thank you for posting it. M : )
- 5 years ago
