AVIATOR DESIGN CHALLENGE

ABOUT THE TEAM

Our team started with aim to do something different and with a consistent hard work from last 5
months we learnt a lot of things. Each team consists of four members from the mechanical
engineering. Every member of the team has adequate knowledge about his work in
Aeromodelling. Every team member is assigned with a particular work and given different
duties. We are good in construction as well as in flying. We are capable to do work on both
electric planes and IC engine planes.

TEAM 1

Roll no.
1302496

Name
Amrit Pal Singh

1302560

Jashanpreet
Singh
Gagandeep
Singh
Sarabjeet Singh

1302514
140288

Email
Apsamritpalsingh11@gmail.co
m
Jashanattewalia@gmail.com

Contact No. Duty Assigned

8284817760 Team Leader, Abstract and
other official work
7696836994 Flyer and construction

Rickyseerha9@gmail.com

9878009614 Construction and abstract

Sarabsikaa95@gmail.com

9023135100 Construction and dealing

TEAM 2
Roll no.
1302542
1302644
1302538
1302512

Name
Harmandeep
Singh
Satnam Singh
Hardeepak
Singh
Fateh Singh

Email
singh.harman2054@gmail.com
Satnams726@gmail.com
Deepak.rehal425@gmail.com
Fatehsingh5911@gmail.com

Contact No.

Duty Assigned

9914311230

Team leader, construction

and flyer
7696466007 construction
7355929801 Official work
9034313108 Abstract, accommodation
and dealing

RC planes
A radio-controlled (model) aircraft (often called RC aircraft or RC plane) is a small flying
machine that is controlled remotely by an operator on the ground using a hand-held
radio transmitter.

BACKGROUND WORK
We started our work on the project of RC plane when we got motivation from a well-known
aeromodeller Capt. Gurmeet Singh. He supported us a lot throughout a project to make an
efficient and balance team. With his guidance we are working on RC planes from the beginning
of the 5th semester. After working on our construction and flying skills, we started participating in
various competitions and got a merit position in events.

IDEATION WORK TILL DATE

Starting a work on this project was really difficult for us in beginning, but our seniors, teachers
and other expertise in this field made our work easy. From the beginning we are concentrated on
one of the most important thing that how to get our work done in low budget .So, we emphasized
towards the materials which can be easily accessible and reliable. We worked on the
construction of corrugated plane, balsa plane and combination of both. Our team has decided to
use under cambered wing in a plane because it doesn't affect stability at all and improves
aerodynamic efficiency. We had worked on every single part of a RC plane like transmitters,
balsa sheets, batteries, servos; escs to meet the requirement of rule book as there is a weight
constrain of 500gm. The flyers are working hard to improve their skills. We are constructing a
total of 3 aircrafts for both the teams. We have an extra RC plane and other accessories as a
backup.

HOW PLANEs FLY

THE BASIC PRINCIPLE AERODYNAMIC FORCES
The basic principles of why and how airplanes fly apply to all airplanes, from the Wright
Brothers' first machine Wright Flyer to a modern Stealth Bomber, and those principles are the
same for radio control and full size airplanes alike.
Although the true physics of flying airplanes are quite complex, the whole subject can be
simplified a bit - enough for us to get a fundamental understanding of what makes a plane fly, at
least!

AERODYNAMIC FORCES

Essentially there are 4 aerodynamic forces that act on an airplane in flight; these are lift, drag,
thrust and weight (i.e. gravity).
In simple terms, drag is the resistance of air molecules hitting the airplane (the backward force),
thrust is the power of the airplane's engine (the forward force), lift is the upward force and
weight is the downward force. So for airplanes to fly and stay airborne, the thrust must be greater
than the drag and the lift must be greater than the weight..
This is certainly the case when an airplane takes off or climbs. However, when it is in straight
and level flight the opposing forces of lift and weight are balanced. During a descent, weight
exceeds lift and to slow an airplane drag has to overcome thrust.
The picture below shows how these 4 forces act on an airplane in flight:

Thrust is generated by the airplane's engine (propeller or jet), weight is created by the natural
force of gravity acting upon the airplane and drag comes from friction as the plane moves
through air molecules. Drag is also a reaction to lift, and this lift must be generated by the
airplane in flight. This is done by the wings of the airplane...
The generation of lift has been an argued theory in the past, but certain principles have been
known about for a long time now.
A cross section of a typical airplane wing will show the top surface to be more curved than the
bottom surface. This shaped profile is called an 'airfoil' (or 'aerofoil') and the shape exists
because it's long been proven (since the dawn of flight) that an airfoil generates significantly
more lift than opposing drag i.e. it's very efficient at generating lift.
During flight air naturally flows over and beneath the wing and is deflected upwards over the top
surface and downwards beneath the lower surface. Any difference in deflection causes a
difference in air pressure ('pressure gradient') and because of the airfoil shape the pressure of the
deflected air is lower above the airfoil than below it. As a result the wing is 'pushed' upwards by
the higher pressure beneath or, you can argue, it is 'sucked' upwards by the lower pressure above.
One of the argued, but commonly discounted, theories of lift generation is related to Newton's
3rd Law of Action & Reaction, whereby the air being deflected downwards off the lower surface
of the wing creates an opposite reaction, effectively pushing the wing upwards. This may well be
the case but it's the pressure difference between both surfaces that is the primary factor of lift
generation.

Above: the general movement of air over an airfoil

The faster a wing moves through the air, so the actions are exaggerated and more lift is
generated. Conversely, a slower moving wing can be less efficient at lift generation.
It's important to note, though, that different wing designs (airfoil and shape) generate lift more
(and less) efficiently than other designs at different speeds, depending on what the plane has
been designed for.
A direct reaction to lift is drag and this too increases with airspeed. So airfoils need to be
designed in a way that maximises lift but minimises drag, in order to be as efficient as possible.

ANGLE OF ATTACK AND LIFT

Another crucial factor of lift generation is the Angle of Attack - this is the pitch angle at which
the wing sits in relation to the relative airflow around it.
As the Angle of Attack increases so more lift is generated, but only up to a point until the smooth
airflow over the wing is broken up and so the generation of lift cannot be sustained; this point is
called the critical Angle of Attack. When the CAoA is reached the sudden loss of lift results in
the wing stalling and the weight of the airplane cannot be supported any longer.
When a stall occurs a sudden loss of altitude is inevitable unless the pilot rectifies the situation
immediately by decreasing the AoA and getting the wing to generate lift once again. Typically a
stall recovery means simultaneously pushing the nose of the plane down and increasing power to
gain airspeed.
The Angle of Attack should not be seen as a lesser important factor in lift generation than the
airfoil shape of the wing, in fact the AoA is the single most important factor. For example, a flatsection wing can produce adequate amounts of lift all because of the Angle of Attack - the big

difference is in the efficiency of the lift generation; flat wing sections carry a large penalty in
terms of much higher drag, compared to an airfoil section where drag is substantially less.

AIRPLANE CONTROL SURFACES

For an airplane to fly in a controlled manner, control surfaces are necessary. The 4 main
surfaces are ailerons, elevator, rudder and flaps as shown below:

To understand how each works upon the airplane, imagine 3 lines running through the plane.
One runs through the centre of the fuselage from nose to tail, one runs from side to side ( lateral
axis) and the other runs vertically. All 3 axes pass through the Centre of Gravity (CG), the
airplane's crucial point of balance.
When the airplane is in forward flight it will rotate around each axis when movement to any
control surface is made by the pilot. The table below shows the appropriate actions.
Action:

Axis:

Controlled by:

Roll

Longitudinal

Ailerons

Pitch

Lateral

Elevators

Yaw

Vertical

Rudder

The following sections explain how each control surface affects the airplane. It's important to
understand that all control surfaces work in the same way, in that they alter the camber (airfoil
shape) of the complete flying surface. This, in turn, changes the forces acting on the surfaces and

so that surface reacts in accordance with the change in force. The force in question is best known
to us as lift, but this particular force occurs in any direction - not just upwards.

AILERONS

Located on the trailing edge (rear) of the wing, the ailerons control the airplane's roll about its
longitudinal axis. Each aileron moves at the same time but in opposite directions i.e. when the
left aileron moves up, the right aileron moves down and vice versa.
This movement causes a slight decrease in lift on the wingtip with the upward moving aileron,
while the opposite wingtip experiences a slight increase in lift. Because of these subtle changes
in lift the airplane is forced to roll in the appropriate direction i.e. when the pilot moves the stick
left, the left aileron will rise and the airplane will roll left in response to the change in lift on each
wing.
The ailerons are controlled by a left/right movement of the control stick, or 'yoke'.

ELEVATORS

The elevators are located on the rear half of the tail plane, or horizontal stabiliser. The job of the
tail plane is to generate a downward force to counteract the natural nose-diving tendency of
planes, which happens as a result of the natural forces that are generated about a plane's Centre
of Gravity and Centre of Lift.
As the elevators are deflected up or down, so the amount of down force changes and this results
in the airplane's nose pitching up or down; up elevator means more down force, so the plane
pitches
up,
and
vice
versa.
However, pitching the nose up doesn't necessarily mean the plane will climb. In fact it's quite
possible to be flying level, or even descending, with a nose-up attitude. Only when power is
added and speed increased, will the plane climb with up elevator.
Elevators are the single most important control surface of a plane, and they effect the airplane's
airspeed more than the need to climb or dive.

RUDDER

The rudder is located on the back edge of the vertical stabiliser, or fin, and is controlled by 2
pedals at the pilot's feet. When the pilot pushes the left pedal the rudder moves to the left, while
depressing the right pedal deflects the rudder to the right.
The rudder works in the same way as ailerons and elevators, in that it changes the airflow over
the
fin.
Essentially, you can think of a fin as a vertical wing. The air flowing over it and the rudder acts
in exactly the same way as it does flowing over a wing and aileron - except the forces are vertical
and not horizontal.
Deflecting the rudder to the left increases the air pressure on the left side of the fin and rudder,
and so the whole back end of the plane is pushed across to the right, thus yawing the nose to the
left.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL
We are using a balsa woods as it is light in weight and having a good strength because it is said
by someone that THE LIGHTER IT IS BUILT, THE BETTER IT WILL FLY.A design of our
aircraft is made under the requirements of competition with proper measurements. We are doing
an experiment on payload by increasing load on an aircraft. Balsa wood of 2mm,3mm,
4mm,5mm, 6mm and 8mm is used in construction of plane.

MOTOR
Brushless DC motor is installed in the aircraft because it has better speed vs. torque
characteristics, high efficiency and noiseless operation. Moreover it has very high speed range
which makes it best to use in RC aircrafts.

Motors specifications:
Supply Voltage [V] (number of cells LiPO):2cell-7.4V to 3Cell-11.1V
KV [number of revolutions / min / V]:1534
Motor Length [mm]:47.3
Motor Diameter [mm]:28.5
Shaft diameter [mm]:3
Shaft length (usable) [mm]:16.5
Weight [g]:39
Recommended model weight [g]:200-600
Recommended propeller (without gear):7"x6"

ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLLER (ESC)

ESC used in RC models used to allow both the motor and receiver to be powered by single
battery. ESC regulates power to the motor according to the input throttle level.
Speed Controllers Specifications:
Constant current:20A
Lipo Cells: 5-9
Weight: 19g including wires
Size: 42x25x8mm

SERVO MOTORS

Specifications:
Wire length: 18cms
Weight: 9 gms
Speed (sec/60): 0.12
Torque (Kg-cm): 1.3

BATTERY

Lithium phosphate is a type of rechargeable battery that has taken the electric RC world by
storm. They are the main reason electric flight is now a very viable option over fuel powered
models. LiPo batteries are light in weight & hold huge power in a small have high discharge
rates to meet the need of powering aircraft.
Specifications:
Capacity: 1100mAh
Weight (g):85
Length: 18mm
Width: 36mm

TRANSMITTER

To give direction to aircraft a hand held controller which is handy held is used.
Futaba 6EX 2.4Ghz :
This is the Futaba 6EX Transmitter and R617FS 7-ch Receiver with the 2.4GHz FASST system.
Full Range System-Ideal For All Types of R/C Aircraft Including Park Flyers.

Hitec Optic 6 Sport

This is the Hitec 6 Sport Transmitter and R617FS 7-ch Receiver with the 2.4GHz system. Full
Range System-Ideal For All Types of R/C Aircraft Including Park Flyers.

PROPELLER

A Propeller is mounted on a brushless motor.

APC7x6-E Thin Electric Propeller Specifications:

Length(X) (mm) =7
Pitch(Y) (mm) =4

Weight (gm) =13

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE MODEL AND THE TEAM WORKING

ON IT:
TEAM 1

Amrit Pal Singh

Team Leader

Jashanpreet Singh

Gagandeep Singh

Sarabjeet Singh

TEAM 2

Harmandeep Singh

(Team Leader, Pilot)

Fateh Singh

Hardeepak Singh

Satnam Singh

Our Model

COST OF ITEMS

Item

Quantity

Total Cost(in rupees)

ESC
Battery
Transmitter ( Tx + Rx)
Receiver
Servos
Extensions
Balsa 2mm
Balsa 3mm
Balsa 4mm
Battery charger
Horns
Motor
Propeller
Monocot roll
Hub

4
3
2
2
16
15
20
10
10
1
20
4
8
1
6

3200
3108
23000
4000
4800
750
4000
2300
2500
3000
300
2080
800
1200
150

Shaft

200

Total cost- Rs. 55388

PATICIPATED COMPETITIONS
1. Got 1st prize at SVIET college for best innovation.
2. Got 1st 2nd prize in flying competition at techfest of BBSBEC.
3. Got an invitation from a Aryans College for the exhibition for aero fest event.
4. Participated in rally organized by an All India Association of Aeromodelling and got a
certificate of appreciation.
5. Both the teams bagged a 1st and 2nd position at Punjab Engineering College (PEC) in
PECFEST, Airborne event of RC flying.

At Aryans Group of College with S. Daljit Singh Cheema, Education Minister Punjab.

At Aryans group of colleges with Governor of Punjab and Haryana Shri Kaptan Singh Solanki.

At Punjab Engineering College,Chandigarh

At SVIET Techfest

THANK YOU