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-   -   Interesting Centuri Mach 10 on Ebay (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=17175)

A Fish Named Wallyum 03-26-2018 12:41 AM

Interesting Centuri Mach 10 on Ebay
 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-CE...CwAAOSwE~lasu-i
If you've ever built one, you'll likely notice the oddly straight wings right off the bat. I'd be interested to see how this one glides, but not $60 interested.

BEC 03-26-2018 03:00 PM

Bill, he's selling the kit, not the built model...so you can set the wings they way you want (well, except for the price).

A Fish Named Wallyum 03-26-2018 07:52 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by BEC
Bill, he's selling the kit, not the built model...so you can set the wings they way you want (well, except for the price).

Yes, but do the kits have wings shaped like this? :rolleyes: I'd love to know what the performance gains/losses would be.

rraeford 03-30-2018 10:46 PM

This is a really easy and inexpensive kit to clone. I've built at least 5 of them and moved the wings forward, back and added dihedral. It boosts funny but I got it to glide fairly well. Looks like a MIG in flight.

blackshire 03-31-2018 06:36 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by A Fish Named Wallyum
Yes, but do the kits have wings shaped like this? :rolleyes: I'd love to know what the performance gains/losses would be.
I see what you mean--the lower sweep angle of his Mach-10's wings should give it better glide performance. Its moderately swept wings are similar in planform to those of the BAE Systems Hawk (the U.S. version is the T-45A Goshawk, see both here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAE_Systems_Hawk and here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonn...as_T-45_Goshawk ), a subsonic jet trainer, and:

Many high-performance aerobatic and slope-soaring R/C sailplanes also have moderately-swept wings. The "stock" Mach-10's wings are highly-swept, like the wings of a supersonic fighter. But while they are aesthetically pleasing, they don't produce as much lift at subsonic speeds. They can also--like long conical and ogive nose cones that are made for supersonic use--have more drag at lower speeds because they have more "wetted area" than is necessary at subsonic velocities.

surdumil 04-13-2018 11:08 AM

I've found that the Mach 10 is more "air brake" than "glider", really. In no way is it a performance glider. Keep the wings square-edged and unsanded so that it slows as much as possible before landing.

I cloned the Mach 10 about 18 years ago and I still fly it fairly regularly. It's a pretty tough bird, but I made sure that it's a pretty rough bird, too, so that it slows down decently as it decends. When gliding, it kinda stays oriented correctly but comes in fairly "hot". It doesn't glide so much as "fall with style". And, yup, it lands pretty hard, with an impressive bounce and tumble every time. Really fun rocket!

With rocket's forward motion, the little wedgie up on the tail produces downward thrust along the long moment arm of the vertical stab which drops the butt end down, causing the wings to tilt upwards thereby presenting lift and breaking force... a neat air-brake mechanism/demonstration.

The system becomes less effective if an airfoil is sanded into the main wing because the upward lift of the wing airfoil overpowers the force presented by the little tail wedge. So... don't airfoil the main wing!

blackshire 04-14-2018 02:34 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by surdumil
I've found that the Mach 10 is more "air brake" than "glider", really. In no way is it a performance glider. Keep the wings square-edged and unsanded so that it slows as much as possible before landing.

I cloned the Mach 10 about 18 years ago and I still fly it fairly regularly. It's a pretty tough bird, but I made sure that it's a pretty rough bird, too, so that it slows down decently as it decends. When gliding, it kinda stays oriented correctly but comes in fairly "hot". It doesn't glide so much as "fall with style". And, yup, it lands pretty hard, with an impressive bounce and tumble every time. Really fun rocket!

With rocket's forward motion, the little wedgie up on the tail produces downward thrust along the long moment arm of the vertical stab which drops the butt end down, causing the wings to tilt upwards thereby presenting lift and breaking force... a neat air-brake mechanism/demonstration.

The system becomes less effective if an airfoil is sanded into the main wing because the upward lift of the wing airfoil overpowers the force presented by the little tail wedge. So... don't airfoil the main wing!
I've never had or flown a Mach 10, but the YouTube videos I've seen of them flying show what you described. Like the X-24 "Bug" lifting body, the Mach 10 utilizes "angled flat plate lift" rather than airfoil lift (as the Centuri TIR-24 "Model Rocket Lifting Bodies" report shows [with a rear off-center-weighted cone] and describes, flat plate lift isn't as efficient as an airfoil, but enables a steep but safe descent). One advantage of the Mach 10 is that it makes a good "foul weather boost-glider," being steady and having good wind penetration on windy days that a high L/D boost-glider couldn't cope with.


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