Flying Wing Needs No Fins
Posted on September 23, 2009 by aaronredbaron
Flying wings have become a staple in our hobby. From the classic Zagi to the increasingly popular Parkzone Stryker, most flying wings are fast, maneuverable, and durable. Most flying wings make use of vertical stabilizers to provide yaw stability, but a neat idea from the folks at CrashTestHobby.com makes fins unnecessary. Their Assassin wing incorporates a simple cut on the wing tip which appears to have more to do with aesthetics at first glance, but actually provides the yaw stability the airplane needs. In addition, the concept can be applied to virtually any flying wing with a steep sweep angle.
Build Your Own
Since the simple cut which allows the Assassin to fly without fins is so easy to incorporate, they killed two birds with one stone in their thread on RC Groups. The build log could be used either as instructions to build the CrashTestHobby.com Assassin, or it could be used to apply their concept to any similar flying wing. Building a wing like this can be accomplished in an afternoon, and the tips outlined in their build thread makes for a tough, finless flying wing. Click here to see the Build log at RCGroups.com.
Yaw Stability Without Fins
By making a vertical cut at the wing tip, the modeler adds a “flat, angled wing tip,” and the designer claims they fly just as well as wings with fins. The cut produces a small amount of drag at the tip, which promotes yaw stability when combined with a swept planform . Without the fin, the model is better suited to being thrown in the car with your camping gear or carving up other wings in full contact combat. Not to mention, its just cool!
Assassin #1 RC Combat Wing from Lee on Vimeo.
