The design report

Note: The weights taken after fabrication include wiring and glue for each part. There is
a difference between weights of the 2 fuselages due to different wiring methods. The
fuselage weight also includes the weight of the vertical tail as it was stuck on.
After the aircraft had been assembled, a correct position of the centre of gravity of the
whole aircraft was to be measured. This is done to calculate the exact positioning of the
battery and other movable weights. It was found that without the payload pod whilst
the batteries were placed at the forward most position in the fuselages, the centre of
gravity was at 32% of wing chord. The pod being extremely light did not affect this cg
position. To bring the cg forward, two lead pieces with a total weight of 330 grams were
placed in front of the batteries in both fuselages. This addition moved the cg to 25% of
wing chord with or without the pod. Cg positions of 25% and 32% were marked on the
wing edges for the pilot. If the pilot wanted the cg to be at 25% then payload lead
weights could be placed in front of the fuselages. However, if the pilot wanted the cg to
be at 32% then the lead weights could be placed in the pod underneath the cg. In both
cases, the required payload weight of 500 grams would be achieved at 2 different
change-able cg positions.
Tests 6
The final hurdle in any design engineers work is the test flight. This is the concluding
phase of designing an aircraft, and occurs after the design and fabrication phases of
design have been completed. The test flight serves as the ultimate test of the success or
failure of the aircraft. In this phase, any flaws from the previous phases will surface, and
areas of weakness and electronic and material malfunctions will be illuminated. This
stage will uncover weakness not only in the manufacturing techniques, but will also
highlight flaws in the basic design of the plane.
The series of tests which an aircraft is subjected to in this stage is dependent on the
authorities which the aircraft is subservient to. In the case of civilian planes, the Civil
Aviation Safety Authority sets stringent standards and guidelines along which tests
must be conducted. However, whatever level the aircraft is being tested on, the test will
involve analysis of similar sections.
Firstly, the basic structure must be strong enough to withstand the forces acting on it
during maneuvers such as taxi, take off and landing, as well as maneuvers performed
during flight. This structure should ideally prove to be strong enough not just to endure
these forces once, but to be able to endure them repetitively.
Equally importantly, the testing process is designed to check the functionality of the
electronics and wiring of the plane. This must be effective in the control of the plane,
and the powering of the engines, as well as safe enough that it poses little to no risk to
the aircraft or any payload.