Triplane Setup?

[nolasco]

I am currently scratch building a 4.5oz fantasy-scale:D triplane for the fun of it and am wondering how to set it up:

(1) Will a rudder and elevator setup work? how much dihedral will I need for each wing?

(2) If I am going to use an aileron on (just) one wing instead of a rudder, which wing (top, middle, bottom) would be best to put it on? I'm even open to wingerons.;)

(3) Assuming either (1) or (2), I was wondering how staggering the wing differently will affect flight performance. Basically, I am looking at having the top wing in front, the bottom next, and the middle one last. Or am I just insane for even thinking of such a thing?


Jun Nolasco

[Dave Robelen]

Hello Jun,
For most considerations you can treat a triplane pretty much like a biplane. The upper wing is the best location for the ailerons ala Fokker DR1. Thae airflow is much cleaner on the top wing. Stagger and incidence again follow biplane patterns. One of the main reasons for positive stagger in many full scale multiplanes is to give the pilot a better field of view upward. Others prefer that the upper and forward wing stall first for a clean nose down break at stall. This seems to be a limited issue with the slow flyers, since the stall is pretty bening anyhow. Finally, The DJAerotech outfit is selling the all sheet tripane, and I have seen it fly mighty well at a trade show. Go for it!
Regards, Dave