The wing is probably the most challenging part of replica aircraft design. Unlike the other parts of the aircraft, you can't scale a wing and still have a flyable aircraft. Normally, when you scale an aircraft to a smaller size, like half size, the result is a wing that is too small. This is because the weight is usually much higher than scale.
The Corsair82 presents the opposite problem. By using composites, modern design and building techniques, and the fact that a replica doesn't require heavy equipment like cockpit armor and machine guns, the Corsair82's gross weight is less than 82% of the original. So the surface area of a scale wing would be so great it would fly like a leaf.
And of course there's the fact the original Corsair wing had a severe stall break that caused more than a few crashes. So the problem is to make a wing that looks right, but will have great flying characteristics. What could be easier? The design wing has great stall and performance characteristics, and at 78% scale will still look right compared to a full sized Corsair, unless you carry a ruler around with you.
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| Selecting An Airfoil |
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| Making The Wing Ribs |
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| Designing The Spar |
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| Building The Spar |
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| Joining The Ribs To The Spar |
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| Finishing The Wing Plug |
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| Creating The Wing Mold |
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| Making the Wing Skins |
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