It should look pretty cool, but how will it fly?

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Senior Space Cadet

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I was working on a modern jetfighterish design but wasn't happy with the look.
So I decided to go farther back in time.
My favorite WW1 fighter was probably the Spad 13. Maybe I'll do a bi-wing next time.
My favorite WW2 fighter is the Spitfire.
I decided to do a Spitfire influenced design. Maybe what the Spitfire would look like if it continued to evolve until it became a jet fighter.
Most plane inspired rockets I've seen have massive amounts of body tube ahead of the wings, for stability. Who needs stability? I wanted it to look right first, then work on stability.
the first picture is with a nosecone from Estes fantasy assortment. I figured this would give it the best chance of being stable. I'm not entirely happy with the look. The proportions are wrong.
The second photo is with a traditional ogive nosecone. No canopy, but I like the proportions better.
I'm not sure I'll be able to get this onto Open Rocket accurately, so I may need to do some guessing on stability. With either nosecone I'm going to need to ad weight. At least one slingshot ammo in the nose.

Spitfire nosecone one.jpgSpitfire nosecone two.jpg
 
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I have to agree that the sci-fi nose does not look right on it. That nose is all angles and the airframe is elliptical.

-Bob
 
A 1st or 2nd gen fighter nose would match, think xp59, p80, or f86.

Maybe you could splice part of an elliptical nose onto the side of your ogive for the canopy.
 
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This is a good look.
Bob thinks like me. I like to pair elliptical fins with an ellipsoid nosecone.
The issue here is a balsa nosecone isn't hollow, so I can't put a weight as far forward.
If I wanted to get ambitious, I could cut a notch in the balsa and cover it with clear plastic, or find a canopy to glue on.

Spitfire ellipsoid nosecone.jpg
 
Finding or making a canopy to glue on shouldn't be too hard. Drilling a core hole into the balsa nose should let you get weignts in pretty near as far forward as in a hollow nose, suely far enough.

My guess is it will take more than a little nose wekght, so it won't fly high or fast. And who cares, if it looks cool?

As for sims, it can be done in RS for sure. I rarely use OR, so I don't know if it has the key feature that's needed, what RS calls pods (a poor name, imo). I think it's on the "coming soon" list.
 
You can fly more scale like airplane rockets, just need to develop mindsim skills and think outside the box. I chose the Spitfire as one of my first zoomie scratch builds, then moved to WWI Blackburn triplane, then a WWII JU87, Avro Lancaster and many more. Fly the rockets you love, however odd they may be! :)
 
Did you already install the motor mount? Can you add a boat tail?
 
Oo, not saying you shouldn't install a boat tail, just be aware that it may force you to use more nose weight. And then watch the rod exit speed if it gets heavy.

If you like, send me a dimensioned sketch and I'll do it up in Rocksim. A hand sketch will be fine, just as long as the dimensions are there. It will take a little while, because of the canted elliptical fins and round tipped wigs. A conservative approximation would be easier.
 
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