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First Assembly on Lake Lefroy |
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Monday, 09 October 2006 |
The new land craft assembled for the first time.....
With 30% less sail area than the old craft, the new vehicle has less power, but also significantly reduced drag, improving the all important lift / drag ratio. Although it can sail on both tacks, it is optimised for speed only on port tack.
The 10m high, asymetric wing puts the majority of its power through a single tyre, while the nose wheel steers and the windward wheel takes the counterweight. The fuselage structure is steel, while the wing is carbon composite. Weighing in at 800kg, (needed for traction) it can carry an additional 300 kg of lead in the windward nacelle.
With the cockpit and all fairings pointing into the apparent wind, the craft presents minimum frontal area. The fairing round the base of the mast is missing in these pictures.
Principle dimensions:
Height: 10.5m
Length: 9m
With: 6.5m
First trial was promising, demonstrating that it could self start, from rest, without a push in 15 - 20 mph of wind. However, the initial run revealed a 'flutter' issue with the main wing that will need fixing this week before higher speeds are reached. Hopefully it will be re-assembled for another run next weekend.
 Once the initial testing is complete and all modifications made, the craft will go back to the workshop for final fairing , painting and logo's, etc. None of this would have been possible without the tremendous support of the local landsailors, whose assistance was invaluable. My sincere thanks to all those who turned up to help. |
