Where to put motor on plane
02-22-2022, 07:26 PM
#3
Super Contributor
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Cheshire, UK
Posts: 2,114
Kaija
Like many such things the effect of where the motor is mounted will depend primarily on haw far it is from the ideal position.
The object is to try to place the line of the propeller thrust to pass through the point that represents where the drag of the plane acts. If it does than opening or closing the throttle will have no pitch effect of the plane.
The wing tends to create the most drag so with a high wing plane like a Cessna 172 it will tend to pitch up a little as the throttle is opened. With a low wing plane it will tend to pitch down.
Just how big the effect will be depends on how powerful the motor relative to the weight of the plane and how far the thrust line is from the centre of drag.
Within reason is possible to angle the motor slightly so the thrust line does point at the centre of drag. This is quite common in RC planes where any pitch change caused by opening or closing throttle is not immediately obvious to the pilot on the ground compared to a full size plane where the pilot is sitting in it.
I hope this helps.
Do you have a particular layout in mind?
Like many such things the effect of where the motor is mounted will depend primarily on haw far it is from the ideal position.
The object is to try to place the line of the propeller thrust to pass through the point that represents where the drag of the plane acts. If it does than opening or closing the throttle will have no pitch effect of the plane.
The wing tends to create the most drag so with a high wing plane like a Cessna 172 it will tend to pitch up a little as the throttle is opened. With a low wing plane it will tend to pitch down.
Just how big the effect will be depends on how powerful the motor relative to the weight of the plane and how far the thrust line is from the centre of drag.
Within reason is possible to angle the motor slightly so the thrust line does point at the centre of drag. This is quite common in RC planes where any pitch change caused by opening or closing throttle is not immediately obvious to the pilot on the ground compared to a full size plane where the pilot is sitting in it.
I hope this helps.
Do you have a particular layout in mind?
