Flexwing NPPL Journey - THE WING - How it works

[@natural9743]

Knowledge about the craft you fly can only make a better pilot. Interesting and imformative video.👍

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hello Natural 9, I hope all is well. Yes I completely agree, this video for me certainly removed all the magic behind how flexwings operate.

[@AZC1949]

Other than KZbin videos that I watch because they are purposed to instruct, this vlog had more information than any I have watched, including some of the aforementioned! Thank you, Giles. Stay safe, stay well and hope you can fly again soon.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Zach, it was too good to keep on my hard drive. Thank you for your kind words. Keeping safe but itching to get back up in the air.

[@fabienirissou7960]

Another great teaching video, thanks Giles. Mark is a fountain of knowledge, so good to learn from passionate people

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

It was too good to keep in my archives. Yes, he has the brain the size of a planet.

[@markatmicro5091]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 hmm, I do now! Thanks for the unjustified complements 👍🏻

[@planecrazyish]

Well, that was an education. Will definitely be watching this again, quite a lot to take in. So interesting.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Mark has a really good way of getting the information across and this really helped be study for my GST ground oral exam.

[@ForFunFlyer]

Interesting to learn about the aerodynamics of a flex wing! I knew about fixed wing and helicopter, but this adds a lot of new things. Thanks! 👍🏻

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Jolmer, yes, I found it really interesting to learn the differences and also how my current knowledge compared. The wing tips acting as a tail surface was certainly a light bulb moment for me.

[@clearprop]

Awesome video. Coming from fixed wing flying, I knew that flexwings had fundamental differences but I didn't think they were hugely significant. How wrong I was - this was a superb lesson and I learned a great deal. The CHORD-WISE stability brought on by washout on a flexing was a real eye opener in particular (like you I'd stick something under the trailing edge when glueing up the wing ribs on my models!). Thanks for uploading, and thanks to Mark for agreeing to be filmed yet again. 👍

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Dan, I hope you are keeping well. Yes it was a great lesson and too good to not share. Everyday is a school day.

[@UltraLigero1]

That was a LOT more than I got just doing a Flex conversion. Ive just learnt a LOT. I thought it was all simply witchcraft!. Great Tutor. Been flying Dragonflies with Aeros Discus Wings for 12 years, and love them. Cheers

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

H Colin and welcome to the channel. I had the pleasure of flying a dragonfly with a Discus wing earlier this year, delightful. Do you have the bailey engine on yours? Yes, I've been really lucky with the tutoring and mentoring I've received from Micro Training, which has now come full circle.

[@UltraLigero1]

Hi, yes Bailey V4.. The best one.. And a spare. Flew it in the Summer from near Newbury to Sandown and back. Didn't miss a beat. 10 Litres squandered! It soars really well. Gained way over 5,000' once this year, with Gliders below! Magic. Cheers.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

I've yet to fly to Sandown, it seems like everyone has been there so not really on my list. I can see why you managed to soar so well when I had to fly a customers Dragonfly with a V4.

[@mattdrat3087]

Great video! Mark is a very knowledgeble and pleasant instructor.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

I feel very lucky to have found a whole bunch of keen instructors and yes Mark has buckets of knowledge.

[@mattdrat3087]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 If only the weather had been better for a greater part of the year. I would really like to own a Peabee, but it would spend 9 months out of 12 in the hangar...

[@plumbdog1964]

Thanks MARK too, I will have to watch this video a few times more

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Plumbdog, I will pass on your comment. There is so much detail, flexwings are truly voodoo for sure.

[@Chris-Fennimore]

FlexWing, Hang Gliders, PPG, its all about moving the CG to change direction.. Good video Giles.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Chris, agreed, with some subtle differences I would add. Reflex on a PPG works differently than on a hang glider. I hope you are still keeping well and sane, well one of the 2. :)

[@Chris-Fennimore]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 Agreed Giles. And Yes, I am keeping well. LOL 👍😎👍

[@gylanunderhill]

I really enjoyed watching this, thanks for posting

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Gylan, I'm glad it was helpful. It certainly helped my on my ground GST.

[@danielhendriksen4252]

Really useful video, thanks Giles and Mark.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hello Daniel, I'm really glad it was helpful.

[@scottv3337]

Very informative, I always enjoy learning new things as a new trike pilot. thanks

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

I like learning new things as well and felt this video was too good to keep in my archives.

[@RoyceMunday56]

Incredibly useful. Thank you guys

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hello Royce, I'm glad it was useful. It really helped my revision for my GST.

[@deonogorman928]

And once again loads of information class to tune in and listen especially with guy that are so passionate about this stuff amazing giles

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hello Deon, yes Mark has buckets of knowledge, it would have been a shame to not share it with everyone.

[@deonogorman928]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 ohh yeah 100% man glad you did anyway legend

[@TomGarner4505]

Thanks for another informative video, I learnt a few things there.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Tom, it was certainly a good revision video for me. Enough to get me through my ground GST.

[@DavidReckitt]

Great vid Giles. All the info on flexwings you’ll ever need

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

It's al about the journey of never stop learning. I did learn so much from this lesson.

[@aneesrehman7354]

Wow great, love your videos, lot of informations 👍👍

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@rd-du8gh]

Thanks for the reply. I too have an engineering background and started flying sailplanes when I was younger. My first flight at KITTY HAWK in a hang glider was, as they say, like a dream come true. I went on to GA and after being distracted by other careers :) eventually pursued the airlines. I now fly a 737 but still want to fly a trike! I appreciate your videos and want to compliment you on your professional approach to flying. Safety first! It seems that the UK has researched flexwing theory more than any other country, especially in the area of “tumble” prevention. That’s the area I am most curious in currently.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Thank you, I'd certainly like to become an old pilot so safety is my focus. I think that the tumbling comes more from the training in unusual attitudes, which was a real eye opener for me, especially as it wasn't in my Sub 70 syllabus. I never quite got to the airlines but used to fix the aircraft instead. I bet it was a wonderful experience flying at Kittyhawk?

[@mark675]

Good info Giles, I had to learn all this for building my rc microlight, its clever stuff how it all works

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Ahh Mark675, I've seen your videos, great stuff. I just love learning how things work. So not many new pieces of information for you then? ;)

[@hwamblan]

Excellent vid. Beautifully explained and presented.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

It was such a useful video for my ground GST. So many little and useful details.

[@Jozinko101]

Excellent video guys!

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

It was too useful and informative to leave in my archive.

[@cowlikk]

Great informational video! Thanks for putting the time into making this video!

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

I hope it was helpful, it was certainly a bit of mammoth edit ( despite a few bad camera moments), I was listening, and not concentrating on the cameras.

[@leehewitt9559]

Good video, thanks for sharing the info

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I know it's not a flying video but it certainly helped me with my studies.

[@alwatt9367]

This is a lot of work to film this ...but its really great ....Thank you

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Al, yes it's probably the most complicated edit I've had to do. I can't wait to get back to flying videos.

[@CentreofGravityUK]

Good vid as ever Giles. Thanks for sharing. Interesting seeing into that hangar - not seeing any QuikR.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

There are 3 QuikRs lurking in the back. It's probably because the wings are down and one has the winglets taken off. It was a good video for my studies anyway.

[@mattp9361]

This guy should be a teacher..hahaha! Great video. I want to see more of this kind. Thumbs up for not having music in an istructive video

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Music would be distracting so I don't use it, if people are talking. Mark is a fantastic instructor and has so much knowledge.

[@plumbdog1964]

Great video GILES

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

It was a useful video for my ground GST.

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

Interesting video but I have a correction. When a wing stalls the centre of pressure moves aft leaving the CG in front of it. Alternatively, in some aircraft the Tailplane provides a negative luft so as the aircraft sliws, there is less downward pressure from the tail allowing the nose to drop before the stall.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Simon, depending on the type of aerofoil section will dictate which way the CoP moves. On a convenient section it moves forward (on a flexwing, the outer tips are the equivalent of the tailplane providing the balancing force. On a reflex section such as a flying wing the CoP moves rearward which is why they don't need tailplanes. It's all in the detail of the wing configuration. The reason for the nose dropping is due to the misaligned CofG and CoP they are very rarely directly apposed.

[@flyingkub]

He says a lot of stuff which is not the same as I the training I had on aerodynamics, but the reactions as he gives them are correct, just the terms are different and in some cases the dynamics are different. So it will be interesting when we talk at some point in the future.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

It might have been in the way I edited it but I'm sure we will talk soon and discuss specifics. How is the build vlog going?

[@philm]

It makes me want to learn to fly a blessing , so thanks for that Giles !! This instructor seems really helpful ...where is this ?

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

HI Phil, this school is based at Darley Moor airfield. The school is called Airways airsports, have on the Internet, they are a cracking school.

[@andreschapero3615]

Excellent video. More PeaBee and Sub 70 stuff, the 20min electric PeaBee...

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Adres, thank you. I will make more Peabee etc video when we can fly. All flying in the UK is grounded. :(, I can't even get to the airfield where it is stored.

[@hascg1]

Excelente

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

I'm glad you enjoyed it Hector.

[@aneesrehman7354]

Great 👍

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@plumbdog1964]

Question -- I flew to Eastbourne last Sunday, smooth flight hands off all the way. Pulled it out on Wednesday, same nice smooth weather and Quik had a significant pull to the right. No chance of hangar rash at all. I just dont see why?

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Have you carried out a batten check recently, it's the only thing I can think of. Has the pull or turn remained constant, I'm no expert.

[@stone8597]

Great video. There's a lot more to these wings then first appears. I have a question ... how does it affect a wings handling if it is strut braced versus cable braced. Thanks

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

I believe the struts are there because they have removed the king post (and luff lines for the reflex). There is internal bracing for this. That's tjr the only difference I know of from when I asked.

[@stone8597]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 I have an Aeros Fox TL (strut braced) and I believe you have the Fox T (cable braced). I think the "T" is lighter then the "TL" but I wonder how differently they "feel" in flight. Also, the TL has two "sprogs" on each wing (tubes that hold up the trailing edge). I don't know exactly what their function is. I think one thing they do is hold up the trailing edge, but they may have a function that helps provide stability. Thanks.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

@@stone8597 Your sprogs are there because you don't have luff lines (topless) and they also generate the reflex. Yes the TL is about 2kgs heavier. I'd like the strutted version, less need for my rigging struts.

[@wrdturkey]

Great video. I was wondering if they have any strutted wings across the pond. I'm here in the U.S. and fly a Northwing Maverick wing on a Sabre Trike.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hello there, they do make a strutted version called the Bivvi Bee which is strutted and topless. Are struts important, or more for storage?

[@wrdturkey]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 Hey Giles. For me it's about storage. With a kingpost it wouldn't fit in my hangar. I had to drop the control bar down to the trike base tube to clear the ceiling. For flying they claim it cuts down on parasitic drag from all the wires. Trim speed on these wings is adjusted by a mechanism on the keel tube that moves the hang point fore and aft. You can also fold the wing while the wing is mounted to the trike. Pull the battens, release the wing tension and fold. Thanks for the reply. I love watching your videos.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

@@wrdturkey have you seen my wing fold video. It takes less than 20 minutes to be flight ready, it was one of the selling points for me as I only had a shipping container to store it in. I'll have to have a look at the machine you fly.

[@wrdturkey]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 I'll check it out

[@wrdturkey]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 I intentionally missed that video. Wing assembly is boring to me, so I hardly watch those types of videos. Your video surprised me. You have a system there that copies what struts do for a wing. Awesome job and a very clever way to store a trike without a hangar.

[@DougBow96]

Great info Giles, thanks! Wings clap hands = bad

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Doug, yes indeed. I learnt so much from this lesson.

[@DougBow96]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 Would be great to take some lessons from yourself and Mark. :)

[@rhysmodica2892]

Can anyone help me out here? I fly 3-axis so I genuinely don't understand how these flex wings work. I get that the weight is shifted forward or back during pitch changes, but how does the actual pod maintain a nose up pitch? If weight only acts downward, then surely the pod itself will just pitch level again with the wing pointed up?

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Thrust changes makes them climb and descend, bar position changes the speed. It is technically the same as 3 axis.

[@rhysmodica2892]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 Well I get that power still controls altitude and pitch for speed, but what I don't get is why the pod appears to also pitch nose up? As I say, if gravity acts down, then as I say why does the pod pitch up when the bar is pushed forward?

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

It's a secondary effect. The pod initially goes backwards, then as the flight path changes the equilibrium takes over and it then goes back to the bar trim position, now in a climbing attitude.

[@rhysmodica2892]

@@GolfFoxtrot22 Alright I'm starting to get the principle. Sorry if my repeated comments here are too persistent. Uh would you know of a diagrammatic video or something that would show me in a more pictorial sense? It may just clarify it further. Also thanks.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

I don't unfortunately.

[@rd-du8gh]

Good Day from the United States! Sorry to hear everyone is grounded, the important thing is to stay healthy and fly another day :). I’m interested in micro flight flying in the UK as a visitor and have some specific technical questions about your decision process in picking a particular trike. Can I get in touch with you through email?

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

We are just about coping in the UK, but we are trying to be safe. I'm very inexperience and probably not able to give any real meaningful advice on the topic. I'm still at the stage of asking my instructors or other flexwing friends. I bought the PeaBee purely on the advice from close friend fliers and for me is been the best decision so far. The advice and support from Flylight has been superb.

[@DanSmithBK]

Voodoo! I knew it!

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hello Dan, yes it's true, my instructor said so. 😂😂

[@patrickmckowen2999]

👍

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Hi Patrick, I hope things are ok over there.

[@StefanoBorini]

I tried it today for the first time. Absolutely hilarious from start to finish, but it's not for me. The fear of inverting the controls with my 3-axis training by accident is just too high.

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

It does take a little time, I was having trouble for the 2 hours and then it just clicked. I flew stick and rudder for 25 years before going over to flexwing. Thanks for commenting and viewing the channel.👍

[@offshoretinker]

Leach lines dammit!

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Leach lines, this wing doesn't have leach lines, only luff lines. No need to add the word 'dammit'.

[@williambudd2630]

Boring !!!