October 2004
Funding is still the biggest issue in our project. Building and producing an entirely new form of aircraft (and in our case selling the IP and design rights) requires imagination, courage and determination. ThatÂ’s why we want to get your support for this visionary project. You can help us make Smart Fish happen. Don't miss the opportunity, since we have already some interesting discussions with potential investors and sponsors.
Besides that the work for the optimization of the shape / design of SmartFish goes on. Below is a simulation of Design 14B flying with an AoA of 25 degrees.
Image created with Fieldview 10
Different shapes have been designed and analyzed using CFD++ from Metacomp Technologies and Fieldview 10 from Intelligent Light. The best shapes then got modified to further improve the characteristics and performances. This iteration loop was made several times, and the result was SmartFish Design 14B.
The optimization goals for Design 14 compared to Design 13D were the following:
- Higher Critical Mach Number
- Improved location for centre of gravity
- Higher buffeting margin
An RC model of Design 14B to test the low speed characteristics and handling qualities will fly within the next few weeks.
The next step in the aerodynamic design process is the development of several supercritiacl profiles (or in our case rather supercrictial 3d surfaces) in collaboration with the DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology. The goal there is to keep the very good characteristics and performance of the last designs, while optimizing the best L/D for cruise speeds of more than Mach 0.9.