1:50 scale 1905 Wright Flyer (Glider)

Have the burning desire to conquer the skies? Then you're not alone. The pioneers of aviation risked their lives to learn how to control their barely flying contraptions. You don't have to risk yours to re-imagine their early feats with this scale (unpowered glider) model of the 1905 Wright Flyer! (Finally you've levelled up from paper planes :P)

The 1905 Wright Flyer is the 3rd iteration of the Wright brothers' powered heavier-than-air machines, and the first to actually be controllable and reliable enough to conduct flights for a practical purpose (instead of being merely a proof-of-concept). This was primarily achieved by enlarging the horizontal stabilisers and increasing the distance between the horizontal stabilisers and the main wings, which finally made the aircraft stable. They managed to achieve a 39-minute flight, which was longer than all the total combined flight time of the previous two 1903 and 1904 Flyers.

This 1:50 scale glider model is faithful to the outline of the 1905 Flyer, although some liberty have been taken to focus on the purpose of being an easy to assemble model requiring no adhesive. This glider won't win any gliding competition, but it is not designed for that. The entire glider weighs around 11-12g, so this can make for a rather quick and low investment project. It is hoped that both new and experienced aeromodellers can find something enjoyable in the assembly, flight, and tuning of the model, and perhaps re-live the memories of the pioneers in heavier-than-air flight. Oh, it can be rather fragile, just like the original 1905 Flyer.

Print Settings

Note: This project is a test of how well-calibrated your first layers are and how good your printer handles fine geometries. A standard 0.4mm nozzle on a Prusa MK3S is used.

I have divided the parts mainly into 2 groups: parts that are printed at 0.15mm layer height (aerodynamic surfaces), and parts that are printed at 0.10mm layer height (the rest).

For aerodynamic surfaces (main wings, canards and rudders), first and subsequent layers are printed at 0.15mm layer height.

For the rest, first layer is printed at 0.20mm layer height, while the subsequent layers are 0.10mm.

I am using a PETG filament with the following settings (yours may vary):

Hotend: 220°C throughout
Bed: 80°C first layer, 85°C subsequent
Fan: 20% min., 30% max.

Speed: 20mm/s first layer; 25mm/s for everything else

I use the complete individual objects setting in order to minimise cross-object travel path and minimise print loss in the event of print failure.

It is recommended to print individual parts, as having too many parts in one long print is more likely to fail given the critical nature of having practically perfect first layer in this kind of prints.

IMPORTANT: Use dry filaments to eliminate or minimise stringing and blobs and other unintended artifact due to filament ooze. The reason I print at a low temperature with PETG is precisely to minimise these artifacts. The printed parts need to be clean of oozing artifacts for the snap on joints to work. You can clean up any artifacts on the printed parts using a sharp blade.

Can it fly?

To clarify any ambiguity, yes this model is designed to actually glide. I just haven't been able to capture any decent photo of it gliding. For better gliding performance, add camber onto both the canards and main wings (the braces already incorporate a slight camber in the structure, but you still need to add the camber by gently folding the wing and canards until the camber stays when no force is applied). For an explanation on what camber is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camber_(aerodynamics)