Plane Geometry Database
Plane Geometry includes a database of airplane geometry. This data is stored in the form of the input blocks for the four Measure and Design spreadsheets. When the data block is copied into its parent spreadsheet all of the airplane's information is instantly reconstituted. This means that any of the airplanes in the database are available for detailed study, experimentation or modification.
Key characteristics of the airplanes are stored in a table in the database. This information can aid the designer in selecting likely values for his design. Some of these key characteristics relating to tail sizing are plotted to show important relationships.
Each of the data input blocks in the database includes a small image of the airplane so that its form is instantly recognizable. The 34 airplanes currently in the database are shown in the figure below. Many of these designs have been supplied by Plane Geometry users - new designs are welcomed!
Tabulated Data
The tabulated data includes wing and tail aspect ratio, tail moment arms, equivalent dihedral angle, elevator and rudder chord fraction, elevator and rudder control power, pitch and yaw damping coefficients, V-tail dihedral, wing loading, pitch moment of inertia, static margin, horizontal and vertical tail volume, and a fuselage size parameter.
Plots
Several plots are created from the tabulated data. The example to the right shows the relationship between a fuselage size parameter and vertical tail volume for single engine light planes. This data can be used to estimate a preliminary size for a new model design.
This plot example shows the relationship between equivalent dihedral angle and vertical tail volume for sailplanes. Note that increased dihedral appears to demand larger vertical stabilizers. Also note that in general, sailplanes require significantly smaller vertical stabilizers than single engine light planes.
