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Tilt-Wing VTOL UAS
I wanted to challenge myself to design and build a VTOL plane that can break down easily for transport but more importantly, minimizes wasteful design. For example, having props strictly for vertical flight that are then just turned off for horizontal flight. Static landing gear provides nothing but drag for 99% of the operation.
So, I am working to build a tilt-wing aircraft with an inverted V tail. For simplicity, it will follow a similar form factor as my previous foam board plane, so I can focus more on mechanism design and control. The plane will sit/land on its wingtips and tail and operate in a tri-motor configuration, with two pull props out at the wings, and a pusher prop between the control surfaces of the tail. In horizontal transition, they all produce forward thrust.
I slowly worked on V1 over Fall 2025, trying to bring my concepts into a functional design. While some sub-assemblies worked, I often got to a place where I realized “this is not the right solution”. I’d stop, write down everything wrong with it, generate a new solution, and just move on to a different part of the plane. At some point, I was unhappy with every sub-assembly and had my list of grievances and fixes, so I then moved into a V2, which I started in Jan 2026.
Some of what V1 helped me identify for my redesign of V2:
1. The linear actuator is not the right solution for the tilt mechanism
→ It would have to be constantly powered to hold any position =unnecessary drain
→ Quite slow, lacking positional feedback = Major control challenges
→ Expensive to get a quality linear actuator = I’m on a college budget!
The Change: V2 I have switched to a 3-Bar linkage controlled by a high-torque servo.
→ Linkage design is self-stable in forward flight; the servo can be powered off for the most time-consuming part of the operation
→ Much faster response with position feedback
→ Cheap and available
2. The tail and wing mounts are highly inefficient
→ I want something “quick disconnect”, not needing to be bolted down every time
→ It is all too bulky and would be a pain to manufacture from traditional methods
→ The assembly can be reduced by merging and simplifying components
→ Basically no consideration of design-for-assembly
The Change: V2 is in redesign to fix all (and more) of these concerns
→ Tail will have a base structure that clicks into the fuselage
→ Wings brackets will have hardware merged and permanently installed for easier fuselage connection
→ Design optimized to use more off-the-shelf materials (tubes, sheet metal, etc) and more intentional consideration of bolt positioning for assembly
3. The wing structure needs to be reworked
→ Wing profile is the same as my original foam plane, but I haven’t done the analysis to confirm its sized to my desired flight characteristics. This plane will be heavier and with slightly different dimensions.
Wing design intention is to print in sections, and clamp everything together at the ends of the wing spars. While this ‘stack’ worked for the control surfaces and assembly, it did not take much to induce significant torsional deflections into the wing due to the many non-linking faces of each wing section.
→ 3D printing simplifies assembly, but at the cost of a significantly increased weight
→ Connecting back to 2, there are many unnecessary components as a result of mostly the order in which the tilt mechanism hardware was designed
The Change: V2 strengthens the wing, simplifies hardware, potential material change
→ I have to learn some CFD program to actually analyze the wing and determine if I need to make changes
→ Adding D = 2mm carbon fiber pins between the wing sections improved torsional stiffness without increasing weight beyond several grams
→ Merging, removing, and otherwise simplifying the component stack within the wing to cut on assembly complexity and failure points
→ Considering moving to a 3D printed internal rib structure with foam-board skins. I have not build a test section to compare against current solution, but with proper motor and wing sizing, this may be a non-issue.
There are many more smaller fixes to be had, but you’re probably bored already at this point, so when V2 is at a better place, I’ll update here.
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