The click when the gear locks, and how solid the whole unit is when that happens is very satisfying.

We all greatly appreciate this exciting update. We’ve missed you pretty bad.

Those gear lock clicking noises are sooooo satisfying 🙂

This transperancy in the build process is soo unique and the future of manufacturing. You people are soo ahead of the curve.

I knew it was a good morning when I saw the DarkAero notification. Love spending time with your channel.

Great to see young Engineers working hard and doing so well. Very Well done guys!

I have to say recently i've been following this endevour closely, its great to see more leaps being taken with general aviation to bring lighter, faster more efficent aircraft to market. I admit that I have a thing for vintage aircraft and simple technologies however having watched a lot of your videos It's reminded me that it is a mix of new and old, where wood composits were once used on aircraft like the DH Comet and mosquito, carbon fibre and fibre glass now exist, where slide rules and paper were once used, cad software can now be used. In some ways new technologies are simpler then old, and in some ways old simpler then new. Having worked on and flown 5 types of vintage aircraft I can say that they can be ergonomically challenging in many respects. From trying to undo nuts with minimal clearance for tools, requiring the use of custom tooling or excetionally small hands and high patience. To dealing with preventantive maintenance such as preventing wood from taking on moisture, correcting fabric issues using fabric tapes and dopes. As well as working on exceptionally rare engines with guidance from experts. This also is with consideration to varying climates as I live in the UK where it can be 15c one day and within a couple of days go down to -5c in the mornings where radials will struggle to reach correct operating temperatures, something we have been dealing with as exhaust manifolds crack and parts are rare to come by. It makes me wonder how such challenges will be addressed with composite aircraft, such as condensation in the wings especially if they're wet wings, to making sure the cores of the sandwiches do not get logged. I wonder how much lighter a 30s aircraft would be if designed with new composites over existing wood, fabric and metal structures. I for one would certainly like to fly a dark aero some day.

Hi DarkAero Team. Very awesome to see your Dreams Coming True. The plane looks sweet and the Quality is right on do it Right First. Can’t wait to see the First Clear the Prop start Up. Love how Strong the Landing Gear Looks. Well Be Save and stay True to Your Goals.

@DarkAeroInc

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! We are really excited for the first engine start and first flight as well!

@gregoryh4601

2 жыл бұрын

@@DarkAeroInc Be Safe as we know your Team Is. I love the Carbon fiber Look. Very thought of Be the First F5J Sailplane made in America? Yes DarkAero comes First.

Incredible project guys! You do a great job with your videos, can’t wait for first engine start!

Big compliments for your process, with the big concept lines and the small details. Nice to follow this. Good luck with the last steps.

Such a satisfying sound when it locks, really nicely designed!

Great design and workmanship! Thank you for bringing us all along. Excited to see the final product.

You guys are doing such an amazing job on this aircraft! Its fascinating to watch all of your hard work, ingenuity & craftsmanship, in designing the sleekest aircraft ever! The finished product is going to be legendary!

Not to throw shade on the guy who built the ‘raptor’ prototype, but man are you guys doing a much better job of considering and solving potential design issues before they arise. This thing looks like it’ll be more production ready than any other prototype that’s ever made it off the ground. Keep it up 👍

Great progress update! I can't wait to see the engine start up.

Nice job on the firewall pass-through and the ingenious up/down locks! Keep at it, we all expect to see and oogle over it at OSH this year!

Hey thanks for showing us your work and explaining processes and designs.

Hi guys. Electrical engineer here. My KZread overlords stumbled me onto this video. This time they picked it right. Your project looks awesome! Got to go back now and root out all the earlier videos. Can't wait to see what comes next.

Can't wait for you guys to fly your plane. Keep us posted, your videos are fascinating.

@jakleo337

2 жыл бұрын

Hire a professional test pilot for that.

Great to see you back. Exciting times. Can’t wait to see her fired up. 🇨🇦

I check up on you guys once in a while. Pro from start to finish. Keep rocking it guys, very well done.

Beautiful machining, they even sound good when fitting together.

One of the hardest thing to do as a manufacturing or engineering group is to determine when too much engineering is going into a product. That very concept was what made Burt Rutan a genius. It get even more difficult when money is not an object.

Fabulous! Hope to see her flying soon!

Exciting stuff! Cant wait to see more :)

Keep up the great work fellas. I can’t wait to see her fly.

Awesome! Stay the course guys!

Finally I love following up on this project. Keep it up.👍🏻

Awesome progress! Can't wait to see her spinnin' on her own 😀

Can't wait to see her fly. Such a beautiful design.

Love the video. One thing that makes it so interesting is that all of you are good teachers!

Doing very well, looking fwd for the first engine run and high speed taxi.

This is extremely cool!

Incredible looking aircraft and components 🤙

This is amazing!

i wish you the best, great progress

Impressed!

Good professional processes, step by step, to create a production ready airplane. This project deserves to become a series production aircraft.

What a cool project!!!!

C clips on the pivot pins would make me nervous. They rely on tension and in certain applications have been known to pop off. But, given your otherwise thorough design and engineering I'm sure you've considered alternatives. Nice work.

The sound of that latch is heaven

It's been a minute since you guys posted a video. I figured you guys were working hard.

I can’t wait to see her first flight. Well Done Gentlemen

that latch catch was neat

Good job!

Getting close to that big day. You have potentially the best engineered airplane of all time, even rivaling Mike Patey

@ParadigmUnkn0wn

2 жыл бұрын

Mr. Patey built his plane like a tank. These boys are building the F1 car of the skies. It's gonna be a real performer, and it's going to do its job well, but it will be very unforgiving and in a crash that landing gear is going through the occupants Vlad the Impaler style.

I know nothing about what you guys are doing but it looks very impressive.

Those locking pawls on the main gear look like they could be prone to cracking, especially the lower one. I would expect it to crack at the root and bend out of engagement. I recommend changing it to stainless along with a small wear pad on the strut also in stainless.

@anthonyrstrawbridge

2 жыл бұрын

Lock dog galling, creep, hardened tool steel sear at pall. Good stuff Sven offered a two step self tightening and self cleaning angles.

@FiferSkipper

2 жыл бұрын

In general on YT I'm dubious of decisions like the one you bring up but, these guys are really doing their homework. That being said, I too hope they change the latch component to something more durable than aluminum... It would be such a minor weight cost for a huge improvement in longevity/durability.

@kylegoldston

2 жыл бұрын

@@FiferSkipper I'm sure the latch they designed is Technically fine. I'm sure it would hold up for hundreds of hours and gear cycles. I'm also Very sure I'd take the ~3lb weight penalty. They could make it out of forged 7075-t6 type 3 hard anodized, probably would cost 3 times as much as stainless. Even the 7075 would possibly need to get dye-pen tested at annual. I'm sure the gear is very light but that latch is a real good concentration of Any forces available.

@brianb-p6586

Жыл бұрын

The video shows that the latch engages a pin (presumably steel) on the gear, not the aluminum gear component directly.

Amazing

There will be alot of torque transmitted through those gear teeth. I'm sure it's all calculated and simulated

I hope that latch thing is made of titanium, cause it's really gonna have a lot stress applied to it

80% done, 80% to go! Pretty stoked for first start guys. Can't wait!

@FiferSkipper

2 жыл бұрын

Funny joke, I'm stealing it, LOL!

Interesting point about the effect of engine thrust/hard braking on the rearward folding gear. Your down-latch is a bit more "critical" than usual.

great content

As always great work. Did you guys trim down the items in your store or are you out of stock?

Hi. Good progress so far and congratulations on the new shop. When building the plane how do you document your progress ? Since with all the back and forth involved in releasing a prototype how do you establish a streamlined process.

You may want to consider using a better wear combination material or a striker plate for that latch and pin. Al is prone to wear damage and doesn't hold up well for latch applications.

Awesome

Hi guys.in an emergency situation, how does the landing gear fall forward under gravity if it also has to fight aerodynamic loads trying to keep the leg and wheel rearward? Genuinely interested, not trying to pick hole.

@T_bone

2 жыл бұрын

Jinking the nose down abruptly and hope the maneuver and wheel weight will overcome wind resistance.

Please give calculations for selection of engine. A) ground handling power required to overcome weight. B)power required to accelerate for take off. C) power required to ensure design climbing. D) power required to cruise. E) power required to ensure optimum bite of propeller in all above.

For the final design of the fuel delivery system for EFI engine, have you considered using a header tank where the dual fuel pumps and pressure regulators are located in the header tank? This is auto technology where the pumps are kept cool, uses less amps, and eliminates a return line from the engine since the regulator is in the header tank. This would also eliminate vapor lock, wouldn’t it?

Your videos are always great and it is obvious that you care about producing high-quality footage. That being said, my guess is that your audience would still appreciate slightly lower quality videos if we were able to get them a little more frequently. Otherwise, awesome build and thanks again for sharing with the YT community. I'm looking forward to buying my kit from you in a few years...

With that lock on the gear for g load, what sort of spin and roll characteristics will the aircraft have? What sort of g limit would it be looking at?

Clever!

Are you using steel bushings in the drag links at the pivot point were the bolt goes through?

The quality of design and workmanship is truly wonderful. Even the temporary fuel tank solution is a work of art. Just one thought though, and I appreciate 3D aerodynamic design on what is, whilst most beautiful, still an aeroplane aimed at the self-build market. Is there perhaps a more aerodynamic, efficient and aesthetically pleasing solution you could offer for the wing tips? That’s not a criticism, your design work is absolutely exquisite, but just a question that I’m sure you’ve already answered in your own minds. David

I'm sure you guys have run the calculations and simulations, but it's hard to picture such a small latch handling the forces involved on the gear. I guess that's a testament to the engineering prowess of your team.

@DarkAeroInc

2 жыл бұрын

The drag link is the structure that constrains the gear strut, not the latch. The forces that are trying to pivot the gear struts pass through the drag links so it is the drag links that are doing all the work. The latches only hold the drag links in the correct orientation so the forces on the latches are much smaller than the forces on the drag links.

Was hoping you could do a video on your dual fuel pump set up. I've heard of a couple planes going down due to dual pump set ups and apparently it's possible for the pump to start pulling from the other pump instead the fuel tank. Also seen this issue in a car with dual pumps. The car issue was resolved with one way check valves.

@DarkAeroInc

Жыл бұрын

Hi, the fuel pumps are currently set up with an on-on toggle switch to only run one at a time to avoid any potential feedback issues between the pumps.

Very nice video great team work thanks for sharing'. :o)

Impressive.

Hi team .Greeting from Switzerland…been in engines marketing all my life, Cat but not Cummins !!!! To me your Darkaero design is not only good for a speed and long haul private market but with the specific large wing full tank design, the concept is also well suited to fit one of those new small turboprop (cruise missile engine derivative.. light helicopters start using those extensively) to produce a brand new intensive basic two side by side seats army trainer. Range is less critical for training and turboprop engine lower weigh offsets a larger fuel flow but not that much higher with lower drag flying high. Mandatory is an outstanding workhorse like old PT6a but much smaller, around 250-280 hp continuous power. .the maintenance and downtime would be minimal…and planes using economical jet fuel…many Air forces around the world are using over 900 old aluminium SF260 for basic and semi advanced training and with age, they all became replaceable by such a modern cost effective composite airframe with a modern CAPS cirrus parachute system and no individual parachute requirement. It outperforms easely in performance and productivity an electric winged wagon…Below a 10 mio$ PC21 with a huge 1600hp turboprop. there are plenty of training hours to log with a modern performing side by side very economical twin seater and not many candidates are that well adapted for it..but maybe it takes to JV with an advanced trainer producer, turboprop specialist, Pilatus Embraer etc with an existing ww army market coverage to be in their portfolio.. Philgood

Hi guys, fantastic progress and attention to detail, however, I have a question. You demonstrated the half gear for the landing strut, will there be TWO half gears per strut, ie one on each side of that securing "pin" rod that holds the gear??? I don't think one per landing gear strut is sufficient due to the torque factor on only one side of each strut. Many thanks for bringing us along on this epic engineering journey. Regards from South Africa

will the gear be able to unlock from the down position with weight on the assembly, or will it have to be either airborne or on jacks to unlock?

I just stumbled across this project and am very impressed that these young guys are tackling such a large project. I tried to build an RV6 and failed and I didn't have to design and engineer it. Not sure I would be a future customer, but would love to see the finished product. Are you based at the Madison or Middleton airport?

@DarkAeroInc

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for checking out the project! We are located at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, WI.

Electric (rather than hydraulic) brake actuation may be easier to route, and possibly lighter weight?

fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¨

If the main gear can be deployed by pulling a lever in the cockpit and falling by gravity, what does the electric actuator accomplish? [Edit: okay, I figured it out. Electric retract.] I love the noises the machined parts make when they go together. You can hear the machining marks on the pivot pin as they slide into the trunnion.

What software did you use to conduct your FEA of the gear lock latches? I am doing my doctorate in polymer based additive FEA and am always curious as to others approaches.

Man thats a neat aramid design!!!! You get close to 500mph yiuve suceeded

What will the landing gear testing program look like for your dream machine?

I am just curious if the gear will lock into the down position if you have to gravity deploy it in emergency, as you told. Lot of drag from the airflow for a forward pivoting gear leg. I love your build quality guys!

@DarkAeroInc

2 жыл бұрын

You are correct that the gear are fighting aerodynamic forces as they extend since they swing forward. Each gear strut has a gas spring connected to it to provide the extra extend force required to overcome aerodynamic loads and reach the down locked position. Gravity does the initial work pulling the gear down and the gas spring takes it the rest of the way. This was omitted from the discussion in the video, so we are glad you asked about it and gave us the chance to elaborate on the design!

I'm curious - how many unique parts (non off the shelf ) are in the plane?

Regarding engine electric connections plate: Consider making one of the battery lugs left hand thread. This will prevent reverse polarity connection.

@flyfaen1

2 жыл бұрын

How? It will only prevent you from switching the bolt, or nut around, not the ring-terminals themselves. There is however a tried and working solution to this, different size stud and terminal for positive and negative ;)

@tomcoryell

2 жыл бұрын

In case Red and Black (or green) don’t work?

@michaelmd4303

2 жыл бұрын

@@tomcoryell hehe

Great video. I'm interested in how you interfaced carbon and aluminium. Is there any special coating between those two?

@FiferSkipper

2 жыл бұрын

They did an excellent video on this exact subject. Search their channel for it and enjoy. Welcome to the DarkAero YT community.

@AlenHR

2 жыл бұрын

@@FiferSkipper Thanks! Just saw that video. Amazing explanation of the problem. The fiberglass layer makes the most sense for my application.

I'm not at all into airplanes but this project has me all propped up. There's so much interesting stuff that goes into it that makes me want to know every detail, from materials to fabrication and design choices. Also, this is the first time I saw the finished paint scheme and it made me wish for an all carbon fiber version of it. Are there regulations requiring the wings to be painted? Just curious to know! Looking forward to the next update!

@DarkAeroInc

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Dirceu! We are happy to hear that you are enjoying the information we are sharing about our aircraft! There aren't regulations that dictate our paint color, it's governed by the limits of the materials we selected. Dark colors like black or raw carbon can heat up in the sun and potentially soften the epoxy resin that holds the carbon fiber in its specific shape. We selected high temperature epoxy to enable the structure to tolerate this type of heating, but we want to complete more thorough validation work to firmly establish the upper temperature limits of the structure. In the meantime, we are going to use light colors on primary flight structures of the prototype like the wings and tail and UV resistant clear coat on non structural areas like the cowling and spinner to still show off the carbon fiber aesthetic.

@DirceuCorsetti

2 жыл бұрын

@@DarkAeroInc I haven't thought of that. Thanks for the reply!!

nice one part two jobs!

When is this aircraft going to fly? What engineering and mechanical issues are preventing it from flight testing?

First you have to sit on it and then spin the blades right?

Curious what the main gear doors will look like and how they’ll function. Haven’t seen any coverage on the design.

@DarkAeroInc

2 жыл бұрын

John, good question. The doors for the main gear are still something we are finalizing. We are planning on doing two to three doors for each main gear - one for the wheel area and one to two for the strut area.

When I heard secret project while you were talking about engine stuff I was thinking 520T especially with a 20K ceiling :) Obviously a weight penalty but be curious what the tradeoffs would spec out to. Hits 200HP at 20K alt which is kind of crazy. Could definitely run it down much lower throttle up there I'd think.

@nathanchalecki4842

2 жыл бұрын

I reckon they could do super high ceiling, pressurized cabin, in pusher configuration with canard.. And maybe a diesel for efficiency

@brianb-p6586

Жыл бұрын

@@nathanchalecki4842 sure... and that would be an entirely different aircraft, not sharing a single component.

New Shop??? That's probably exciting and stressful at the same time.

Is there any lift component to the horizontal stabilizer? It looks to be flat,

@brianb-p6586

Жыл бұрын

Horizontal stabilizers normally provide a down force (negative lift) in steady-state flight.

Do you plan to use a FADEC of any type for the prop and mixture control? Or a traditional 3 lever system

@DarkAeroInc

2 жыл бұрын

The UL520iS engine we are using is FADEC controlled so there is no mixture lever. Technically it isn't a true FADEC as we have it implemented because the propeller control is independent. There isn't a propeller lever, but rather a knob control which is used to select different flight modes like takeoff, climb, and cruise. We made a detailed video about the propeller here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/pJ2DtttynZO9hLw.html Thanks for watching and for the question!

Great work on the plane! I appreciate you announcing the secret project at the end as the new shop, and I understand how announcing a secret project at the beginning of the video encourages viewing the whole video, but I wanted to share with you that it fell flat for me: My knee-jerk reaction was "oh these guys are like me and keep getting distracted by new projects, never finishing the old ones." I'm glad that it isn't the case and you three are better than me. I assume that most of your audience, like me, has some sense of the huge amount of work between now and flying: I would be weary of making announcements that sound like you're changing focus from that goal. The best of luck to you guys: I look forward to seeing your mountains of effort pay off!

I am not an engineer. Far from it. But I am concerned about the beautifully close tolerances in the parts that you are making, and the coefficient of expansion of aluminum. The airplane could experience actual temperatures of -20 to +130. Does your CAD design software automatically take this into consideration? Personally, I would like you to address this issue in your videos.

What sort of testing and validation do you do? Simulations? Physical testing etc?

@DarkAeroInc

2 жыл бұрын

Hi mr-matt! We rely heavily on physical testing to validate the composite structures we build. We also use simulation tools for certain structures and for predicting aerodynamic characteristics. Here are a few videos highlighting some of the more interesting validation work we've performed: Stall Simulation - kzread.info/dash/bejne/mZ6Csqd9csjPhKw.html Wing Proof Load Testing - kzread.info/dash/bejne/aZyq14-ogb3Kpqg.html Firewall Testing - kzread.info/dash/bejne/hGZpxM5mdcq9Yc4.html Nose Gear Testing - kzread.info/dash/bejne/oIaprrl6acyrd6g.html

I live in Tampa by salt water so the carbon fiber appeals to me. On the aluminum parts, is there something that you will be doing to coat or prevent corrosion on the metal parts?

@DarkAeroInc

2 жыл бұрын

Hi David! The aluminum parts will have corrosion protection, either anodization or paint depending on the specific component.

Question! In the event of having to lower the gear manually, how is the drag of airflow overcome to get the gear locked down?

@DarkAeroInc

2 жыл бұрын

Great question! There is a gas spring connected to each strut that pushes the strut down against aerodynamic loads and into the down locked position.

@randominternet5586

2 жыл бұрын

Normally you need to reduce speed to a certain point - for example in a Cessna you might lower gear only at 125 or less, but if you need to do an emergency extend they often want your lower (ie, < 90 kts). So that reduces drag a fair bit. Then these guys have a gas strut that pushes things. Finally, a gear up landing is not necessarily game over. I sometimes wish planes would ship with three skid plates so you could skid on the runway with something that was replaceable and kept the prop off the tarmac but I've never seen that except for on RC planes.

One more question, since this is built for high speed XC flights, would it be modifiable easily to be a realistic Reno air racing competitor?

@brianb-p6586

Жыл бұрын

It's not structurally designed for aerobatic flight limits.

You guys really need to wrap this up. It seems like years ago when you started. Still a fantastic engineering and fabrication story.

@aggiewoodie

2 жыл бұрын

Who do you think these guys are, @MikePatey?

@larrysorenson4789

2 жыл бұрын

@@aggiewoodie engineering and fabrication visionary geniuses, of course. What is your point?

@brianb-p6586

Жыл бұрын

Gee, I'm sure it never occurred to them that it is taking a long time.

@larrysorenson4789

Жыл бұрын

@@brianb-p6586 your point?

@brianb-p6586

Жыл бұрын

@@larrysorenson4789 recognizing sarcasm is apparently not your strength. What was your point in telling them "to wrap this up" and noting how long the effort has taken?