i've been following for quite some time and it's fantastic to see how far this project has come. wish the dark aero team a 2022 full of amazing results
Finally you understand the cooling flow is controlled by the exit area. Glad you read my comment from a while ago. Now you need to learn about up stream diffusion, which vastly improves your cooling duct efficiency, because the majority of the compression can happen without the confinement of duct walls. If you make your inlets larger, the flow will be slower, lower drag, and cool your engine better.
So cool. Can't believe you built a whole thermoforming machine for the canopies only to move on and scrap that idea completely. Lots of dedication. The outsource vs. make in-house decision is never a clear-cut one. Keep up the amazing work!
What you guys are doing for kit GA, is amazing. Your open scientific method really is stepping up the game in the space. Here's hoping you sell lots and push GA to wider audience and after that, you get copied a lot and more innovation restarts in this space. In short, hoping you guys become the Model T for planes.
Starting to look like a fabulous aircraft. From an aesthetic perspective I think the 'dark aero theme' should be retained, just a clearcoat to the carbon rather than paint as shown in some of the earlier renders, maybe twin stripes in a vibrant colour eg viper green/yellow/coral orange on one wing to match any additional colours (prop tips and step markings etc)? two questions I guess, 1) will there be a step up onto the wing step zone and will this be retractable also? 2) I'm sure this has been worked through a number of times design wise, but the canopy bubble 'windshield element' seems quite far aft, thus putting it quite close to the occupants, might this literally be, too close for comfort if the aircraft is designed for several hours of flight in a long range brief? It may just be the lens you are filming this that makes the windshield look significantly aft of the firewall? Anyway looks super athletic as far as light aircraft, keep up the good work and happy new year from the UK.
I hope this helps. The inlet you currently have needs to change. The sharp angle of the inlet being 90 degrees will actually work against the flow due to increased positive pressures at the edges of the inlet. Also, you said the exit was the same size and this also needs to change. The exit can be a part of the cooling flow IF you incorporate the exhaust as part of the flow. Look that up. It works very well in the race plane at the Reno Races. The exit should be larger than the inlet to create a high/low pressure differential which will also increase the efficiency of water jets that cool the cylinders. Looks great so far. Good luck.
Looks like a modern composite version of the Osprey GP4. As a fellow engineer and plane builder, I appreciate your approach to all phases of development!
Does look similar, but also many differences. I looked at building gp4 back in 90s. It's a pretty aircraft. Went with F1 rocket instead. Osprey has 360 not 540 engine, different canopy, much much different rudder But both designed for same mission
Rocket probably has more room inside plus better performance, so good choice. I also thought about a GP4, but I already had a Grumman Cheetah, so I built a small single seat aerobatic plane you see in the picture, a Corby Starlet.
Good work - I have a couple of curiosities. What locking mechanisms have you used for all your fasteners? Split pins, Locking wire, stiff nuts e.t.c.? Also, with it being a composite structure, that will be built in house by you. What inspection regime do you have to ensure that it has been manufactured properly? And also, how are you going to track the fatigue index management of the airframe. Regular large area NDI Mapping? At the very minimum full scale large area NDI should be done on the composite to pick up any areas of inclusions or delamination? How are you planning to manage this through the aircraft life? Will you be carrying out NDI post test flight and every say 25FH during testing period? One thing what concerns me, is the amount of raw holes which have been drilled through primary structure, these should be checked for anomalies during testing periods, and at a suitable lifing interval thereafter. Again, great work, I am genuinely interested and able to offer some advice if you would like any. I've maintained composite aircraft my entire career that fly above the speed of sound and pull 9G, so may be able to share some experience.
Thank you for this update. I follow your aircraft design and construction developments with great admiration and respect. Very impressive what you have achieved so far. Good luck and have fun with the next part. And all the best for this new year.
@4:40 I wonder how well that cooling air intake works when you are taxiing. Especially at low ground speed but high RPM, the outer portion of the prop will generate more pressure than the inner portion. Air flows from high pressure to low pressure, which means air will try to flow radially inward (as well as backward) from the prop tips. It obviously can't flow that direction because it's blocked by the fuselage. The result is that the velocity of air near the root of the blade (and over that intake) will be lower than the average air velocity from the prop disc. I also wonder about the transition from the diffuser to the plenum behind it. That's a sharp inside corner. Air typically doesn't do that. I don't think that diffuser flows the way it's shape suggests.
This is quite incredible, I hope to see it fly as well! I've been following you for quite a while now and you guys seem to know very well what you are doing, and it's a joy to watch. Keep it up!
Amazing project, been really great to follow from start to finish how you have progressed your ideas from thought to design to physical realisation, I am very curious to see your testing go ahead as obviously it is quite an advanced and unique design. I only wish the best for your team and can’t wait to see the dark aero in the skies maybe even here in a land down under one day!
I don't know why anyone would have concerns about any design choice or any fabrication here.. this ain't no Raptor! I really look forward to these vids, extremely impressive watching you guys work.
Wow, thanks Riley. I had made a couple points and asked questions about the gear on your previous video, and you answered those exactly - I suspect those were my questions you were answering. So thanks. :) I realized as you were talking about weight distribution that this thing is LIGHT - carbon fiber, with a big engine hanging on the end. Of course the main gear has to be forward in order to have proper weight distribution. Didn't think of that until you mentioned it. I look forward to your next update!
Congrats that you've finally got the plane on its feet so to speak. I've been scratch building radio controlled planes for the past 40 plus years. Although a full scale plane involves a lot more work. Regardless of the plane's size, the idea of satisfaction to see your plane fully assembled and on its landing gear is an amazing and unforgettable experience. Once again I am happy for you all you for your accomplishment.
Towards the end of your video you discuss having put a positive Tow on your main gear to keep them stable on landing. Yet it appears like you have a positive camber on them as well which would tend to make them want to pull to the outside instead of push to the inside. Camber will replace toe if you move that wheel to a negative camber it will try to turn to the inside and you wouldn't have to do as much toe and you wouldn't be scrubbing rubber off of the tires every time you run it down the runway. You can basically do zero toe and a degree or two of negative camber and have pretty much the same effect. You might want to look into that. I did that on a front-wheel drive vehicle several years ago because I was doing long drives to work everyday and I was getting four or five miles a gallon better mileage and almost zero wear on the tires. And the vehicle was more stable. The only side effect I noticed was that if I crowded the vehicle into a curve the tires would make a lot of noise long before the front tires would break loose. So you had plenty of warning if there was an issue. But when I had the stock front end alignment on it it would break loose and just go straight it would push very badly. After I did that I never had a problem with a push. But it would let you know when you were hard on a turn. Just my thoughts
I'm happy to see some new blood pumped into General Aviation, its exciting to see new aircraft designs become dream to reality and the DarkAero is something to look forward to and while I'm sure it has its place what I hope to see one day is a new true 4 seater designed to be comfortable for X-country, and also affordable.
Regarding Landing Gear development mentioned after 3:20, will the internal pressure in the gear struts allow consistent landings/takeoffs across a range of field elevations (sea level up to Colorado) and a wide range of temperatures (summer and winter) ? Anticipate that maximum extension of struts will be allowed in the retracted/stowed position for flights at altitude.
Thanks for clarifying all those points. Someone previously asked who your test pilot for the maiden flight would be. Are you guys thinking of flying the plane yourselves? After all, nobody's more familiar with this plane than you are :) but it must require some skill to fly something as sleek as this!
The last thing that they need is to do the test program themselves. It might cost a bit, but engaging a reputable independent organisation to administer, inspect the airframe and fly the test program will pay off in the long run.
@@Smokeyr67 they need a test pilot with lots of hours. Can't think of any small experimental manufacturer that hired a company to test everything. Have to remember this is an experimental aircraft not a certified. Heck builders will be making mods to them right away.
Thanks for clarifying everything! :) Being able to roll somthing around isnt impressive, but how quick qnd how little effort you put into the motion says everything about the aircraft! Amazing :)
Yeah they have it backwards. They need a larger opening and faster air flow for cooling. The expansion chamber to slow the air down is useful for getting the pressure up for the engine intake, which they apparently haven't made yet. So strange.
It is very exciting to see your plane coming along! Question: will the back landing gear be able to handle a grass field emergency landing? Will the forward angle of the rear gear make a bumpier landing? I am just wondering what is going to happen to the plane if the back landing gear hits a pot hole or something like that.
Work of art !! Simply beautiful design. I don't recall whether you pressure/leak tested the fuel cells.... we are all looking forward to the maiden flight. This is going to be a great 2022 for you.
So... how much does the weight and balance(CG) change between gear down and gear up? For a light airplane it would seem that the shift would be a lot. Thats why most airplanes stow the gear in the wings so the cg changes very little between up and down.
You have done such a fabulous job with all of this, that I hate to bring this up. The first concern is ground clearance for the prop, especially when the plane is moving over rough grass surfaces. Perhaps what Mike Patey is working on with his prop will be beneficial for you. The second concern is the heat factor for the pilot with that canopy. Best wishes!
Isn't the heat thing with the canopy easily adressed with a UV-shielding tinted wrap of some sort?... Many aircraft with similar canopies have this already...
I keep watching this project and wondering if I should get on board... we fly plenty of Vans RV, Bonanzas, Rans and Cherokees out of our grass/ parallel asphalt airpark. The grass is nice when bringing them in. I can say... living at an airpark is the life.
Always a pleasure seeing and hearing you Riley. A couple of quick questions, Riley. 1. What are the target numbers for the D.A1 in terms of Speed, Range and MPG? 2. Has any work been done in terms of the interior? Seats? Harnesses? Display panels?
These guys designed the aircraft. They are engineers, they know what they are doing. Meanwhile armchair nobody's question their design choices... Gotta love the internet.
i don’t think there is anything wrong with people asking questions or making comments. i think you will find there are many people watching who ha e aviation expertise. it doesn’t detract from the hard work and great achievements of these brothers.
OP is probably right. Although some critical review is warranted on any project. As long as the critic has a logical and fact based foundation for their perceived grievance. I am a longtime follower, and a real fan of 96% of what they do. I post tough questions on rare occasion but am not going out to smear their commendable effort. Almost all of their design choices are sound from a functional and construction standpoint. The aircraft will undoubtedly fly, and I don't think they will be far off from their lofty performance estimates, either. This probably is a 275mph airplane as it sits. There is no reason why it cant fly that fast and that far. Or carry that much. It can, and it will, and they will achieve success in those areas. My critique is of the philosophic and artistic kind. Aesthetically, the rudder is all squared-off and looks out of place, as everything else is rounded. The turtle-deck and rudder outlines are not up to the same Aesthetic standards as the rest of the plane. Philosophy wise, It uses split-flaps for the rudder which are great at creating a significant portion of drag as they generate in lift. Great on the wing of a hot ship like the FW-190 or Super Tucano. Not the Rudder of a propeller plane. The cases where you need the rudder most, when you ask the largest deflection, I.e. slow, high AoA, and high power setting, as in a Vx climb or go-around on landing, it works as a speed brake right when you need less drag. Not to say it cant work, because obviously they showed the space shuttle, but the Shuttle cant go-around on landing, and it doesn't have 5hp/lb torquing a propeller around its thrust-axis. The shuttle has no propulsion torque, it needs brakes more than rudder. Outward-deflecting rudders were used on the LongEZ but that aircraft didn't need much of any rudder at all. The rudders it had were plain flaps. Then there is the "Why" go all the effort to attain 275mph on 200hp, as your first product, in the first place? E.g. 250 mph is nearly as fast, and would allow a significantly lower landing speed via larger wing. 1.21x larger, to be exact. 79ft^2 vs 66ft^2. (18.75 vs 22.73 Lbs per SqFt wing loading). 66ft area is the same as Reno IF1 racers that weight half as much. (500 empty 750 loaded vs DA=775/1500). And those planes are a handful to land for non-expert fliers. So this one will be heart racing fast on landing for people who are more hands on builder than stick and rudder fighter jocks. The old Lancair 235-360 had 76ft of wing area and weighed about the same As DA. You can see DA is in another category of performance above all the 4cyl Lancairs. Having 10ft less wing area and slightly more power. Performance wise, its a winner. - But why compromise everything at the expense of attaining that last 10% improvement in speed, when it costs so much everywhere else? Especially traffic pattern and landing. The answer is Performance sells. And they are selling a lot. They are very smart with a great work ethic and are investing a large input of time and money, dotting their i's as they go, doing everything "Right" and by the book. So they almost certainly do deserve their success. But, it hasn't flown, its mostly hype until they test fly and determine if its going to be a sale-able product to average pilots. I suspect along with high wing loading, at least high for its chord Reynolds number, it will also have a really entertaining stall behavior. (Though I've revised my earlier dire estimate slightly after seeing their planform taper ratio is nearly rectangular, which should help). Its a great product for its intended purpose. But its intended purpose: aka "Philosophy of Use" was very obviously conceived by non-pilots who have never felt that pucker factor trying to land a hot ship, let alone when experiencing the fatigue of a long trip, or at night... Nor have they ever lined up on a cornfield to simulate an engine out. You go out and fly at some corn at a buck-20 something and tell me you wouldn't be tempted to apply a little too much aft pressure about 20-feet up? If you do, you will die. You gotta put the gear up and the nose down and hit that shit at 80-something because you gotta keep the wing flying all the way. I don't think those observations are invalid.
Will you have available and other selection of power plants? I met the team at Oshkosh a couple of years back. A project like this isn't gonna happen over-night. I'm glad you're getting close to a "finish" product. Keep up the great work!
Hi Ken! The DarkAero 1 is specifically designed around the UL Power UL520iS engine. Designing around a specific engine allows for more optimization than would be possible if we kept the design open to a broad selection of engine options. Thank you for continuing to follow the project!
@@DarkAeroInc what about the recently released turbo version of the ul520is ? Is it significantly different? Could be a significant improvement in true airspeed at altitude.
She's come together so beautifully! Really looking forward to watch her take off to the skies and safely return. Will you paint it before flight (part from the reg no which I presume is not optional)? I love your videos, so pedagogic, enthusiastic yet calm and thoughtfully explained. What I could watch more is just collages of you guys doing stuff with the plane. It's so fascinating to see things get crafted, machined, assembled, deburred, polished, fitted, refitted etcetera. But I do appreciate you explaining all the thoughts that has gone in behind every decision. Side note, a reflection: Guess the target audience is more direkted towards potential kitbuilders, affils in the industry and pilots. Me, I'm not even a pilot - just a life long avgeek with a soft spot for handcraft and manufacturing. From technology to art in wood and other materials. But I am a software developer with a keen interest in electronics so I enjoy those tidy and neat cable installations and electronics installations just a tad extra. ;)
So cool to see what 3 bothers aligned can do, congrats and greetings from Brazil, if you guys ever come to my country please let me know, stay in my house in São paulo
Admit it - you already put a couch cushion in the cockpit so you could sit in there and make airplane noises!! The plane just looks fantastic. Regarding the canopy, I know EXACTLY where you're coming from. All of us in this business want to to as much stuff to be vertically integrated as possible, but you learn over the years to outsource stuff to the folks who already perfected it (engines, props, avionics, wheels, etc..). I really like that FG turtledeck, it'll allow you to mount some of antennas back there and keep them out of the airstream. Can't wait to see it at OSH this year, your display is going to be a busy one I predict!
Wow, that is some beautiful CNC work on that gear!! I can't help but notice how small that vertical Stab is. I bet you will end up enlarging the tail, or putting strakes on it. Are there any spin test planned in the test profiles? Really cool project. What requirement will this airplane fulfill for a pilot? Great work!!!
@Dark Aero, Inc 1) does the engine require a certain operating temperature in order to have all components at proper thermal expansion? For example piston to wall clearances. 2) if number one is yes, how do you control this temperature with fixed aperture openings or outlets?
Absolutely incredible workmanship! I always wondered what would happen if the whole plane is made out of carbon fiber. Starting with the small plane such as this and going up to widebody passenger jets, how much it would weigh? What would be the thrust to weight ratio? How would it affect fuel consumption. It's very interesting and a lot of labor hours too I guess
Very good looking airplane, congratulations guys! Have you ever considered a small turboprop engine for this application? If so, what were the conclusions? Cheers!
I was looking for RAM air right before you mentioned it. Wasn't this orginally going to be a io-360 engine. Should look at Mike Pateys cylinder head covers for cooling he uses on Scrappy. Can't wait to see this plane fly and get actual performance numbers. Beautiful aircraft makes me wish I wouldn't have lost my license due to Heath reasons. I had a F1 rocket. So only change I would make to this plane would be it should be a tail dragger with retractable gear. Lastly been following you since your 2nd or 3rd year as I grew up in Wisconsin
I noticed you haven't shown, or we haven't seen the air outlet on the lower engine shroud..? Also what is the plan for the engine air intake, its going to be breathing some pretty hot air fully enclosed..?
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
i've been following for quite some time and it's fantastic to see how far this project has come. wish the dark aero team a 2022 full of amazing results
Finally you understand the cooling flow is controlled by the exit area. Glad you read my comment from a while ago. Now you need to learn about up stream diffusion, which vastly improves your cooling duct efficiency, because the majority of the compression can happen without the confinement of duct walls. If you make your inlets larger, the flow will be slower, lower drag, and cool your engine better.
So cool. Can't believe you built a whole thermoforming machine for the canopies only to move on and scrap that idea completely. Lots of dedication. The outsource vs. make in-house decision is never a clear-cut one. Keep up the amazing work!
Wait till you see all those development costs filter down to the kit price you pay, then you may not like it as much.
What you guys are doing for kit GA, is amazing. Your open scientific method really is stepping up the game in the space. Here's hoping you sell lots and push GA to wider audience and after that, you get copied a lot and more innovation restarts in this space. In short, hoping you guys become the Model T for planes.
Starting to look like a fabulous aircraft. From an aesthetic perspective I think the 'dark aero theme' should be retained, just a clearcoat to the carbon rather than paint as shown in some of the earlier renders, maybe twin stripes in a vibrant colour eg viper green/yellow/coral orange on one wing to match any additional colours (prop tips and step markings etc)? two questions I guess, 1) will there be a step up onto the wing step zone and will this be retractable also? 2) I'm sure this has been worked through a number of times design wise, but the canopy bubble 'windshield element' seems quite far aft, thus putting it quite close to the occupants, might this literally be, too close for comfort if the aircraft is designed for several hours of flight in a long range brief? It may just be the lens you are filming this that makes the windshield look significantly aft of the firewall? Anyway looks super athletic as far as light aircraft, keep up the good work and happy new year from the UK.
I hope this helps. The inlet you currently have needs to change. The sharp angle of the inlet being 90 degrees will actually work against the flow due to increased positive pressures at the edges of the inlet. Also, you said the exit was the same size and this also needs to change. The exit can be a part of the cooling flow IF you incorporate the exhaust as part of the flow. Look that up. It works very well in the race plane at the Reno Races. The exit should be larger than the inlet to create a high/low pressure differential which will also increase the efficiency of water jets that cool the cylinders. Looks great so far. Good luck.
Looks like a modern composite version of the Osprey GP4. As a fellow engineer and plane builder, I appreciate your approach to all phases of development!
Does look similar, but also many differences.
I looked at building gp4 back in 90s. It's a pretty aircraft.
Went with F1 rocket instead.
Osprey has 360 not 540 engine, different canopy, much much different rudder
But both designed for same mission
Rocket probably has more room inside plus better performance, so good choice. I also thought about a GP4, but I already had a Grumman Cheetah, so I built a small single seat aerobatic plane you see in the picture, a Corby Starlet.
This so cool. I'm just bumbed that I didn't stumble upon this project sooner. I can't wait to see it take flight, and I wish you lads a safe voyage.
Good work - I have a couple of curiosities.
What locking mechanisms have you used for all your fasteners? Split pins, Locking wire, stiff nuts e.t.c.?
Also, with it being a composite structure, that will be built in house by you. What inspection regime do you have to ensure that it has been manufactured properly? And also, how are you going to track the fatigue index management of the airframe.
Regular large area NDI Mapping? At the very minimum full scale large area NDI should be done on the composite to pick up any areas of inclusions or delamination? How are you planning to manage this through the aircraft life? Will you be carrying out NDI post test flight and every say 25FH during testing period? One thing what concerns me, is the amount of raw holes which have been drilled through primary structure, these should be checked for anomalies during testing periods, and at a suitable lifing interval thereafter.
Again, great work, I am genuinely interested and able to offer some advice if you would like any. I've maintained composite aircraft my entire career that fly above the speed of sound and pull 9G, so may be able to share some experience.
Thank you for this update. I follow your aircraft design and construction developments with great admiration and respect. Very impressive what you have achieved so far. Good luck and have fun with the next part. And all the best for this new year.
Awesome to see this beauty getting finished! Will love to see it fly !
You guys are amazing! I can hardly wait to see it fly.
@4:40 I wonder how well that cooling air intake works when you are taxiing. Especially at low ground speed but high RPM, the outer portion of the prop will generate more pressure than the inner portion. Air flows from high pressure to low pressure, which means air will try to flow radially inward (as well as backward) from the prop tips. It obviously can't flow that direction because it's blocked by the fuselage. The result is that the velocity of air near the root of the blade (and over that intake) will be lower than the average air velocity from the prop disc.
I also wonder about the transition from the diffuser to the plenum behind it. That's a sharp inside corner. Air typically doesn't do that. I don't think that diffuser flows the way it's shape suggests.
This is quite incredible, I hope to see it fly as well! I've been following you for quite a while now and you guys seem to know very well what you are doing, and it's a joy to watch. Keep it up!
The gear configuration reasons are lessons I learned well over hours of frustration in KSP.
Wow, just found this channel randomly, every exited to see where this goes!
The amount of knowledge you share is amazing ! Such great content ! Can't wait to see it fly !
As always, great work Ryley! Our excitement grows with each video you post!
Please please bring in Wasabi to help flight test. I’d lose my mind seeing y’all partner with Elliot. Great work guys!
Amazing project, been really great to follow from start to finish how you have progressed your ideas from thought to design to physical realisation, I am very curious to see your testing go ahead as obviously it is quite an advanced and unique design. I only wish the best for your team and can’t wait to see the dark aero in the skies maybe even here in a land down under one day!
Excellent Guys Keep it up.
I am an Engineer from India with experience in aircrafts.
I will be glad to help you.
This is so awesome! Love the mission and the build quality!
I am amazed by the quality standard of this beautiful plane, gongratulations.
I don't know why anyone would have concerns about any design choice or any fabrication here.. this ain't no Raptor! I really look forward to these vids, extremely impressive watching you guys work.
Such a cool plane. Have you guys considered at all UL's turbo 520 or does the packaging just not work out?
Beautiful job guys. Truly looks like its going 200ktns while standing in a place. Looks like Pagani of the sky!
Great work! Looks so low drag and fast. Love the landing gear.
So pleased for you guys. Been watching for... a long time. eager to see further progress. I'm going to be watching.
You guys must be excited. Such a wonderful project. If I was only 30 years younger. 🇨🇦
Wow, thanks Riley. I had made a couple points and asked questions about the gear on your previous video, and you answered those exactly - I suspect those were my questions you were answering. So thanks. :)
I realized as you were talking about weight distribution that this thing is LIGHT - carbon fiber, with a big engine hanging on the end. Of course the main gear has to be forward in order to have proper weight distribution. Didn't think of that until you mentioned it.
I look forward to your next update!
Congrats that you've finally got the plane on its feet so to speak. I've been scratch building radio controlled planes for the past 40 plus years. Although a full scale plane involves a lot more work. Regardless of the plane's size, the idea of satisfaction to see your plane fully assembled and on its landing gear is an amazing and unforgettable experience. Once again I am happy for you all you for your accomplishment.
Towards the end of your video you discuss having put a positive Tow on your main gear to keep them stable on landing. Yet it appears like you have a positive camber on them as well which would tend to make them want to pull to the outside instead of push to the inside. Camber will replace toe if you move that wheel to a negative camber it will try to turn to the inside and you wouldn't have to do as much toe and you wouldn't be scrubbing rubber off of the tires every time you run it down the runway. You can basically do zero toe and a degree or two of negative camber and have pretty much the same effect. You might want to look into that. I did that on a front-wheel drive vehicle several years ago because I was doing long drives to work everyday and I was getting four or five miles a gallon better mileage and almost zero wear on the tires. And the vehicle was more stable. The only side effect I noticed was that if I crowded the vehicle into a curve the tires would make a lot of noise long before the front tires would break loose. So you had plenty of warning if there was an issue. But when I had the stock front end alignment on it it would break loose and just go straight it would push very badly. After I did that I never had a problem with a push. But it would let you know when you were hard on a turn. Just my thoughts
I'm happy to see some new blood pumped into General Aviation, its exciting to see new aircraft designs become dream to reality and the DarkAero is something to look forward to and while I'm sure it has its place what I hope to see one day is a new true 4 seater designed to be comfortable for X-country, and also affordable.
Regarding Landing Gear development mentioned after 3:20, will the internal pressure in the gear struts allow consistent landings/takeoffs across a range of field elevations (sea level up to Colorado) and a wide range of temperatures (summer and winter) ? Anticipate that maximum extension of struts will be allowed in the retracted/stowed position for flights at altitude.
Thanks for clarifying all those points. Someone previously asked who your test pilot for the maiden flight would be. Are you guys thinking of flying the plane yourselves? After all, nobody's more familiar with this plane than you are :) but it must require some skill to fly something as sleek as this!
The last thing that they need is to do the test program themselves. It might cost a bit, but engaging a reputable independent organisation to administer, inspect the airframe and fly the test program will pay off in the long run.
Wonder if Elliot Seguin would jump at the chance? Oooh, poor choice of words!
@@Jack-ne8vm That would be great fun if that happened. We would get to see both sides of the testing phase.
@@Jack-ne8vm yeah, maybe, but nah.
@@Smokeyr67 they need a test pilot with lots of hours.
Can't think of any small experimental manufacturer that hired a company to test everything.
Have to remember this is an experimental aircraft not a certified.
Heck builders will be making mods to them right away.
It would be interesting to see an accounting of development costs and timelines when the plane is ready for production. It looks fast standing still!
Awesome update, we all want to see this beautiful machine flying.
You guys are doing an AMAZING job... Looking forward to your first flight and your first sale...
love what you guys are doing - keep sharing - onwards and upwards
Beautiful piece of workmanship
Pumped to see this thing fly!
Sending love from Toronto. You guys are incredible!
So proud of you guys!
Engineering at its finest. Keep up the great work, guys!
Thanks for clarifying everything! :)
Being able to roll somthing around isnt impressive, but how quick qnd how little effort you put into the motion says everything about the aircraft! Amazing :)
Finally, was wondering how you would sort the engine intake.
Awesome.
Yeah they have it backwards. They need a larger opening and faster air flow for cooling. The expansion chamber to slow the air down is useful for getting the pressure up for the engine intake, which they apparently haven't made yet. So strange.
You guys are awesome. This is what I love about engineers
The plane looks beautiful! Keep it up!
Great looking landing gear guys! All three wheels look exactly the correct size and may even land on turf or grass! Kudo’s!
It is very exciting to see your plane coming along! Question: will the back landing gear be able to handle a grass field emergency landing? Will the forward angle of the rear gear make a bumpier landing? I am just wondering what is going to happen to the plane if the back landing gear hits a pot hole or something like that.
Work of art !! Simply beautiful design.
I don't recall whether you pressure/leak tested the fuel cells.... we are all looking forward to the maiden flight. This is going to be a great 2022 for you.
So... how much does the weight and balance(CG) change between gear down and gear up? For a light airplane it would seem that the shift would be a lot. Thats why most airplanes stow the gear in the wings so the cg changes very little between up and down.
Will the toe-in geometry change once weight is added to the aircraft, thus reducing "scrub"?
2:13 it looks like the angle is fixed and it will pivot according to the linkage pin
Can’t wait to see you guys win lots of awards at OSH! You deserve it!
Can't wait to see this thing fly! What an awesome project! Good luck!
So you've got all the jigs/designs/tools now, how long to make a second? So cool!!! Congrats guys!!!
Great work guys. This thing is beautiful.
You have done such a fabulous job with all of this, that I hate to bring this up. The first concern is ground clearance for the prop, especially when the plane is moving over rough grass surfaces. Perhaps what Mike Patey is working on with his prop will be beneficial for you. The second concern is the heat factor for the pilot with that canopy. Best wishes!
Isn't the heat thing with the canopy easily adressed with a UV-shielding tinted wrap of some sort?... Many aircraft with similar canopies have this already...
I keep watching this project and wondering if I should get on board... we fly plenty of Vans RV, Bonanzas, Rans and Cherokees out of our grass/ parallel asphalt airpark. The grass is nice when bringing them in. I can say... living at an airpark is the life.
Loving the progress on this project. Once this thing flies, I bet the sub count will skyrocket so fast. Love everything you guys are doing
You've created a beautiful looking aircraft.
such a nice job! I don't know you guy's, but I'm proud to see how far you made it on the project!
nice brand for the brakes french brand ! the plane looks very nice !
Always a pleasure seeing and hearing you Riley. A couple of quick questions, Riley.
1. What are the target numbers for the D.A1 in terms of Speed, Range and MPG?
2. Has any work been done in terms of the interior? Seats? Harnesses? Display panels?
that is all on their website
congratulations. your hard work is paying off. i really look forward to watching more of your content.
These guys designed the aircraft. They are engineers, they know what they are doing. Meanwhile armchair nobody's question their design choices... Gotta love the internet.
i don’t think there is anything wrong with people asking questions or making comments. i think you will find there are many people watching who ha e aviation expertise. it doesn’t detract from the hard work and great achievements of these brothers.
OP is probably right. Although some critical review is warranted on any project. As long as the critic has a logical and fact based foundation for their perceived grievance.
I am a longtime follower, and a real fan of 96% of what they do. I post tough questions on rare occasion but am not going out to smear their commendable effort.
Almost all of their design choices are sound from a functional and construction standpoint.
The aircraft will undoubtedly fly, and I don't think they will be far off from their lofty performance estimates, either. This probably is a 275mph airplane as it sits. There is no reason why it cant fly that fast and that far. Or carry that much. It can, and it will, and they will achieve success in those areas.
My critique is of the philosophic and artistic kind.
Aesthetically, the rudder is all squared-off and looks out of place, as everything else is rounded. The turtle-deck and rudder outlines are not up to the same Aesthetic standards as the rest of the plane.
Philosophy wise, It uses split-flaps for the rudder which are great at creating a significant portion of drag as they generate in lift. Great on the wing of a hot ship like the FW-190 or Super Tucano. Not the Rudder of a propeller plane. The cases where you need the rudder most, when you ask the largest deflection, I.e. slow, high AoA, and high power setting, as in a Vx climb or go-around on landing, it works as a speed brake right when you need less drag. Not to say it cant work, because obviously they showed the space shuttle, but the Shuttle cant go-around on landing, and it doesn't have 5hp/lb torquing a propeller around its thrust-axis. The shuttle has no propulsion torque, it needs brakes more than rudder. Outward-deflecting rudders were used on the LongEZ but that aircraft didn't need much of any rudder at all. The rudders it had were plain flaps.
Then there is the "Why" go all the effort to attain 275mph on 200hp, as your first product, in the first place? E.g. 250 mph is nearly as fast, and would allow a significantly lower landing speed via larger wing. 1.21x larger, to be exact. 79ft^2 vs 66ft^2. (18.75 vs 22.73 Lbs per SqFt wing loading). 66ft area is the same as Reno IF1 racers that weight half as much. (500 empty 750 loaded vs DA=775/1500). And those planes are a handful to land for non-expert fliers. So this one will be heart racing fast on landing for people who are more hands on builder than stick and rudder fighter jocks.
The old Lancair 235-360 had 76ft of wing area and weighed about the same As DA. You can see DA is in another category of performance above all the 4cyl Lancairs. Having 10ft less wing area and slightly more power.
Performance wise, its a winner. - But why compromise everything at the expense of attaining that last 10% improvement in speed, when it costs so much everywhere else? Especially traffic pattern and landing.
The answer is Performance sells.
And they are selling a lot.
They are very smart with a great work ethic and are investing a large input of time and money, dotting their i's as they go, doing everything "Right" and by the book. So they almost certainly do deserve their success.
But, it hasn't flown, its mostly hype until they test fly and determine if its going to be a sale-able product to average pilots. I suspect along with high wing loading, at least high for its chord Reynolds number, it will also have a really entertaining stall behavior. (Though I've revised my earlier dire estimate slightly after seeing their planform taper ratio is nearly rectangular, which should help).
Its a great product for its intended purpose. But its intended purpose: aka "Philosophy of Use" was very obviously conceived by non-pilots who have never felt that pucker factor trying to land a hot ship, let alone when experiencing the fatigue of a long trip, or at night... Nor have they ever lined up on a cornfield to simulate an engine out. You go out and fly at some corn at a buck-20 something and tell me you wouldn't be tempted to apply a little too much aft pressure about 20-feet up?
If you do, you will die.
You gotta put the gear up and the nose down and hit that shit at 80-something because you gotta keep the wing flying all the way.
I don't think those observations are invalid.
Looking fantastic guys!
As always, thanks for sharing your amazing project. Can’t wait for the upcoming video captioned “Turn the Volume Up”.
Will you have available and other selection of power plants? I met the team at Oshkosh a couple of years back. A project like this isn't gonna happen over-night. I'm glad you're getting close to a "finish" product. Keep up the great work!
Hi Ken! The DarkAero 1 is specifically designed around the UL Power UL520iS engine. Designing around a specific engine allows for more optimization than would be possible if we kept the design open to a broad selection of engine options. Thank you for continuing to follow the project!
@@DarkAeroInc what about the recently released turbo version of the ul520is ? Is it significantly different? Could be a significant improvement in true airspeed at altitude.
Its great seeing this come together. Looking forward to seeing it fly.
Amazing project. Glad to see videos more often!
So cool seeing this project progress and nearing completion, thanks for the update
Very excited to see this beautiful bird fly! You guys rock!
Amazing design and execution. You are a great team!
She's come together so beautifully! Really looking forward to watch her take off to the skies and safely return.
Will you paint it before flight (part from the reg no which I presume is not optional)?
I love your videos, so pedagogic, enthusiastic yet calm and thoughtfully explained. What I could watch more is just collages of you guys doing stuff with the plane. It's so fascinating to see things get crafted, machined, assembled, deburred, polished, fitted, refitted etcetera. But I do appreciate you explaining all the thoughts that has gone in behind every decision.
Side note, a reflection: Guess the target audience is more direkted towards potential kitbuilders, affils in the industry and pilots. Me, I'm not even a pilot - just a life long avgeek with a soft spot for handcraft and manufacturing. From technology to art in wood and other materials. But I am a software developer with a keen interest in electronics so I enjoy those tidy and neat cable installations and electronics installations just a tad extra. ;)
Curious how you modeled the loads for a (hard) touchdown and what the predicted failure modes are.
Looks right. Probably is right. Nice work.
This is so cool... I hope to see one of these in person some day.
Enjoying the build!
Great progress can't wait for the test flights
Absolutely amazing what you have accomplished guys. Keep it up!
So cool to see what 3 bothers aligned can do, congrats and greetings from Brazil, if you guys ever come to my country please let me know, stay in my house in São paulo
Great work guys. Can't wait for the Spring flights.
I really enjoy this channel and want to see you guys succeed. Thank you and good luck.
Admit it - you already put a couch cushion in the cockpit so you could sit in there and make airplane noises!! The plane just looks fantastic. Regarding the canopy, I know EXACTLY where you're coming from. All of us in this business want to to as much stuff to be vertically integrated as possible, but you learn over the years to outsource stuff to the folks who already perfected it (engines, props, avionics, wheels, etc..). I really like that FG turtledeck, it'll allow you to mount some of antennas back there and keep them out of the airstream.
Can't wait to see it at OSH this year, your display is going to be a busy one I predict!
Wow, that is some beautiful CNC work on that gear!! I can't help but notice how small that vertical Stab is. I bet you will end up enlarging the tail, or putting strakes on it. Are there any spin test planned in the test profiles? Really cool project. What requirement will this airplane fulfill for a pilot? Great work!!!
@Dark Aero, Inc 1) does the engine require a certain operating temperature in order to have all components at proper thermal expansion? For example piston to wall clearances.
2) if number one is yes, how do you control this temperature with fixed aperture openings or outlets?
Looking Great! Can't wait to see it fly. I'm staying tuned in, so Hurry up!!! LOL
Your work is really impressed me. ❤
It’s looking very good. What material do you use to 3D print the diffuser?
Absolutely incredible workmanship! I always wondered what would happen if the whole plane is made out of carbon fiber. Starting with the small plane such as this and going up to widebody passenger jets, how much it would weigh? What would be the thrust to weight ratio? How would it affect fuel consumption. It's very interesting and a lot of labor hours too I guess
The majority of the 787 Dreamliner is a carbon fiber body with a plastic like resin to hold it together
Waiting for the amazing results in the near future guys...keep it up 👌
Good stuff. Can't wait for your flights.
Very good looking airplane, congratulations guys! Have you ever considered a small turboprop engine for this application? If so, what were the conclusions? Cheers!
beautiful aircraft guys. nice job.
When it comes to canopy ejection, would small molded CF “winglets” mounted near the forward edge be the way to ensure proper separation?
Beautiful plane mate!
I was looking for RAM air right before you mentioned it.
Wasn't this orginally going to be a io-360 engine.
Should look at Mike Pateys cylinder head covers for cooling he uses on Scrappy.
Can't wait to see this plane fly and get actual performance numbers.
Beautiful aircraft makes me wish I wouldn't have lost my license due to Heath reasons.
I had a F1 rocket.
So only change I would make to this plane would be it should be a tail dragger with retractable gear.
Lastly been following you since your 2nd or 3rd year as I grew up in Wisconsin
I noticed you haven't shown, or we haven't seen the air outlet on the lower engine shroud..? Also what is the plan for the engine air intake, its going to be breathing some pretty hot air fully enclosed..?
Awesome! Keep on chugging away!