Mastodawn

Then mould making here:
https://mstdn.business/@avian/115859984109610838
Now the support structure to go inside it is the final part

Avian Hang Gliders (@[email protected])

Attached: 4 images Used @[email protected] to design the moulds for the winglet. So printing the patterns (Prusa XL) to make moulds from which eventually the carbon parts will be made from. There's a pair of winglets, each mould is in 2 halves (plus some small loose pieces), the pattern for each half is printed in two sections and the print takes nearly 2 days. So about 2 weeks of solid 3D printing time to do the full set.

Mastodon For Business

Show thread

Avian Hang Gliders 3d ago

This has been an ongoing project, starting with an aero optimisation here: https://mstdn.business/@avian/115548043938995019

Avian Hang Gliders (@[email protected])

Attached: 2 images Winglets design optimised using #openvsp , final design with @[email protected] then the prototypes were (very sparse!) 3D printed and skinned with carbon (production versions will be full carbon mouldings). Now flight tested (will tweak the optimiser a little to avoid the small area of speartion you can see in the tuft testing). More details about the optimisation in this post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/winglet-135459661 #freecadfriday

Mastodon For Business

Avian Hang Gliders Jun 19

This #freecadfriday I've been working on the winglets again. Finally got a nice 3D printed core structure, designed in @freecad printed on my Prusa XL. It clicks together really nicely and is featherlight. I bond it into the carbon skins using strips of UD carbon, so it makes a lovely light and very rigid structure. The 3D print is just the support; it stops the carbon buckling so that it can be really thin. It took a few iterations to get to a design that I could be proud of!

Show thread

Avian Hang Gliders Jun 10

To get in touch with the school, please follow this link: https://www.bhpa.co.uk/schools/schools.php?map=1&first=PE8&ref=425#schools
And as always, for more information on the sport and links to other schools in the UK and further afield go to https://hanggliding.co.uk

BHPA Registered Schools

BHPA registered hang gliding and paragliding schools will train you at a rate of progress that is suitable for you. They are monitored for safety, the quality of the training they offer, and the equipment they use, and their instructors are licensed by the BHPA.

Avian Hang Gliders Jun 10

Great news, there's a new UK school able to take people at any level. There's more about it in this video; it's an interesting method of teaching which combines the benefits of aerotow training (having an instructor next to you in the glider and getting lots of airtime) and of winch training (to make the transition to flying solo). Also in a highly accessible part of the country that also tends to get better weather than the rest of the UK.
All the best Tony!!
https://youtu.be/NtxiW0jgwfQ

New UK Hang Gliding School!

YouTube

Avian Hang Gliders May 31

Winglets are really great! I love the way the glider handles with them and especially how it looks with them. They also (when designed properly, which ours our, both by analysis and by testing) add a bit to performance, particularly low speed and min sink. However they also have some downsides. We've come up with something that gives a lot of the benefit, but simpler, more practical and lower cost. We also have great fun testing it!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/fun-with-fins-159718639?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Avian Hang Gliders May 11

Chris Petrilli May 11

Douglas Adams died 25 years ago today. This has made a lot of people very sad. And has been widely regarded as a very bad thing.

Avian Hang Gliders Apr 30

Avian uses mostly Open Source Software for all critical functions, if you're living in the UK please consider writing to your MP to support this bill
UK Digital Sovereignty Strategy https://action.openrightsgroup.org/protect-britain%E2%80%99s-digital-backbone-%E2%80%94-ask-your-mp-act

Protect Britain’s Digital Backbone — Ask Your MP to Act

Take action! What’s the problem? The UK’s digital backbone. The cloud services, data systems, and platforms that underpin government, public services, and democratic processes is dangerously reliant on a small number of foreign tech companies. Much of this critical digital infrastructure is controlled by US-based firms such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Palantir, whose services are embedded across government and the public sector. Other key providers are based in Israel and China. Together, these companies operate systems that are essential to how the UK state functions day to day.

Open Rights Group

Avian Hang Gliders Apr 7

Odd message on my parents computer, Firefox popped up with a warning that it was running low on disk space and to clear stored data to free up space. The computer in question has a 500GB drive which is about 1/2 full, but Firefox thinks that it had somehow got 17 million TB stored somewhere. My parents seem to have somehow downloaded the whole internet! They cleared it and the error hasn't come back.

Avian Hang Gliders Mar 25

FreeCAD Mar 25

FreeCAD Version 1.1 Released

After an enormous amount of work and dedication from FreeCAD contributors we are delighted to announce that FreeCAD Version 1.1 is now released and available for download. There are significant amounts of improvements and new features.

https://blog.freecad.org/2026/03/25/freecad-version-1-1-released/

#FreeCAD #CAD #CAM #BIM #opensource #fc3d

FreeCAD Version 1.1 Released

FreeCAD News