MODEL 777

WINGS

I love the sleekness of the wings and am fascinated by the way the control surfaces (flaps, slats, ailerons, and spoilers) seamlessly extend and retract. My goal is to make a fully-functional set that operates exactly as the real plane’s would.

Due to the sheer complexity of this goal, I’ve broken the wings down into various sub-systems and have been creating test pieces for each in order to verify the integrity of my designs. I’ve also had to come up with new production processes to enable the level of precision that will be required in the final product. This includes building a wingbox jig to hold the wing in place during construction, and multiple molds to help me accurately form the paper that will become the outer skin.

The wings remain in progress and will be the single most complex part of the model, with thousands of individual parts.

WING WIREFRAME

DESIGN

My wing “wireframe,” which defines the general exterior shape of the top and bottom surfaces of the wing

BUILD

A 3-D test of the wireframe. This shows how big each wing will be once complete.

AILERON

The ailerons are located on the outermost trailing edges of the wings and help steer the plane at low speeds.

AILERON

DESIGN

AILERON

TEST PIECE

FLAPERON

The flaperons are located between the inner and outer flaps on the trailing edge of the wing. As their name suggests, they are both a flap and an aileron, and assist in increasing lift and steering the plane at higher speeds.

The small, nearly square flaperon, located between the inboard and outboard flaps

FLAPERON

DESIGN

FLAPERON

TEST PIECE

SLATS

The slats are located along the entire length of the leading edge of the wing, and help produce extra lift for takeoff and landing.

The outboard slats, seen extended from the leading edge of the wing during landing

SLATS

DESIGN

A small section of the immensely complex plans for the slats

SLATS

TEST PIECE

WING-BODY FAIRING

The wing-body fairing smooths the junction of the wings and the fuselage to provide a more aerodynamic shape, and creates enough space in the belly to allow the landing gear to fully retract.

The wing-body fairing, as seen from the front and rear

WING-BODY FAIRING

DESIGN

WING-BODY FAIRING

TEST PIECE

Pieces for the wingbox, which will be glued onto the fuselage and mate with the root of the wings

WHAT’S LEFT TO DESIGN AND BUILD?

The inboard and outboard flaps, the spoilers, and, most importantly, the assembly strategy/process itself. Stay tuned for updates!