PROGRESS ON REAR DUCTED SECTION – July 9, 2018
Above, David Nobles, Samson Mechanical Engineer, calculated the trim lines for this large, curvy carbon fiber part – and then he trimmed it. The propeller hub will be mounted in the hole you see here.
It’s great to have a hands-on engineer who is capable of doing the physical work as well as the design and engineering.
This is another view of the ‘V’ shaped part shown above, with the addition of 2 parts on both the left and right sides of it. This makes up now the entry into the duct from the left and right sides of the vehicle, which are more visible in the images below.
In the photo above, the ‘V’ shaped duct section is sitting on a low platform. When it is assembled to the body, the part it’s resting on will face to the back of the vehicle, housing the propeller. In the background of this shot you can see the rear firewall of the prototype.
In the above photo, builder Brent Burch (left) and Sam Bousfield are fitting the round duct part (that houses the propeller) to the rest of the duct of the prototype. After taking multiple measurements and physically inspecting, they can determine what needs to be trimmed or modified.
There are so many cool perspectives from which to view the Switchblade! This is looking from the side of the cabin, where you can see the rear part of the door jam, and back through the duct. The cabin is painted with light grey primer and the new parts are still bare carbon fiber.
