by Navy876, published
This is not your ordinary Starship!! A product of the late-80's, the Starship was a revolutionary design for the time, where composite materials were only used in small quantities, much less so on a civilian aircraft. Several things stand out with this bird aside the futuristic look. The canard system helps prevent stalls by pitching the nose down in high-AoA flight. The pusher design allows for a quieter ride save for a loss in efficiency, and the "tipsails" act in place of a conventional vertical stabilizer, which only "would have transmitted propeller noise into the airframe".
This was a very difficult model to create. As the aviation world prefers evolution over revolution, the Starship did not sell well, and with only a scarce few aircraft remaining in one piece, documentation and good-quality photos of the aircraft were difficult to find. This also marks my first attempt at designing the iconic Pratt and Whitney PT6 in a stand-alone nacelle. My models up to this point featuring PT6s have had the engine contained in the nose. Getting the geometry as close as I could get was very challenging. Overall I am satisfied with the work, but am eagerly waiting for you to print this so I may get feedback. If you have any, leave a comment!
Version 1.0.8
Printer Brand: MakerBot
Printer: MakerBot Replicator (5th Generation)
Rafts: Yes
Supports: Yes
Resolution: 0.15mm
Infill: 20% 0.4mm Diamond (fast)
The second reference photo I happened to find, and was quickly used due to the fact that all three views were already to scale with each other.
Fifth progress shot, with the main shape of the wings and canard finished
Base model is completed, ready for smoothing, detailing and slicing into the all-in-one print file.
