Trishula is ancient Sanskrit for “trident,” and after you see this model in ऀight, you’ll understand why I gave it its name: The model looks like a ऀying pitchfork. I wanted this one to be really different. The model has 32-degree forward-swept wings (FSW) and retracts. With this odd planform, the retract geometry proved to be challenging, yet it seems to work just fine. The Trishula actually performs very well. My ऀying buddy, Keith Shaw, ऀew it at the Mid-America Electric Flies and was quite pleased with its performance.
Why use a FSW setup? Well, it’s different, and the wing has excellent stall characteristics and increased maneuverability. The drawbacks are the requirement for a very still wing to avoid aeroelastic diversion, better known as “wing twist.” Because of this, I used a fully sheeted foam wing for increased torsional rigidity.
This is not a beginner’s model in any sense. It uses some advanced construction techniques and must be built precisely to ऀy well. Any unevenness in the wings or misalignment can—and will—result in an almost uncontrollable model. It must be built correctly. So I’ll assume anyone building the Trishula will have significant building experience, and I’ll provide just a basic overview of the construction.
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