Wing Helper - Greetings and Frequently Asked Questions

[alex_pozgaj]

Hello,

my name is Alex Pozgaj, I'm the author of Wing Helper. Thank you Wayne for providing this discussion area, I am happy and honored to have a place here!

In this thread, I will post the answers to some of the most Frequently Asked Questions about Wing Helper. If you have any further questions, please let me know and I'll update this post.

• Who are you?

I'm an RC and computer programming enthusiast, working on Wing Helper as my "love project". What started as a tool for my needs only (I was not happy with any of the existing options), grew to become a well accepted publicly available parametric CAD tool based on the WYSIWYG philosophy. Being full-time employee at another software company, I am only able to work on Wing Helper in my spare time - I do strive however to keep the quality of the program and of the support on a high level.​

​

English is not my native language, so please excuse any "clumsy" formulations, typos, and other errors. ​

• My license key is not working

Please make sure to enter your license data exactly as specified in the purchase confirmation e-Mail:​

• The upper-lowercase is important (e.g. don't write John.Smith[at]GMail.Com if your license is created for john.smith[at]gmail.com)
• Make sure not to mistake 0 (digit) for O (letter), resp. 1 (digit) for I (letter) - or vice versa
• It is advised to use copy & paste to enter the license data
• If you still have issues with your license, please make sure to also include the screenshot of the registration window, showing the license data as entered, when contacting support@winghelper.com.

• I have lost my license key, what shall I do now?

Please contact me at support@winghelper.com, using the e-Mail address you gave while registering Wing Helper.​

​

• I have a new computer, how do I migrate my Wing Helper license?

There is no need to do anything in particular - just install the Wing Helper on your new computer, enter the registration data, and all should be fine. Wing Helper license is not bound to your hardware, only to you as a person. You can even have multiple installations of Wing Helper on your computers - it is only not permitted to pass the license key to other persons.​

​

• What versions of Wing Helper are covered by the license? Do I need to pay for the updates?

The current Wing Helper license covers all versions starting with "1.". For example, if you have purchased a license for 1.4, it also covers the current version 1.6. There will be a licensing update for the upcoming version line 2.x, I can't tell you yet how that one will look like. I first need to get the 2.x out the door, then I'll think about the licensing. ​

• When will 2.0 come out?

At this point in time, I can't tell. 2.x will bring the fuselage design option to Wing Helper, which is a very complex task. I am still struggling to find a workflow which satisfies me and fits good in the overall Wing Helper philosophy. I hope for a first version some time in 2023, but I can't promise anything.​

​

• Where can I find more information about Wing Helper?

The Wing Helper documentation and a thorough Video Tutorial are available on the Wing Helper Homepage. It corresponds to the Version 1.4, but it still covers all the important aspects in depth.​

​

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

​

Kind regards,

Alex Pozgaj.

 

[884TDV]

Hi Alex,

As you know, I just bought Wing Helper - it’s brilliant! One thing I’d really like to see is the ability to specify diagonal ribs. I added short diagonal ribs in between some of the conventional ribs of a glider kit I recently built (Angel Wings Genteel Lady) and they added a surprising amount of stiffness (both torsionallly and in beam). I plan to use them on the tailless glider im now designing.

David North

 

[alex_pozgaj]

Hello David,

Thanks for the kind words!

Unfortunately, one of the early design decisions in Wing Helper basically made it impossible to include diagonal ribs. This is the question which was coming up time and time again, and if I would see any good way to introduce them, I'd gladly do so. Doing it however would call for a thorough re-design of almost all algorithms for spar placement and cut-outs, which would not only slow it all a bit down (with today's computers it should not be a big deal), but also introduce a whole bunch of bugs and issues to iron out (and annoy the users in the process).

So I'm afraid I don't see it happening any time soon, I'm sorry for that!

Cheers, Alex.

 

[884TDV]

Hello David,

Thanks for the kind words!

Unfortunately, one of the early design decisions in Wing Helper basically made it impossible to include diagonal ribs. This is the question which was coming up time and time again, and if I would see any good way to introduce them, I'd gladly do so. Doing it however would call for a thorough re-design of almost all algorithms for spar placement and cut-outs, which would not only slow it all a bit down (with today's computers it should not be a big deal), but also introduce a whole bunch of bugs and issues to iron out (and annoy the users in the process).

So I'm afraid I don't see it happening any time soon, I'm sorry for that!

Cheers, Alex.

Thanks for your rapid response Alex. As a workaround, is it possible to stretch the length of an airfoil without changing its thickness? Then one could create a dummy separate panel with greater chord, and trim the resulting ribs to fit. A bit crude but maybe better than nothing.

David

 

[Wayne]

David - Consider not using at airfoil at all on the diagonals. Use precut stock that is short enough not to reach the top of the airfoil. You will get the benefits of torsional improvement, and it is easy to do.

 

[884TDV]

David - Consider not using at airfoil at all on the diagonals. Use precut stock that is short enough not to reach the top of the airfoil. You will get the benefits of torsional improvement, and it is easy to do.

Good idea, and there will be less disruption to the airflow.

 

[Wayne]

Exactly!