The plane some said would never fly
08-13-2019, 08:38 PM
#1
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The plane some said would never fly
Latest to have my knife blade attack depron is a model that really I have never really been fond of - but because of its unique design and form - has finally got me intrigued.
I have read quite a bit about how well it flies despite its lack of aerodynamics .....
The plan and parts are as simple as you can get .... so what is it ?
F-117 Stealth.
I have the RC Foam Fighters plan that guy drew up for Elmers Board - we cannot get that over here - so 6mm Depron will have to do. He advises CF spar if using Depron.
The parts have actually been cut from scrap sheet I had left over from previous, and where score / fold divides larger parts - I've taken advantage and cut through to reduce the overall part size. I usually tape along the fold anyway as its weakened - so cut and glue will be fine ..
I like the way guy has set out the plan into pages ... then tiled. Only pity is that he has only provided the Letter size tiles and not the full PDF ... or in A4 as in most of the worlds use. I've printed on A4 using as is settings and it seems to have printed ok. I can accept a slight distortion if necessary.
More and pictures to follow.
I have read quite a bit about how well it flies despite its lack of aerodynamics .....
The plan and parts are as simple as you can get .... so what is it ?
F-117 Stealth.
I have the RC Foam Fighters plan that guy drew up for Elmers Board - we cannot get that over here - so 6mm Depron will have to do. He advises CF spar if using Depron.
The parts have actually been cut from scrap sheet I had left over from previous, and where score / fold divides larger parts - I've taken advantage and cut through to reduce the overall part size. I usually tape along the fold anyway as its weakened - so cut and glue will be fine ..
I like the way guy has set out the plan into pages ... then tiled. Only pity is that he has only provided the Letter size tiles and not the full PDF ... or in A4 as in most of the worlds use. I've printed on A4 using as is settings and it seems to have printed ok. I can accept a slight distortion if necessary.
More and pictures to follow.
08-14-2019, 01:04 PM
#3
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I have to admit that business is slow and I am frustrated. Building models is my 'stress reliever' ....
My wife thinks I'm mad ... but that's nothing unusual ..
The F-117 was decided on after I considered events I was involved in some years ago - Gulf War 1. I watched the F-117 as well as other aircraft going out on their missions ... so it has a place in my hangar. Thinking on that - I well remember the first strikes going out to destroy Iraqi runways ...
I had just completed assignment in Dammam Port (Saudi) and was dropping down from the Dahran highway to the Jubail highway. Its a large junction of the two main highways that cross in the eastern part of Saudi. Next to the junction was a man made 'hill' nicknamed Radar Mountain - for all its antenna stuck on it !
I had just entered Jubail highway and the long drive back to Office ... when WHOOOSH ...... WHOOOOSH ..... RAF Tornados at extreme low level crossed the highway ahead of me ... I mean these babies were so low - I saw them straight out front car windscreen ! The sand was being drawn up into the air behind them. More Tornados shot across the raod and they all circled / grouped up on that 'mountain' then dropped back down again to ultra low level and put the metal to the floor .... of to drop Runway Busters ...
I've seen low level work - but this was something else ... they were so low - the sand was being sucked up into the air in billowing clouds behind them ...
Got back to the Office and of course it was the topic of conversation - GW1 had turned from Desert Shield into Desert Storm. Next we knew - the A10 's were going out from Naval base near our office ... sadly later in the War - one of them was to be the one who in 'Friendly Fire' fired on the British personnel carrier.
There are events I knew of / witnessed that even today are hidden or let us say - whole truth not public ... but that's war.
Right back to MODEL'S !!!
My wife thinks I'm mad ... but that's nothing unusual ..
The F-117 was decided on after I considered events I was involved in some years ago - Gulf War 1. I watched the F-117 as well as other aircraft going out on their missions ... so it has a place in my hangar. Thinking on that - I well remember the first strikes going out to destroy Iraqi runways ...
I had just completed assignment in Dammam Port (Saudi) and was dropping down from the Dahran highway to the Jubail highway. Its a large junction of the two main highways that cross in the eastern part of Saudi. Next to the junction was a man made 'hill' nicknamed Radar Mountain - for all its antenna stuck on it !
I had just entered Jubail highway and the long drive back to Office ... when WHOOOSH ...... WHOOOOSH ..... RAF Tornados at extreme low level crossed the highway ahead of me ... I mean these babies were so low - I saw them straight out front car windscreen ! The sand was being drawn up into the air behind them. More Tornados shot across the raod and they all circled / grouped up on that 'mountain' then dropped back down again to ultra low level and put the metal to the floor .... of to drop Runway Busters ...
I've seen low level work - but this was something else ... they were so low - the sand was being sucked up into the air in billowing clouds behind them ...
Got back to the Office and of course it was the topic of conversation - GW1 had turned from Desert Shield into Desert Storm. Next we knew - the A10 's were going out from Naval base near our office ... sadly later in the War - one of them was to be the one who in 'Friendly Fire' fired on the British personnel carrier.
There are events I knew of / witnessed that even today are hidden or let us say - whole truth not public ... but that's war.
Right back to MODEL'S !!!
08-14-2019, 10:25 PM
#4
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mmmmm finding I need to adjust too many slots and tabs otherwise its not fitting together well.
I think better use of that vast space under the inner fuselage structure could have been made ... seems a complete waste to leave it empty forcing all gear into the top section ...
ESC for example could have been placed down on the wing ... maybe I'll incorporate a small change ...
But I know looking at it - all will be fine in the end.
I think better use of that vast space under the inner fuselage structure could have been made ... seems a complete waste to leave it empty forcing all gear into the top section ...
ESC for example could have been placed down on the wing ... maybe I'll incorporate a small change ...
But I know looking at it - all will be fine in the end.
08-16-2019, 03:14 PM
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Moving on ... the fin angles of 65 deg make the slots unworkable and need to be oversized .... this is also true of the front fuselage ..
Putting it all together shows various areas where tabs and slots just do not meet. When front fuselage is mated with the large inner fuselage / duct structure - the front part of the fuselage is at least 5mm gap to the flat sheet base ! A new nose piece had to be cut to try hide this.
Using PU glue at least solves some of the gaps and allows strong joints as its 'foams up' and fills voids.
The saving grace of this plan though - is its Free !
Motor mount is 3 pieces of lite ply laminated together and then PU glued into place ... the foam structure it bonds to has had extra foam sheet sides added for about 8cm. The plywood and foam pieces of full height inside that area to get maximum glue joints.
The tail fins angle template ... I changed to the assembly shown in last photo because the original sits too far forward and doesn't 'hold' fins well enough.
I am considering CF into the elevons as the designer himself commented on their flexing.
I may be a bit 'critical' of the fit of parts - but the idea is good and does create a strong structure. In fact I think my solid 3mm CF spar may be an overkill.
While glue is curing - I am trying to find a more interesting colour scheme than the Night Fighter black usually seen. I came across a Camo scheme which I may use as inspiration ...
Putting it all together shows various areas where tabs and slots just do not meet. When front fuselage is mated with the large inner fuselage / duct structure - the front part of the fuselage is at least 5mm gap to the flat sheet base ! A new nose piece had to be cut to try hide this.
Using PU glue at least solves some of the gaps and allows strong joints as its 'foams up' and fills voids.
The saving grace of this plan though - is its Free !
Motor mount is 3 pieces of lite ply laminated together and then PU glued into place ... the foam structure it bonds to has had extra foam sheet sides added for about 8cm. The plywood and foam pieces of full height inside that area to get maximum glue joints.
The tail fins angle template ... I changed to the assembly shown in last photo because the original sits too far forward and doesn't 'hold' fins well enough.
I am considering CF into the elevons as the designer himself commented on their flexing.
I may be a bit 'critical' of the fit of parts - but the idea is good and does create a strong structure. In fact I think my solid 3mm CF spar may be an overkill.
While glue is curing - I am trying to find a more interesting colour scheme than the Night Fighter black usually seen. I came across a Camo scheme which I may use as inspiration ...
08-16-2019, 03:15 PM
#6
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Using the jpg shown before ... I used a bit of imagination and created a 'fantasy' Desert Storm look ... basically to give it a possible Gulf War 1 sort of look ..
The darker brown just needs another coat ... its water based poster paint and if you thin it - any 'agent' still on the foam from production causes it to have those blotches.
The darker brown just needs another coat ... its water based poster paint and if you thin it - any 'agent' still on the foam from production causes it to have those blotches.
09-07-2019, 08:41 AM
#12
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Most of the videos I see are literally guys hold wing tip and then do a 'Frisbee' style launch from the 'hip' ....
I'm thinking to do similar ... with left hand across body and model from right 'hip' Frisbee style. Its how I launch my Teksumo ...
My reasoning is that I reckon I need my right hand on that right stick to counter any action as that wing is absolutely flat with that enormous body on top ... reckon it needs speed to get steady ..
I'm thinking to do similar ... with left hand across body and model from right 'hip' Frisbee style. Its how I launch my Teksumo ...
My reasoning is that I reckon I need my right hand on that right stick to counter any action as that wing is absolutely flat with that enormous body on top ... reckon it needs speed to get steady ..
10-05-2019, 06:57 PM
#15
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Hoping tmrw that I can finally get this baby in the air ...........
I have been in the garden trying out various ways to hold and launch .... its a strange model to try hold !!!
Think I will get another to launch for first flight ... once trimmed and I see what cruise throttle is ... then maybe I'll try.
I have been in the garden trying out various ways to hold and launch .... its a strange model to try hold !!!
Think I will get another to launch for first flight ... once trimmed and I see what cruise throttle is ... then maybe I'll try.
10-07-2019, 01:15 PM
#17
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Launch was completely without any problem .. she went out of helpers hands straight as a die ... BUT ...
Ailerons were so twitchy ... but Elevator was just nowhere near enough ...
From launch - I put her into a turn ... which proved to be so wide as the elevator couldn't tighten it much .... but she then came across the sun - I tried to avoid then decided to let her go through and 'catch' her as she came out ... but by then she was in the spiral of death !
Repair is actually not as bad as first appears ... because she's made up of mostly straight pieces ... I can just cut and scarf in.
What I am happy about though - is she launched without fuss and shows that pilot alone can do it without hassle.
The 1940kv Hobby King Rarebear motor and 4S is ideal. Shame they don't sell it anymore.
Ailerons were so twitchy ... but Elevator was just nowhere near enough ...
From launch - I put her into a turn ... which proved to be so wide as the elevator couldn't tighten it much .... but she then came across the sun - I tried to avoid then decided to let her go through and 'catch' her as she came out ... but by then she was in the spiral of death !
Repair is actually not as bad as first appears ... because she's made up of mostly straight pieces ... I can just cut and scarf in.
What I am happy about though - is she launched without fuss and shows that pilot alone can do it without hassle.
The 1940kv Hobby King Rarebear motor and 4S is ideal. Shame they don't sell it anymore.
10-07-2019, 02:02 PM
#18
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New flat plate underside ready to scarf ..
Cut away most of the 'rubbish' ..
Scarf under plate in ..
Once the PU glue is set - will cut and scarf in battery holder and upper fuselage t complete.
The major factor is that all the important flight part is undamaged and its purely the nose and upper triangular section to sort.
10-07-2019, 03:46 PM
#21
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Internal structure spliced in and glue setting ...
New upper fuselage and nose section waiting to be fitted :
Biggest headache is going to repainting her to be honest ...
New upper fuselage and nose section waiting to be fitted :
Biggest headache is going to repainting her to be honest ...
10-08-2019, 10:26 AM
#22
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Dry fit last parts ... I think I will modify that nose V section to a bit smaller so its sits lower ...
Glue those in place ... make sure battery box is good ... and then its paint to finish
?
