fastbelly
09-18-2006, 11:59 PM
Hello all, I'm new here and new to electric flight, well new to RC flight really. 28 years back when I was a lad of just 12 or so I built a keil Kraft Swan free flight tow line glider. I only flew it twice and that was not very easy for a kid with no idea and that was that. I couldnt really see the point of a plane you could not controll and couldnt really see a way of making it radio controlled so in the loft it went.
About a month back I saw my pals electric glider and liked the look of it. The next day we were in a model shop because he wanted a new battery for his helli. About an hour later I walked out with a Irvine Early Bird leccy glider. I built it and started to learn to fly. I remembered my Swan fron my child hood and lloked it up on the WEB. To my amazement I found a company called Replikit and the sold a kit of one for a few quid. That was it! I purchased one and set about building a modernised version that fitted my childhood ideal. As soon as the plans came I headed for the model shop and came away with loads of balsa some light hard wood, thin ply, control rods, light weight receiver, mini 2cell li-poly, two micro servos, solar film and iron, little BEC, control horns, folding prop and mini hinges. I ordered a 22mm diameter outrunner motor by a German company called Flyware. Cool.
I set about building the model and soon had the main wing was built, adding a thin plywood center section for strength and rigidity, I added slightly thicker spars to. The ribs were the only thing supplied with the kit. The fusalage followed which I made about 6mm wider to allow a little extra room. I lost the front nose section to make room for the tiny outrunner, I added a little extra bracing up front to keep it strong, ish, I filled in one pannel with lead sheet and made the underneath of the belly from thin ply. I added a servo tray too. That was that. I guessed how big to make the elevator and rudder and built up the tail plane. I used little hinges to let it all operate smoothly. I then made up the controll rods and threw all the radio geat in. It needed the battery right up in the nose to get the C of G right so I made a side acess door for it and stuck the BEC to the upper inside of the nose above the battery. A quick self lesson in Sola Film followed which resulted in a beautifull finnish in translucent Yellow and metallic green, my original Swan this same color sheme but in tissue and balsa.
I was stunned by the looks of it, very pretty. Now bear in mind I have no real experience of flying and no design experience and no idea of how much power it neeed or anything remotely technical about flying. So would it fly?
Me and Woody took it up the local field and hand flew it to see if had a chance, perfect! So we gave it full power and threw it up in the air! Away she went, flew absolutely perfectly, once trimmed it flew as straight as a die and turned really well. Fantastic! It was in the air for 45 mins or so and we had to bring it down because it was getting dark.
The flight time is amasing, it's so light it just hangs up there for for ever.
I have learned to fly now and can take off, and land the Swan perfectly now. I am also flying a Black Horse Liberty which I built up and can fly that ok now as well. All this in just four weeks from seeing Woodys glider that day.
So there you have it a modern version of an old classic, an electric powered sola film covered RC Keil Kraft Mercury Swan. So is that a good thing or am I a philistine?
Fastbelly...
Sorry for the spelling.
About a month back I saw my pals electric glider and liked the look of it. The next day we were in a model shop because he wanted a new battery for his helli. About an hour later I walked out with a Irvine Early Bird leccy glider. I built it and started to learn to fly. I remembered my Swan fron my child hood and lloked it up on the WEB. To my amazement I found a company called Replikit and the sold a kit of one for a few quid. That was it! I purchased one and set about building a modernised version that fitted my childhood ideal. As soon as the plans came I headed for the model shop and came away with loads of balsa some light hard wood, thin ply, control rods, light weight receiver, mini 2cell li-poly, two micro servos, solar film and iron, little BEC, control horns, folding prop and mini hinges. I ordered a 22mm diameter outrunner motor by a German company called Flyware. Cool.
I set about building the model and soon had the main wing was built, adding a thin plywood center section for strength and rigidity, I added slightly thicker spars to. The ribs were the only thing supplied with the kit. The fusalage followed which I made about 6mm wider to allow a little extra room. I lost the front nose section to make room for the tiny outrunner, I added a little extra bracing up front to keep it strong, ish, I filled in one pannel with lead sheet and made the underneath of the belly from thin ply. I added a servo tray too. That was that. I guessed how big to make the elevator and rudder and built up the tail plane. I used little hinges to let it all operate smoothly. I then made up the controll rods and threw all the radio geat in. It needed the battery right up in the nose to get the C of G right so I made a side acess door for it and stuck the BEC to the upper inside of the nose above the battery. A quick self lesson in Sola Film followed which resulted in a beautifull finnish in translucent Yellow and metallic green, my original Swan this same color sheme but in tissue and balsa.
I was stunned by the looks of it, very pretty. Now bear in mind I have no real experience of flying and no design experience and no idea of how much power it neeed or anything remotely technical about flying. So would it fly?
Me and Woody took it up the local field and hand flew it to see if had a chance, perfect! So we gave it full power and threw it up in the air! Away she went, flew absolutely perfectly, once trimmed it flew as straight as a die and turned really well. Fantastic! It was in the air for 45 mins or so and we had to bring it down because it was getting dark.
The flight time is amasing, it's so light it just hangs up there for for ever.
I have learned to fly now and can take off, and land the Swan perfectly now. I am also flying a Black Horse Liberty which I built up and can fly that ok now as well. All this in just four weeks from seeing Woodys glider that day.
So there you have it a modern version of an old classic, an electric powered sola film covered RC Keil Kraft Mercury Swan. So is that a good thing or am I a philistine?
Fastbelly...
Sorry for the spelling.