"Full contact" combat designs and equip

[Blue Note]

We've been flying these little 20" symmetrical EPP wings here for a little full contact combat and small field pylon racing, also full contact, using the cheapest components we can get to work. At thier small size, actual contact is rather rare ( it's hard to hit something on purpose ) and being all EPP, damage is light if at all. BUT...at about 70-80mph...the impacts are exciting every time. 10 minutes of full throttle figure 8 pylon racing around a couple poles or field goals at the local football field make for a good time. Sorry, no video of the pylon racing or combat, just regular flight.

click here to watch the video

Here's a link to the build thread for those interested in how it's put together.

Build Thread

[iflyrc1012]

bluenote,
the link doesn't work. got a build thread?

[Blue Note]

Originally Posted by iflyrc1012

bluenote,
the link doesn't work. got a build thread?

Funny. I just redirected it and it works now, but here it is again as well.

Pixie Build Thread

[iflyrc1012]

got it now. i had looked it up on my own but thanks anyway!!

[Supremacy]

Real combat should be final, don't compete unless your willing to lose it all.

[Supremacy]

Like racing for pink slips, only you lose your plane instead.

[Buzzsaw]

1

[pattern14]

Originally Posted by Supremacy

Real combat should be final, don't compete unless your willing to lose it all.

After 3 years of direct strike combat, we have had countless clashes and crashes, but nearly always the planes have literally bounced back to fight again. With a good design, proper materials, build technique and tactics, a "real combat " plane should last numerous matches. 0f course, if you fly combat with a parkzone plane, it would be final. Happy dogfighting

[Old Fart]

Yeah, I had a guy at the electric field a few months back that wanted to fly combat against my 30" EPP wing - he was flying a Stryker. Like bringing a knife to a gunfight....

[pattern14]

Originally Posted by Old Fart

Yeah, I had a guy at the electric field a few months back that wanted to fly combat against my 30" EPP wing - he was flying a Stryker. Like bringing a knife to a gunfight....

All too true OF I'm guilty of combat snobbery at times, but if people want to do PNP combat, or streamer cutting, good luck to them. I fully understand you don't want to lose your plane, particularly if have a well performing model, but you have to be objective. As long as are having fun, then all is good, cheers....

[dahawk]

Sunday afternoons at the 114th RC Aero Squadron in Grapevine, TX:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68209321@N05/6207866241/

Just finished my F-22 and after a little more stick time, will be ready to engage !

[Ofcalipka]

After doing a little research and hunting around picking through others ideas online here and other sites I decided to try foam poster board to build a cheap full contact wing. I purchased two poster boards for about $3.00 each and a 3/8 wood dowel for about $2.00. For assembly I used strapping tape, hot glue, and a small amount of resin.

Measurements for this design are a 48" wingspan with a 10" root chord and a 6" tip chord and a 25 degree sweep. I'm putting the CG between 6 3/4"-7".

So far this design has taken numerous hits and crashes in combat and aside from a tear from anothers prop that was quickly repaired with tape and a few creases it still flies fine and is very much responsive. I hope this helps all you out there looking for a cheap plane to build for full contact combat.

HOW TO BUILD: (Sorry tried to post photos but it's not letting me yet, copy and paste links to see photos though)

Step 1: Measure and draw wing cutout on posterboard.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...g?t=1318462014


Step 2: Cut out wing from board then score the center paper on the inside of the top of the wing and peel the paper fro the inside top of the wing.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...g?t=1318462028


Step 3: Cut out several 1" wide strips, I used 3 for spars and to help shape the airfoil glued 1" back from the leading edge, then two in front of where I was going to secure the dowel and one behind. Glue these down with hot glue.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...g?t=1318462480


Step 4: Fold wing over glueing it down to the spars and the trailing edge with hot glue and make a peice to glue onto the outer edge of the wing.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...g?t=1318462465


Step 5: Make an elevon and attach it with strapping tape.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...g?t=1318462427


Step 6: Repeat steps 1-5 and make other wing. Remember some cuts will be reverse now. Then attach two halves together by spreading epoxy on the dowel and insert it into the channel for it in the wings and then use straping tape to secure the rest reenforcing the nose with tape as well.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...g?t=1318462542


Step 7: Add electronics and control horns and wait for test flight. After this photo I added velcro in the battery tray to hold the battery as well as a small door made from scraps to the top also secured with tape and velcro bits. The motor mount is just a scrap of aluminium I had lying around that I cut with tin snips and bent to fit.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...g?t=1318462520

[dahawk]

OFcalipka
I like it ! But now I want to learn more.

1). Do you have actual tiled plans that I can print and spray glue on to the foam sheets?
2). Motor, esc, servo(9g), battery & prop specs(6x4) ? EG. Using the Grayson combo?
3) Are you running a 3/8" dowel along leading edge AND in the cutout slots mid wing? Two dowels per wing section or just one ?
4). In Step 3, are you laminating (3) 1" wide pieces together into one piece then mounting? Does the peeled back tape then form the nice smooth leading edge when you fold it over?
5). Dimensions for vertical stabs? Actual dimensions for the elevons?
6). In the Step 7, I see what looks like a cut out for the battery compartment. Where are you locating the esc and rx? Outside or inside? Is there adequate cooling ? I take it the servo wires run through the inside of the wing.Then rx is inside and esc outside?

Looks like a winner. Again, I would like more details and of course, would love to see some flight vids.

Best,

Hawk

[Ofcalipka]

1). Do you have actual tiled plans that I can print and spray glue on to the foam sheets?

No sorry I just used a ruler and a protractor to draw the design onto the poster board to cut out.

2). Motor, esc, servo(9g), battery & prop specs(6x4) ? EG. Using the Grayson combo?

I'm using a 400 speed inrunner motor with a 5X5 prop, a 35 amp ESC and spectrum receiver with a 3 cell 2200 mah lipo battery. The servos are just standard size servos that I had leftover from a crashed 40 size trainer.

3) Are you running a 3/8" dowel along leading edge AND in the cutout slots mid wing? Two dowels per wing section or just one ?

I only put one dowel in the wing longways to strengthen the wing.

4). In Step 3, are you laminating (3) 1" wide pieces together into one piece then mounting? Does the peeled back tape then form the nice smooth leading edge when you fold it over?

Yes they all get glued together. The peeled backing on the inside top helps to make a smoother fold over the spars to get a better airfoil shape.

5). Dimensions for vertical stabs? Actual dimensions for the elevons?

The elevons are 1" wide nearest the root and 2" wide at the tip. The verticals I'll have to measure but what was leftover of the two posterboards was not much and I just cut them out of the leftover scraps.

6). In the Step 7, I see what looks like a cut out for the battery compartment. Where are you locating the esc and rx? Outside or inside? Is there adequate cooling ? I take it the servo wires run through the inside of the wing.Then rx is inside and esc outside?

So far the rx is inside and yes the servo wires are inside. The esc for now is mounted outside in front of the motor to let it cool as I burned the last one up in the wing due to lack of airflow for cooling. I'm still trying to come up with a better idea for this but so far the Velcro is working well.

I'll try to take some flight videos later this week. Her first real combat was yesterday and in the 4 sessions she crashed twice and suffered seven mid air collisions with no real damage at all. Still flying fast and strong. As soon as I can make a video I'll post it here. This is still a work in progress for a cheap alternative and I look forward to any collaboration for improvement ideas from anyone. The goals I made for this is to keep it around $10 cost and simple to build.

Aloha.

[dahawk]

Ofcalipka,

Look forward to seeing the vids. Thanks for the response . I think I get enough of the idea to be able to build something. Again, looks good. Seems like there is zero diheadral. For combat, I would probably insert a few cocktail spears out at the ends. Fear factor !-LOL

Best,

Hawk

[Ofcalipka]

What ever floats your boat. I wouldn't do the spears as it might be hard to fly if it's stuck to another plane. And yes 0 diheadral.

[Ofcalipka]

Here is one of my test flights on my design from the onboard camera.


http://youtu.be/QhxEQ7x0-zc