Dollar Tree Foamboard Yak

[M@!]

Well everyone's awesome builds on this forum has given me the inspiration to build a yak55 out of 30x20 dollar tree foam board.

I found appropriately sized plans on rcgroups and tiled them to print on 11x14 paper. I will update as I go along.

One question I have is what flight characteristics would be changed if I modified the shape and position of the canopy? Something about the canopy just doesn't appeal to me and I would like to make it look more like the yak 54. Can I just change the lines without any dramatic change?

Thanks and I can't wait to start building!

[hankg]

M@!,

Why would you want to put a hood from a 1969 Chevelle 454 on a 1969 Dodge Hemi Charger? It would sort of destroy the ambience of the machine, wouldn't it. Why not build both the way God created them and have twice the fun?

Regards,

Hankg

[CHELLIE]

Originally Posted by M@!

Well everyone's awesome builds on this forum has given me the inspiration to build a yak55 out of 30x20 dollar tree foam board.

I found appropriately sized plans on rcgroups and tiled them to print on 11x14 paper. I will update as I go along.

One question I have is what flight characteristics would be changed if I modified the shape and position of the canopy? Something about the canopy just doesn't appeal to me and I would like to make it look more like the yak 54. Can I just change the lines without any dramatic change?

Thanks and I can't wait to start building!

Hi M@ remove the paper on one side of the foam board, that will help to lighten it up a little, and keep the foam board strong as the paper is Half the weight of the foam board, make the wing at least 30" foam board is a tad bit heavy, and the extra wing span will help to over come the weight of the foam boards paper, use carbon fiber for the wing brace, the bigger yak 54 canopy helps to act like a wing when doing knife edges, so go ahead and modify it here are some foam plans if your interested, Take care and have fun, Chellie

PS if your building a Profile plane, give the motor 5 degrees of down thrust to load the main wing, or the plane will not fly right, it will be ballooning up and down, no right or left thrust is normally needed on a profile foamy plane.

http://www.wattflyer.com/forums/show...652#post715652

yak 54


yak 55

[M@!]

Well Hankg when you put it that way I guess I will just go ahead and build both!
I went all out at Dollar tree and bought the last two sheets of foam board.

Thanks for the advice Chellie, I originally planned on removing both sides of paper. Should I leave on side on for strength?

[CHELLIE]

Originally Posted by M@!

Well Hankg when you put it that way I guess I will just go ahead and build both!
I went all out at Dollar tree and bought the last two sheets of foam board.

Thanks for the advice Chellie, I originally planned on removing both sides of paper. Should I leave on side on for strength?

I think that would be a good idea to leave the paper on the fuselage, and only remove one side of the paper on the wing, if you remove the paper on both sides, then the foam is very weak and spongy, and you have to reinforce it with cf.

[M@!]

After much reading on the yak thread on RCG I have decided to strip both sides on use carbon. Seems like that will be the best bet for weight saving 3D action. I already have some 1mm left over from my Freestyle and picked up a 3mm tube for the wing and fuse.

I got most of the pieces cut tonight. I left the foam unattended for a few minutes and now I have to cut a new nose piece and elevator. My dog loves foam!

[hankg]

M@!,

You had better be very, very, careful! Once you start building these things, they will begin to multiply like rabbits. You will run out of wall space to hang them when you're not flying them. You're significant other will leave you for a "normal" guy and you will have to have a section of your dogs colon removed because it will become plugged with Depron and EPP and stop functionioning.

You are heading down a "Rabbit Hole" my friend. Be very, very, careful!

Regards,

Hankg

[M@!]

At least I know the path I am heading down and I already have my wattflyer support group in place! I think I'm done for it though, not even close to being done with this build and already thinking about what I can do better next time.

I think on my next one I'm going to listen to Chellie, I want to see how much of a weight difference that paper really has. Seems so much sturdier with the paper.

Carbon is installed, and everything is hinged. Pictures to come.

[CHELLIE]

Originally Posted by hankg

M@!,

You had better be very, very, careful! Once you start building these things, they will begin to multiply like rabbits. You will run out of wall space to hang them when you're not flying them. You're significant other will leave you for a "normal" guy and you will have to have a section of your dogs colon removed because it will become plugged with Depron and EPP and stop functionioning.

You are heading down a "Rabbit Hole" my friend. Be very, very, careful!

Regards,

Hankg

M@ is hooked on scratch building Now There is no turning back Every scratch built plane will get better and better, there will be scrap foam board all over the place, His Better Half will disown him he will be Dreaming of foam Planes, he will become a dumpster diver for foam Foam will Take over his Life You Have Entered the RC Foam, Twilight Zone, Be Afraid, be Very Afraid LOL

Twilight Zone intro.

[M@!]

Ahhhhhh last night I did dream of an all foam SR-70 Blackbird and I'm always looking around for foam. My life as I know it is over.


Ohh well, no time to worry about that I need to build!

Here is the picture with the carbon installed, doesn't look much different from yesterday. Now I am just waiting for some motor mounts to come in from headsuprc and I can finish putting her together.


I did take a break to keg some beer that just got done fermenting. Nothing like a cold homebrew after an afternoon of flying.

[hankg]

M@!

http://adamone.rchomepage.com/cg_calc.htm!,

Looks good...nice clean parts. Every builder needs to put this CG calculator on his computer... Always double check the C.G. and get an idea where the stall speed is.

Remember...fly first...beer second...fly first... beer second, unless your "Pappy" Greg Boyington, in which case it was beer first...fly second. Looking forward to some movies!

Regards,

Hankg

[M@!]

Thanks for the calculator, I book marked it on every one of my browsers so I don't loose it!

Definitely beer after flying with this foam, you look at it wrong and it dents. I think beer before flying would be OK with EPP.

My motor mount is supposed to arrive on Friday so if all goes well I should be able to maiden this weekend.

[hankg]

M@!,

Make sure you get that little hummer up into the air before you start acting like Rocky the Flying Squirrel. There is NO forgiveness when you auger that material into the ground. Double check all the directions of your control surfaces before you turn it loose. There is nothing more frustrating than thinking you elevator is going to point the nose up and it drills it into the ground on take off.

I speak from experience...can still hear my grandson saying "man was that cool, can I crash it like that grandpa"?

Regards,

Hankg

[M@!]

Ohh beleive me I unfortunately know from experience also. First time I flew my Slofly it went right into the ground. I had not flown in about 5 years and figured I was just a horrible flyer. Next day I got more altitude and finally figured out what was going on, thanks to EPP it was all good!

Almost ready to maiden the Yak and I know there won't be any bouncing involved here! I just have to mount up the electronics and make a few pushrods.

I would have gotten it done this weekend but I had the brilliant idea of saving $500 by changing my clutch in an 05 GTI. I now why they call Volkswagen Hitler's revenge. Ohhh well busted knuckles = more money for planes!

Here is how it's looking so far. Cat approved!

[hankg]

M@!,

The plane looks great! Good luck on the maiden.

Regards,

Hankg

[M@!]

Well life got in the way of the maiden but I was finally able to chuck it into the air today and it flew!

My initial CG was very nose heavy and elevator/aileron throws aren't as big as I would like but I was happy for my first build.

I did break the nose of trying to fly inverted. Nose heavy and not enough up elevator are not a good combo!

Still not very good at orienting the key chain cam but here is a mess of a video I was able to throw together.

yak

[Fishbonez]

Originally Posted by M@!

Well life got in the way of the maiden but I was finally able to chuck it into the air today and it flew!

My initial CG was very nose heavy and elevator/aileron throws aren't as big as I would like but I was happy for my first build.

I did break the nose of trying to fly inverted. Nose heavy and not enough up elevator are not a good combo!

Still not very good at orienting the key chain cam but here is a mess of a video I was able to throw together.

yak

Very Cool M@

[CHELLIE]

Good Job M@ What power system are you using ?

[hankg]

M@!,

Excellent work!

Regards,

Hankg

[M@!]

Thanks, all. I just put her on the scale and she comes in at a whopping 4.8 ounces without battery and 5.6 with the battery.

Power systems is a Komodo KH2204-17 1219KV with a Phoenix Thunderbird 9.
Battery is a 2s 350 spinning a DD 9050.

Time to cut some more foam!

[hankg]

M@!,

Waiting to see the "54" and your insite into the different flight characteristics.
If you build it, use the same setup that you used on the "55" and proportion it with
the same wingspan.

Regards,

Hankg

[CHELLIE]

Originally Posted by M@!

Thanks, all. I just put her on the scale and she comes in at a whopping 4.8 ounces without battery and 5.6 with the battery.

Power systems is a Komodo KH2204-17 1219KV with a Phoenix Thunderbird 9.
Battery is a 2s 350 spinning a DD 9050.

Time to cut some more foam!

try a 7x6 SF prop with a 1000mah 3 cell to really wake up that plane


http://www.flybrushless.com/motor/view/100