solentlife

Holder of Speed record at 727mph ... sold around the world ... an iconic and extremely beautiful aircraft when style was also still in fashion.

It gave birth to the greatest Aerobatic Team in the world, Red Arrows, as the Black Arrows .. it also still today holds the record for 22 aircraft in tight formation doing the loop ! Farnborough Air Show 1958


(at ~8.45 onwards)

Templates are made in 3mm sheet from a 3 view. Then these let me trace out the basic 6mm depron parts. The Fuselage will be similar to my Vulcan - double thickness Depron making a stiff 12mm form.
6mm side strakes to straighten and provide a levelling for that huge wing, also in 6mm.

Span 730mm
LOA 930mm

Plan is to mount prop at rear ... typical 2826 2200kv or similar with a 6x4 or 6x5 ... on 3S ...

Not looking for speed but graceful flight in keeping with the original.

Here are the parts dry fitted for checking ...

solentlife

OK ... found a scheme I liked ...



Decided to darken the grey to make more visible with brown ..





Its first rough paint and then a second coat sorts ... its Water based Poster paint - so will need a gloss over top to seal it and allow decals to stick.

No rudder - decided to leave it off as its not intended for 3D ... just trying to decide whether to put a Fun Fighter 1940kv 3S / 4S capable motor or the 2826 2200kv I usually fit with 3S ...

solentlife

Nearly finished ... just wait paint to dry and then apply underwing decals and fuselage marks .... find a spare Rx and balance her ...









Quite pleased .. had a new 2826 2200kv spare ... so why not ??

Reckon she'll be good for 1800 - 2200 3S Lipo ...

CHELLIE

Looks great Nigel Dont forget that I get to do the Maiden flight on Her LOL

solentlife

Chellie ..... You can 'maiden' anything of mine !

Weather looks like its going to break here ... so maybe a few days before she get's her 'freedom'.

Panther

Video of course! It should rocket with that 2200 motor.
Now, go clean up that foam off the floor!

solentlife

That's how the whole upper floor of the house is !!

Haven't completed workshop yet .....

I hope that saturday stays ok for maiden.

CHELLIE

use a 5x5 APC prop on 4 cells with that 2200 motor I used a 5x5 prop with a 4 cell with a 2700kv motor to go 100mph in a funjet now that was fun

solentlife

First is to get her in the air ..... then to experiment with props.

Speed at present is not the goal ... but of course later .....

solentlife

Well she flies !! OK - had a bit of a 'do' to get her airborne and then motor mount sheered ... BUT SHE FLIES !!

Looks good in the air ...


She's all repaired and ready for flight. I have tested with 4S and swapped the 6x4 prop for a 5x5 ... this gives me choice of 3S or 4S as I want ...

CHELLIE

Swept wing planes are a little difficult to find the CG, It looked like it was tail heavy the first few launches, your friend found the right CG for you Good friend to have around LOL Make the motor mount so you can adjust a Little down thrust to it, about 3 degrees, with a rear motor, the back of the motor will need to point down a little, profile planes normally require a little down thrust to the motor to prevent the plane from wanting to go up when applying throttle and prevent Hunting and porpoising of the plane in level flight, the down thrust with a little up elevator creates a Isometric / Balance effect to load the wing of the aircraft to stabilize it in flight. Take care and have fun, Chellie

quorneng

Does indeed look good in the air - well done..

solentlife

The motor mount is the X Foamboard 3D printed version and I have never had one fail before. Its now replaced with a plywood plate ...

Slight adjustment of motor thrust angle is there as Chellie says ...

The CoG basicallt was my fault ... I have so many models that I start to forget what battery for which one. I had set this up for a 2200 3S battery but tried to fly with an 1800. The Battery area has a long velcro pad and I set it to the rear ! When Vilnis held the model in the mid part - he realised it was 'tail-heavy' ....

I am really looking fwd to having it in the air again .... that and the Vulcan !!

Don Sims

Thought it looked a bit tail heavy in the video.Thats an east fix.

solentlife

Flight with 4S / 5x5 on 2200kv .....

I think it exceeded the airframe as turns were difficult with anything more than about 60% throttle ... even then she would be slow to start and then tighten dramatically.
The elevators are highly tapered due to the shape of tail feathers ... making the outer section far larger ... this makes me think the elevators are flexing when first moved, then when airframe starts turn - they bang in ...

I slowed down into a turn but this and the gusty wind - she panned out into the tough grass ... broke of the nose and split rear fuselage.

A new nose section is easy to make from my templates and scarf in. Rear has already been repaired.
Cf spars into the elevators may help.

Swap out the 5x5 prop and revert to 3S but with 6x5 to give just a little more speed as maiden with 6x4 showed it needed just a touch more 'shove' !

By Glasses dvr ... (3 min 45 sec)

solentlife

New nose section scarfed on and PU glue is curing ..



I cut back to create a joint that overlaps the wing to add some strength ... and also decided to extend the wing sheet to the nose creating a double thick laminated fuselage in vertical and horizontal section ... to carry the weight of that 2250 3S battery ...

The new sections were laminated with epoxy befoare scarfing into main body - the epoxy to provide a stiff glue line to assist with the foam resisting bending moments.

Final joints where gaps will be filled with PU / filler mix to foam up and seal.

solentlife

OOP'S .... seems I forgot to show final success !!


Still flying good after all this time ...

quorneng

Very nice/
Those small props don't half make a noise!
Now much does it weigh with a 2200 mAh 4s?

solentlife

No its a 4S 1500 - 1600 .... on a 2200KV motor ....

Span : 730mm
LOA incl prop : 940mm
Weight with 1600 4S : 640gr