Having just finished up the (second) build of the Avenger, and having built my airplane storage rack (which frees up some room) I'm getting the sudden urge to start designing and building again. I haven't even been able to maiden the Avenger yet!
I used up the fuselage parts when I built the second, improved balance, Avenger, but I still had all the laser cut parts needed to build another wing. The wing is a fully symmetrical airfoil. The wing center box (one of the features I like to use in my designing) was set up for a shoulder wing mount.
Hmmmm.
Flip the center wing box over, so the wing hold down bolts go in from the bottom. The wing halves still go in, and dihedral can be changed when the wing halves are joined to the wing center box, which has built in dihedral braces. Voila! Now it will work on a low wing plane!
Okay, what type? I've always liked the looks of the crop duster planes (I still kick myself over selling the Demi Duster sometimes) and I think the "TuLowe Crop Dusting Service" could use a new plane, a bit bigger this time. Maybe even large enough to incorporate some type of hopper that could be filled with talcum powder and dumped with a ch.6 servo (ch.5 is still going to be flaps - what the heck, the wing is all set up for it!)
Time to make up some initial sketches, work out a few details in my head (remembering the mistakes I made on the Avenger) and then fire up the CAD program.
What goes up, must come down. The trick is to keep it in one piece.
This is one of my most "fun" planes to fly.
Just 40" span so its in one piece
All Depron apart from balsa spar flanges in the wing tail and fin.
A thick Clarke Y wing section so it needs a lot 'down' when inverted but lands ridiculously slowly.
The radial is optional but makes it look more 'agricultural'.
I've just recently got the building bug. There seems to be a lot more satisfaction in my old age to actually craft something together myself instead of the ARFs. Not dogging them as most of what I have is just that.
I just finished up this 12ft sailplane. getting the electronics squared away now for a Saturday maiden hopefully.
President - Smoky Mountain Aero Club, Sevierville Tennessee
Nigel
It is actually a passable scale of a P&W Wasp junior. I designed it as a bit of a printing 'exercise' to explore what was possible.
As it was intended to be scale it is made up of many parts (over 45!) and simply glued together.
Being a 9 cylinder the crankcase ends up big enough to completely hide the out runner within it so just the prop driver sticks through.
It is 90 mm outside diameter and with an exhaust collector ring weighs 30 g so light enough to have virtually no impact on the plane's performance.
Rather than building something that already has plans, I've decided to use some general size / outlines and come up with something that will look like the child of a Cessna Agwagon and a Piper Pawnee.
I flipped my existing center wing box upside down, changed the wingtips, and have the main part of the wing assembly done already (still have to add some sheeting and shear webbing, and servo mounts.) The fuselage will be designed around the wing. Instead of using a single flap servo, I think I'll be going to dual flap servos, and using the center cutout where the servo went as a possible discharge chute location for the "dust".
UPDATE: got the general idea. 57" span, 37" long (roughly.) Lots of details still to work on. Taildragger, for sure.
What goes up, must come down. The trick is to keep it in one piece.
Stay Quiet
That looks very nice!
I may be missing something but if you are designing the fuselage from scratch why use motor 'stand offs'.
Simply move the bulkhead forward a bit and bolt the motor directly to it? More rigid and it makes the nose cowling shorter.
Stay Quiet
That looks very nice!
I may be missing something but if you are designing the fuselage from scratch why use motor 'stand offs'.
Simply move the bulkhead forward a bit and bolt the motor directly to it? More rigid and it makes the nose cowling shorter.
It would seem to be better, but.....
One thing I learned (by trial and error) is that the wires from the particular motor I'm planning on using are very stiff coming out of the motor itself, and require some distance to allow them to bend backwards through the bulkhead. Also, the blind nuts used (the only ones available) all have 5/16" deep threaded 'necks'. The bulkhead is 1/4" thick, so they protrude 1/16" out from the face of the bulkhead. I modify the spacers (they are drilled for #8 bolts, I use #10) and countersink one end the 1/16" to clear the blind nuts.
The spacers themselves are 1/2" diameter. I have had no issues whatsoever with rigidity or motor vibration (as long as the prop is well balanced.) As far as the cowling (made with the soda bottle method) is concerned, a little longer is okay, as the end that attaches to the fuselage has to be fairly straight along the sides for the cowl mount hardware to work properly.
This will be my seventh plane (Demi Duster, Snafuey, Snafuey II, Tigercub, RCM Advanced Trainer, and Avenger precede it) built either from my own plans, or modified plans. I've yet to build one without a mistake I've corrected in later versions, or learned a better way to do things that carry over to the next design. I have a notebook that's getting full of things that work and don't work, and constantly refer to it when I start designing.
The beauty of this plane is that the wing components are already drawn up. All I had to do was copy them from the Avenger design, and with a few commands in CAD, they went from a shoulder wing to a bottom wing mount.
What goes up, must come down. The trick is to keep it in one piece.
I still have a partially framed up stick, with all the parts cut out, but nowhere to build.
My "shop" is a Kobalt work bench from Lowes, which is inside a double wide closet. My building board is made from a piece of 3/4" birch plywood with strips of pine around the edges that hold a section of ceiling tile, which I can replace when it gets worn out. When I'm not working on something, I can close the doors and the room is transformed back into the "man cave".
What goes up, must come down. The trick is to keep it in one piece.
Fuselage has been lengthened a bit. Most of the "main" fuselage parts have been drawn up. Now I'm working on the turtle deck and top hatch, which goes from the front motor mount bulkhead, all the way over the wing and incorporates the cockpit.
Scratching the idea of a working hopper. After seeing a few examples on YouTube videos, they are hardly visible when operating. Really not worth the extra hardware, if you ask me. However, I'm working on having two interchangeable options for the cockpit interior. First is a pilot figure (of course). Hopefully, I can find another "Capt Eddie" figure to fit, as he was the pilot of the Demi Duster. Second option is a Mobius camera mount, giving the video that 'FPV' look out the cockpit. (Not flying FPV, just the point of view of the camera as it records. I have zero interest in FPV flying.)
EDIT: I found a pilot figure I can live with. While it's not Capt Eddie (who is no longer in production) it does have the proper look of a crop duster pilot!
What goes up, must come down. The trick is to keep it in one piece.
Have just about everything drawn up. I just have to double and triple check things for fit, interference, etc. I'm hoping I'll have a fleet of "No ARF" aircraft (the Tigercub, Snafuey II, RCM Trainer, Avenger, and the TuLowe Crop Duster) ready to bring to the 2018 E-Week at Triple Tree. I'm going to be there for Joe Nall in May. Couple of friends from New Hampshire are bringing their big slimer planes down to fly, and staying with us. I see some smoked brisket, ribs, and moonshine in my future!
What goes up, must come down. The trick is to keep it in one piece.
You know that pilot I had found? Well, it's "Goose" from Slim-Line Products. I ordered it directly from them, but noted on the order form that if it was backordered they should just cancel the order.
My credit card was billed on the 2nd of the month. I checked the order status today (the 17th) and it showed up as "Processing". At that point, I asked them to cancel the order (figuring it wasn't available) and issue a refund.
I got a prompt email back from them, apologizing for the delay. They also notified me that my card had been refunded in full (including the shipping) and that the pilot had been shipped today!
Slim-Line Products is a pretty stand-up company in my eyes!
What goes up, must come down. The trick is to keep it in one piece.
I think I have some sort of illness
Linear Mode
