More Pics Of The New Plane

Finished test flying it yesterday with "wing 2" for windy conditions. It did great. Very slow and stable. Easy to land. It glides in nicely and only a little flair is required before touchdown.

A New Scratchbuild

So I mentioned that I got some good foam out of a dumpster. These are some pics of the first plane I made from this stuff. It is styled like an Olde Timer, a vintage free flight. It spans about 3 feet, depending on the wing I use with it. In its final form, it flies great! It is slow and stable and docile.

 I'll have some more pics of this plane in the future. The foam was easy to cut and sands something like balsa. I used acrylic paint. The foam is also quite tough. I've flown this plane several times now, and it is nice.
 

A Great Find!

I sell stuff on eBay from time to time, and I find packing material and cardboard boxes for shipment in dumpsters. There's one place in particular, behind a coffee shop where I have good luck getting what I need. Last weekend I found a LOT of epp type foam, in long rectangular pieces and flat sheets. This stuff is incredible! It is tough, light, easy to shape, sandable (you can sand it like balsa). I've started a small Old Timer style rc model, using this material. I got so much, I can build models for years! My rectangular pieces are about 48" long and measure about 2" by 4" in cross section. The flat sheets are about 1" by 12" by 36". There were not as many of those, unfortunately. But I sure have a lot of really good fuselage material. I find that a variety of knives and saws cut this stuff well. You can hollow it out easily. It sands surprisingly smooth and shapes nicely with course grit sandpaper. You can even use a file! But now I've got to get a little vacuum to control the dust. No prob. I'll find one at an estate sale. Never be too proud to do a little dumpster diving.

A Progress Report On The New Plane

I've got a lot done, and the pics tell the story.

The fuselage was built on a pink foam "crutch".

The wing is complete, except for aileron servo installation.
 
 

Wing Building

Still flying the same planes but new Admiral batteries from MotionRC  put new life in the FMS 800. I'll probably order my next plane from them. Meanwhile I'm trying yet again to build a good wing from cheap materials. Latest effort uses Dollar Tree foam board. I find that the stuff with color is straighter. So I used that plus pink foam. A 48" strip of pink foam cut to a width of about 3 inches makes a center spar. sandwiched between sheets of foam board, the result is quite rigid. I'm using carpenter's wood glue. No spar is needed for a straight wing this size. The airfoil has a flat bottom. I'm using balsa triangle stock for a leading edge. Because the foam board is not long enough a full sheet makes a center section and the tips are added in separate pieces. When everything is glued up, vinyl packing tape will be used for reinforcement. Balsa trailing edge stock will make ailerons. The plane I hope to build with this wing is going to be along the lines of an old Ugly Stick, and I'll use a motor from an old, crashed, FMS 1280 and an upgraded prop. The motor will be up front in a tractor configuration. The wing will be spray painted with  Rust Oleum. The fuse will be a contrasting color. I'll post some pics soon. You could use these materials to make a symmetrical airfoil as well. Dowel or arrow shaft could be used for a leading edge. This plane will probably not use landing gear since I hand-launch everything and land in tall grass. I will probably just use aileron and elevator. 

Almost Lost The EZ Hawk

I flew it high and far and got overconfident and just lost sight of it. But I knew what I was doing when it vanished, turning it back around, and I was familiar enough with its control response to realize that it was most likely heading back to me. Sure enough, in a little while I could see it again, coming back but in a right bank. I corrected that and got it back and the flight finished with a perfect landing about twenty feet in front of me, in tall grass.


When I am ready for another airplane I've got lots of options. I like the new FMS powered gliders, there's a new powered glider from Hobby Zone I really like-- if I bought every plane I want I'd need a hanger to keep them in! I am so lucky to have a great place to fly half-a-block from where I live!

Nothing new to report...

... and that is why I have not posted anything in a long time. I'm still flying the same planes in the same place. I'm finding it possible to do mild aerobatics with the FMS 1280 after upgrading the prop. The FMS 800 works well on rudder and elevator, ailerons disabled, after modifying the wingtips. The old EZ Hawk soldiers on. I have not crashed anything in a long time. No news!