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!

Tex RC J3 Cub pics

As promised, here are the pics of the little Cub. The mods I made to it are almost invisible. I've gotten more flights. A rough landing cracked the entire tail, but the pushrods held it together and I used foam safe superglue. It was back in the air right away and it still flies fine. 

It still looks good, too. Because of the grass field I fly in, I have to hand launch it, and it is a bit touchy. You have to be quick on the sticks! It also takes a hard toss. It is definitely on the heavy side with the battery I've got in it. Not a floater!

Outstanding Weather!

In the last couple of days I've been able to fly the Tex RC Cub, the Delta Ray, the EZ Hawk, the FMS 800, and the Firebird Stratos, several times each. I fly in the morning, afternoon, and evening. It looks like today will be just as favorable. I'd like to do the Cub some more, and the FMS 1280.

Tex RC J-3 Cub

It was an easy build. I had to make a little shelf above the servos to support the receiver. I had to modify the hatch and battery area slightly to accept the E-Flite 1000mah 2C batteries I wanted to use. I decided to glue on the wing. I used colored electrical tape to reinforce the landing gear and glued in the landing gear. I launched at full throttle into a light wind and went almost straight up. Backing off the throttle and using a few clicks of down trim got the plane flying right. The plane feels a bit heavy for the size of the wing but it climbs nicely and seems to have enough power for loops, although I haven't tried that yet. It lands easily. Just fly upwind and back off the throttle slowly and it descends slowly. Flare for landing and kill the throttle. This is a nice plane and it looks great. Landing in grass requires more of a full stall and drop in to avoid nosing over. I have no complaints!

New Stuff

At an estate sale not too long ago I got a nice coax copter with a good transmitter and lots of spare lipo batteries. I found that these batteries will fit a TEX RC cub from nitroplanes, and since they had one on sale, I bought one. I can use an Orange receiver and an eBay DX5e transmitter. The cub arrived yesterday and it looks good. I hope to get it in the air soon. I have experimented with the helicopter but have not really tried to fly it yet. It is trimmed out. It had not been bound to the transmitter but I got that done and found the controls were reversed and corrected that. I doubt that the guy I bought this from had ever flown it. That whole package, of six lipos, spare parts and transmitter (DSMX, good for planes or copters) was only $40! I'll have some pics soon, and a review of the cub.

Gibson/Baldwin/Epoch/Maestro

Here is the pawnshop LP copy with its new bridge, all intonated and properly set up-- this bridge and some modest fret work made a good guitar out of something quite mediocre.

 

It's Good To Have A Lot Of Hobbies

When the wind is high I can work on/play my various guitars. I have been playing the Johnson strat copy intensively since I got it, and grime is still coming off the fretboard and strings. Talk about dirty fingers. I removed one string tree and modified another because of ridiculous tension over the nut. Very hard to tune until I did that. Also a few more tweaks to the bridge saddles. I put more tension on the neck truss rod. I've got the action where it needs to be. When I feel more ambitious I'll replace the current strings with a set of GHS .010 to .046. That should do it. Eventually, I'll post pics.

Some Flying And A New Guitar

Day before yesterday I was able to use the FMS 1280 and the EZ Hawk. The FMS 1280 flies much better with the ailerons deflected down, slightly, to create some under camber. The EZ Hawk is showing signs of age. And the battery overheated. I thought it best to discard that battery, since it became puffy. Can't take any chances with lipo batteries.


Yesterday my wife and I checked an estate sale we had visited earlier. Then, Saturday, items were discounted 20%. Sunday the discount was 50%. I got an old Johnson Stratocaster copy for less than $100, sales tax included. I had an awful time getting it to play in tune. Every fretted note was sharp. The bridge needed major adjustment and modification. It took hours of work to get it to play well. It still needs work on the string trees and a fresh set of strings. But at least I know now that it sounds good. Every electric guitar I've ever purchased has needed a lot of set up work, a lot of intonation adjustment. Am I the only guitarist  who can tell when an instrument is out of tune? I got this strat copy from the estate of a guy who must have been a serious musician, judging by the numerous instruments he owned. But if he ever used that guitar it would never, ever, have played in tune. To me, initially, it sounded like crap. Maybe he used it for slide. That's all it would have been good for. Now, after all my work, it plays pretty much in tune all over the neck. New strings will probably improve that, since it came with very grimy strings, with the third somewhat corroded as well as greasy. The whole guitar stinks of cigarette smoke but I'm hoping that will go away. If necessary I'll use detergent on the finish. It has a maple neck, medium jumbo frets, Duncan pickups, a three-ply pickguard (wbw) and is light yellow.

Absolutely Calm This Morning!

So I took all four batteries and the Cessna Champ micro and flew it a lot. This is the first time I've been able to fly this plane without having to fight wind. Under such ideal conditions it is a fine flying little plane.

Yesterday it was windy but I tried the FMS 1280 after setting the ailerons to deflect down slightly, giving the middle section of each wing a bit of under camber.  It had a much better climb and seemed more stable. I had no trouble with 15 to 20 mph winds.

Foamy Chuck Glider + Dynam Wing

My weird hybrid RC project gave me good results this time. I mated a fuselage from a large foam glider I bought from Hobby Lobby to a set of wings from a wrecked Dynam Hawk Sky. The hybrid has elevator and aileron only. Pics below illustrate the set-up. My first flight with this plane was not good. I took it out in fairly high wind and it was hard to control. I got it down safely and added an extension to the vertical stabilizer, and trimmed the wings. This morning's flight, in winds almost as strong, was very good. This plane is stable in its current configuration, has plenty of power (it can fly quite fast), will do nice loops, and flies inverted with only a little down elevator. It needs down trim if over 50% throttle to keep it from climbing excessively. It flies very nicely at low speed. Rolls are possible but they turn out like corkscrews. I'm quite happy with this plane, even though it is not too pretty. I'll build another plane in the future with this layout and make it look nicer. 

 I use the Dynam Hawk Sky motor and 3 cell lipo. 

 I made a plywood firewall/motor mount and switched the prop around.

 This tiny motor has plenty of power for this plane. It turned out light.
 

 I used a cheap Spektrum receiver and a DX-5e I got on eBay.
 

Fuselage sides were beefed up with spruce strips and I added a balsa ventral keel.
 

 The tape is just there for looks.
 

 I started with a fuselage like this. I cut out the section above the wing slots and hollowed out the piece I removed to accomodate the receiver and wiring.

 I used the glider's horizontal stabilizer, with modifications, and made the elevator from foamcore.

 This is the elevator servo.

I mounted the battery under tape and just leave it there. The result isn't pretty but this plane flies really well.
 

Some Flying, Some Building

Not many days when I can fly. I seize my opportunities. Lately, I've taken out the Delta Ray, the Firebird Stratos, the EZ Hawk, the FMS 1280. Meanwhile, I combined the wings from my old Hawk Sky with parts from a foam glider I got at Hobby Lobby. I am building a plane with left over parts and it will be aileron and elevator only, with the Hawk Sky motor mounted in front. So far, it looks good. I use spruce strips and packing tape to reinforce the fuselage. The result is light and sturdy. When I am finished I will post pics. I think this plane should be a good flyer.

Completing Survey

These pics complete the survey. Actually they are stills captured from video.