micro_builder

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with SkyPix suggestion, this thread is for those who might want to start building their own planes for the Aero Ace/X-Twin electronics. with these electronics, you can build pretty much any 2 engine airplane with just a 3 view, a printer, some balsa, glue, and a little patience. in the other AA thread i posted a few of my other planes that i've made, but i'll repost them here too to give some ideas, as well as a couple sites for good 3 views.

pictures, from left to right:
1st one is a small version of a Voltair Flying Cube. this is one of the more interesting planes i've made, and definitely a crowd pleaser.
2nd is a Grokhovsky G-38 Light Cruiser, a WWII plane that never made it to production.
3rd is the well known P-38 Lightning, one of my favorite planes, and a good one to build for the AAs electronics.
4th is a mini version of ParkZones Stryker F-27, the stryker was the first plane i ever flew, back a couple years ago, and i'm still flying it. this one i had to make my own 3 view by taking a picture of the plane from above, then drawing the outline on computer and printing it out. it was hard to handle, but i crashed it too many times to get a chance to get it flying right.
5th picture is a Burt Rutan Pond Racer, very racy plane, love the lines. i havent gotten to try flying this one yet, that green foam is incredibly brittle, so the first flight might be its only flight.
6th picture isnt a plane actually, its a Ekranoplan, or WIG (wing in ground-effect), it basically floats on its own cushion of air a few inches off the ground.
7th picture is of the Wright Brothers airplane. this was originally a plastic FreeFlight kit that i bought, but it was far too heavy, so i made my own balsa frame for it and used the stock foam wings. Canard planes like this are tricky to get the CG right, it needs to be much further forward than normal.
8th picture is of a staggerwing biplane i made, first plane i made for the AAs electronics back in early August. it flew quite nicely and only weighed 11 grams.

all but the Cube were built from 3 views, so they can all be replicated. the cube isnt that hard to build either, and i'm in the process of making a new one now that looks a little cleaner and with yellow and red tissue paper instead of just white (i'll do a drawing of it so it can be built as well, its a fun flyer). the Pond Racer was one of the more difficult planes, simply because i had to carve the entire thing out of green foam. the green foam is terrible, so as soon as i get some Bluecor, i can start building a few others that i've been interested in (the XF5U-1)

nick

micro_builder

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ok, here's some 3 views, and a few links to some good sites with tons of 3 views that could keep anybody busy for a very long time. as i mentioned in the first post, all you need to get these things together is the 3 view, balsa wood, glue, a printer, and some patentice, oh yeah, and an exacto knife. i usually use 1/32" balsa for the wings of my planes, but its usually a good idea to use 1/16" balsa the first time simply because 1/32 is incredibly fragile (plus the AA's motors can lug around up to 20+ grams, so it can handle the extra weight of the 1/16th). craft stores and hobby shops carry balsa usually, sometimes you can find it in the oddest of places. they also usually carry Xacto knives and blades. always use a new blade when possible, even semi-dull ones can tear balsa rather than cut it. as for glue, i've always used medium CA. even the small bottles will last me for months and months, it only takes a tiny bit to get balsa to hold together well. ambroid glue is another option, as this one sheds a little weight as it dries, CA doesnt. i didnt mention it above, but a fine grit sanding paper can really help too (smoothing the leading edge of a wing for instance).

anyway, i've attatched a couple 3 views i've used to build the planes above. i usually print them out on cardstock paper since its a little more stiff, cause once you cut the drawings out of the cardstock, you can trace around the edges onto the balsa a lot easier than normal paper. also, here's some sites i use for getting 3 view drawings. this first one kept me busy for over an hour just looking at them all: http://members.fortunecity.com/inedesca/ and here's the other site i use: http://www.suurland.com/blueprints.p...=11&order=name

if there's a plane that you like and want to try building it, but you couldnt find the 3 views on those sites, just do a search for it on google or a similar site. you can find some pretty obscure 3 view drawings.

i just added two .PDF files, one of the Square 9 (the LRF plane), and a Plank Wing, designed by Rolf. both are good flyers and dont take much time to get together

chazzman23

micro -builder

I live in Rochester NY. There at this time seems to be no AA's available, are the electronics available any where on line besides buying a complete plane from tru or such

micro_builder

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chazzman,

as far as i know, the electronics are only available in the plane itself. SpinMasters is the parent company of AirHogs, so you might be able to contact them and see if they can help you out. as others have recently mentioned, other stores are starting to carry the AA, i was just at walmart and they had 6 of them on the shelf, for 40 dollars. i've also heard that target is now carrying them. i'd give a call to the local stores around you and see if they have any in stock or when they'll be getting some, they seem to be selling quickly so i'm sure they're stocking the shelves more frequently.

on a side note, i've just started working on a new plane from one of the 3 views above, the De Havilland Mosquito (the second 3 view from above). not sure how big i'll make it yet, but i'm working on some graphic files for it so i can give it some color. a few others have built the Mosquito, one of them with the AAs electronics as well, so it should be a good flyer.

nick

micro_builder

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here's what i got done last night on the Mosquito. i didnt get as much done as i hoped, but its only a few steps away from being completed. i just have to apply the printed tissue graphics, glue everything together, install the electronics, and then give it a toss (and hope it flys!)

micro_builder

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i finally got the tissue on the plane and the plane all assembled tonight. it looks ok so far, i'm still learning the little things with a printed tissue job, i just need to do it a few more times, but for now i'll take it. its got a 12" wingspan, one of the biggest micro (oxymoron??) planes i've built so far, should be a nice flyer. with all the wood, tissue, and glue, the bare frame comes in at 4 grams, so i should be around an AUW of 14-15 grams, not bad. i'm hoping to fly it this weekend, assuming the weather cooperates

nick

LOGICAL_PSYCHO

micro_builder would it be possible to post the 3d views you made of the Stryker F-27 clone?
I have some foam thats just begging to get cut up
thanks

micro_builder

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here ya go, Logical. its pretty crude, since i couldnt find an actual 3 view, i had to take a picture of the Stryker from a few feet above. then i convered it to a grey scale so i wouldnt have to print it in color, then traced the outline on my computer. since it was almost impossible to get a perfect picture, i cropped the photo to show only the left side of the plane. this way, when you cut it out after printing, you just have to flip the cutout over to trace the right side. it works ok, well enough to build the plane.

i didnt trace out where the elevons are in the picture, but since its a delta wing, you'll have to add some elevons like the Stryker has. they dont have to be functional, but they do have to have some positive angle to them (when you look at the plane from the side, the back of the elevons should point up a few degrees). you can scale it up or down to whatever size you want, right now i think its for around 10 inch wingspan.

it took a lot of tweaking to get it to fly alright, so you'll probably have to make some changes depending on how its flying. and actually, the best results i got were when i switched to a single verticle stabilizer, rather than the strykers two. it also seemed to fly a LOT better when i crashed it and broke off about an inch and a half of the wing tips. again, you'll just have to try adjusting it here and there. if it dives when you launch it, or doesnt climb, try adding more possitive angle to the elevons, or try pointing the motors down a few degrees. let us know how it goes

i'm actually going to contact ParkZone and see if they can send me a real 3 view of it.

nick

LOGICAL_PSYCHO

Thanks, I actually made my first "homemade" plane today. A scaled down version of the "bump" out of fan fold wall foam.

It glides really well so I cant wait to see how it does with the aa electronics.

micro_builder

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the BUMP is an excellent, well proven design. i wouldnt foresee any problems with it. you should post pictures of it here

nick

micro_builder

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i finally got my mosquito to fly i had to gut my new AA for its RX, as my old XTwin RXs wernt working so well with my AAs transmitter. but, its flying well now. good things come to those who wait! i got a short video of it, but i need to find a place to post it. will do that later tonight.

also, i started on a project that i've been wanting to try for some time now, a single motor+actuator plane with the AAs equipment. i built a Square 9, a Billy Stiltner design, made for LRF equipment. its heavier than i was expecting at first, at 1.5 grams, but i shaved it down some afterwards. i then took my AAs RX and removed the charging sockets and the switch, i'll probably remove the charging diode as well, and if i can find an SMD replacement, i'll take out the big electrolyte cap. doing all this will bring the weight of the RX down to a meager .9 grams(without wires)! as of right now, its at 1.2grams (without wires).

i wound a little actuator, pretty light, as it doesnt register on my 0.1g resolution scale, i found a short can 6mm motor, and will try to use my 60mah lipo. so far, my AUW is at 6.2 grams, pretty darn good, in fact thats my lightest plane so far. i need to do some extra wireing to get one motor to work, adding a couple resistors here and there, and then hoping i did it all right and it works i spent many hours working on the electronics last night and i was having issues the entire time, so i had to step away for a bit. but, as soon as i get the resistors i need, i'll try it again. probably some time tonight.

anyway, the plane has over 23 square inches of wing area, and with a weight of only 6.2 grams, it should be slow enough for the living room. if it doesnt turn sharp enough, i'll just make a larger rudder. the picture i attatched is with the AAs motor, and with a lot of excess wire on the 60mah cell. i replaced the larger gage wire on the lipo with much smaller gauge, it brought the weight down considerably. i also added a couple Adobe files to my 3view post above, the Square 9, and the XPlank. i havent built the plank yet, but its a good flyer from what i've heard

nick

micro_builder

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here's a flying wing design for anyone who's interested. technically called a Plank wing. i havent built it personally, yet, but a few others have and have had good responses about it. the .PDF file shows a nice guide to building it. here's a pic of the completed plane.

nick

micro_builder

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my AA LRF is being a pain in the butt, again, so i built this last night and flew it today for the first time. its called the Lame Duck, and was originally designed and built by someone else on a differant site. its really too windy to see how well it actually flew, but considering that on the lowest throttle setting, it would just hover in the breeze, it should be great indoors. its got a ton of wing area, over 33 square inches, add that to its 11.5 gram weight, and she should be pretty slow and manuverable. i'm bringing it to work on monday to see how it performs with no wind.

i also attatched the .PDF file for the Lame Duck, as well as two more attatchments for two Jets that can be built for the AA's electronics. one is an F-15 and the other is a SU-27, both have 10" wingspans and can be built with balsa or foam. both have been built by others, not myself personally, but they both fly. i just started working on an F-117 Stealth fighter, i have a feeling it'll be a tough one to get flying properly, but it should work well.

nick

Nitrocharged

http://www.aeroacemods.com has parts for these models now.

micro_builder

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hey Nitro, fancy seeing you here thanks for that link. i've been meaning to bookmark it, but i keep forgetting.

nick

fredbobjoe

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can the lame duck be built with depron foam? and if so, how do i curve it? a heat gun?

micro_builder

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yep, actually the original maker of this plane used EPP foam for the construction, like the AAs. here's a picture of his. as you can tell, he's got a LOT more dihedral in the canard wing. this is something i strongly suggest doing, without it you'll have really hard turns. he also mounted the motors on top of the wing, this is a good idea as well. with my motors underneath, the props were vulnerable to hand landings. for my balsa version, i used wing ribs to get the undercamber in the wings, but on his foam version, he actually carved an airfoil. if you dont want to do that, a heat gun would probably work. if you roll the foam over the edge of a counter or table, it should curve nice and evenly.

fredbobjoe

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thanks. but I think i will build the x-plank because it looks easire to build. (i have never made any planes before)

DJ88

I've been reading all the messages on the Aero Ace... and got one. I never have flown a plane in my life, although i used to do RC cars about 15 years ago. The aero is kinda tough to keep the flight level... although it was very breezy yesterday and a bit less the day before.

Microbuilder: How would you suggest someone get into building models to retro the aero components into? My idea is to build a Guillow balsa model i have. Then maybe a couple more after that...my idea was to find a twin prop Guillow model that could accept the aero's components. I have never scratch built and dont know enough about aeronautics to understand lift, dihedral and all the other terms you pros are comfortable with.

micro_builder

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DJ,

it would depend on the size of the kit you are thinking of. the AAs motors put out roughly 10 grams of thrust, so it can lug around 20 or so grams of weight (i know it can carry more, not sure how much though, but lighter is always better). if you're talking about the stick and tissue kinds of kits, like the one Quint-RCU is doing here: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3946048/tm.htm then the weight might be too much. the AAs electronics alone comes in at about 10 grams, so you're left with 10 or so grams for the airplane itself. i have seen a few of those rubber band powered free flight Guillows planes, and even the hand toss style planes (those little 5 dollar ones) used with the AAs electronics and it seemed to work just fine. i'll try to find a picture.

i did RC cars for many years, i still have my old original Associated RC-10T and Tamiya BlackFoot that i kick around sometimes (they're almost collectors items now!). i didnt get into RC flight till a couple years ago and i find it a lot more fun than the cars. its a lot more work than the cars, and takes a lot more patience, but its much more rewarding (especially when you build your first one and see it fly for the first time).

fredbobjoe,
the Plank has been built by a number of people and they've seemed to have good success. i havent built it yet (still waiting to build my hot wire foam cutter), but the instructions seemed pretty clear cut so i'd imagine you wouldnt have much problem with it.

nick

sxates

Has anyone tried an Aeroace "quad"?



This is the proof of concept that my office mate and I just put together quickly by combining our two planes. We'll need to buy another one so that all 4 engines are on the same channel and can be controlled with a single controller. It's raining outside, so we haven't been able to play with this much, but it WILL make short flights ok in the small space of our office. We just need to refine the weight, balance, and power of the motors, and give it more room, and I'm confident it will fly. Right now we have had to add a dime to the tail and only power up to half throttle for it to fly pseudo-level. Full throttle pushes the nose right up--might be able to do a loop

Any suggestions for improving our initial design before we get into serious building of the final model?

sxates

Rain calmed down a bit for us just now so we went and tested in the parking lot. I think the wings are too long--we need to shorten them. I think it could also use more weight, and control will be better when all the motors are on the same channel. It's flying, just not as well as I'd like.

fredbobjoe

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built an x plank its pretty cool has 3 motors cause I used my mach 3 blimp stuff. I made another thread on it with more pictures

critterhunter

Just found this mod thread. Cool designs. Has anyone built a P38 foamie yet?

micro_builder

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i didnt built a foam version, but i've done a couple balsa ones. biggest was 13" using a differant thrust differential RX (bladerunner RX), smallest is the one i posted a pic of, 7" using the AA's electronics. a LOT of people have built the P-38, its a really good one to do, and looks great in the air.

nick