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Mini-IFO Owners Thread - 3/6/2007 5:04:58 AM   
Truglodite



Posts: 846
Joined: 4/4/2003
From: Sac, CA, USA
Status: offline 		anyone else having a ball with thier IFO's? I gave ifo a search in rcu and didn't find any official looking threads, so i suppose i'll get one started. as affordable and rugged as these micro aerobatic airplanes are, i'm betting there's got to be at least a few more rcu ppl that got bit by the ifo bug.

i was considering building a foamy (or two) to use as tools to learn 3D moves. then my wife's uncle gave me his brushless mini-ifo. during a visit to his house he showed it to me and said it was way too wild for him to fly; that he'd wreck it in no time. i could understand, as it is a very small plane with a ton of power and control surface, and he's still learning on his trainer right now. he gave it to me to see if i'd have any luck with it; and he wanted to see his baby fly and be happy (i get that way sometimes with rc stuff i'm not using, in fact i'm giving him my 6xa next time i see him). i was very happy; a free plane!!! never thought that would happen to me!!! thank you very much stu!

the first flight was scary for me as i haven't flown any 3D type electrics before and i flew it at night as soon as i got it rtf (i was anxious to try it, and the wife wanted to send pics to her uncle). my first few landings were rough, and it took me a few minutes to get used to how it handled at various power settings (not at all like the nitros i'm used to). after flying it i find it capable of some slow 3d style aerobatic fun in a very small area.

i'm completely happy with the ifo now, after making only minor modifications to it. after some time the servos worked loose from the ziptie, resulting in a loss of control and a crash during a high speed pull out. after the very hard crash, 45deg nose in ~25mph, i broke off an elevon hinge tube and the motor screw broke out of the wood. the fixes would've taken a few seconds with ca, but i decided to reinforce things with kevlar thread and a redesigned bulletproof servo tray. while i was at it i also replaced the tiny wire pushrods with carbon rods so down elevator action was not weakened by pushrod flex. after flying it again, i was sure it was ready for a long run of fun aerobatics, so i added some 9lum led's for night kicks.

here's a link to a video my wife shot while i was flying tonight. i'll post pics when i upload them later on:




_____________________________

whew, r/c used to be so much simpler.
       Post #: 1

RE: Mini-IFO Owners Thread - 3/6/2007 5:48:57 AM   
FERNDALE AIR FORCE


 

Posts: 5520
Joined: 5/11/2006
From: lost coast, CA, USA
Status: offline 		I need more info. Is this a LRF(living room flier)? or a micro heli? Tim

Truth be told, I have no bloddy idead what an IFO is. I assumed Indoor Flying Object. Tim


< Message edited by FERNDALE AIR FORCE -- 3/6/2007 5:57:06 AM >


_____________________________

"...never stop flying the airplane..."

(in reply to Truglodite)
       Post #: 2

RE: Mini-IFO Owners Thread - 3/6/2007 6:38:23 AM   
Truglodite



Posts: 846
Joined: 4/4/2003
From: Sac, CA, USA
Status: offline 		a typical ifo looks kind of like this,
there are many mods to the original ifo and homebrew ifo plans in all different shapes and sizes; from bipes, to 6 footers. "by definition" an ifo is built like a kite: made primarily of ripstop nylon (or other light non-flexible material), and carbon fiber rod. this makes them cheap. a typical ifo build costs about $20 + electronics.

they are much more durable than foamies, bouncing back to their exact original shape after even the hardest crashes. 99% of crash danage is repairable with in a few minutes with ca and tape. that's what makes ifos so fun; super rugged materials and design makes them the best aiplane for indoor/small outdoor racing and combat.

with rudder controls added, mini-ifo's can also be very rugged 3D trainers. when it comes to full precision 3D moves, foamies are generally more capable than ifos (ifo's flex too much for that stuff). ppl have made ifo's that can do full 3D, but they're not as precise and imo those extreme ifo's are significantly more complicated than most full 3D foamies.

mine is a basic mini-ifo with minor mods. it has a non controllable rudder with elevons just like the one in the picture, but it has 2 landing gear struts, lights, and top mounted electronics. as soon as i find ripstop nylon locally, i'm going to build another ifo with a rudder, 3 frame rails, & a servo tray brace, so i can practice more 3D.

a lot of info is posted in rcgroups already, but i haven't found much here (yet).

[edit: you're right. ifo=indoor flying object]

< Message edited by Truglodite -- 3/6/2007 6:41:58 AM >

_____________________________

whew, r/c used to be so much simpler.

(in reply to FERNDALE AIR FORCE)
       Post #: 3

RE: Mini-IFO Owners Thread - 3/6/2007 7:04:27 AM   
Truglodite



Posts: 846
Joined: 4/4/2003
From: Sac, CA, USA
Status: offline 		i uploaded a pic:


_____________________________

whew, r/c used to be so much simpler.

(in reply to Truglodite)
       Post #: 4

RE: Mini-IFO Owners Thread - 3/6/2007 3:03:01 PM   
Ched


 

Posts: 156
Joined: 12/23/2003
From: Shawnee, KS, USA
Status: offline 		We pylon race those in my basement.

(in reply to Truglodite)
       Post #: 5

RE: Mini-IFO Owners Thread - 4/18/2007 12:44:42 AM   
hydroplane142


 

Posts: 15
Joined: 4/1/2007
From: Milpitas, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Anobody know any kind of plane like the ifo but rtf

(in reply to Ched)
       Post #: 6

RE: Mini-IFO Owners Thread - 6/22/2008 10:24:59 AM   
DonH21


 

Posts: 376
Joined: 2/16/2002
From: Crete, NE, USA
Status: offline 		I have a Mark3 ifo, I've had for 6 to 7 yrs. Its been sitting for over a year. I'm blowing the dust off it and plan on getting it up and running. I plan on adding a rudder for added fun! This plane is a blast!

Don

< Message edited by DonH21 -- 6/22/2008 10:27:21 AM >

(in reply to hydroplane142)
       Post #: 7

RE: Mini-IFO Owners Thread - 6/22/2008 4:12:39 PM   
FERNDALE AIR FORCE


 

Posts: 5520
Joined: 5/11/2006
From: lost coast, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Who could have known, 9 months after my first post here I would have a lightflite bug. And now have something like 500 flights on it.

Tim


_____________________________

"...never stop flying the airplane..."

(in reply to DonH21)
       Post #: 8

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