Designing EQ500
11-13-2010, 03:44 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Wijk bij Duurstede, NETHERLANDS
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Designing EQ500
Hi lads,
I´m considering to join the Dutch electric quickie 500 league, seems like a lot of fun for little money. I can of course buy an ARF and convert it, but designing and building are a fun part of the hobby for me, too. Now the Dutch regulations call for a relatively slow set-up, since we fly with the fuel guys who are restricted to quiet (slow) engines, too. So, the route to go I think is to shed weight. This will help accelleration and breaking (same drag, less mass). Another thing is I don´t have any experience with glass and resin and stuff like that. Lastly, I don´t want to copy a fuel-design, since I want the battery to be almost on the CG of the plane. Hence, wing further back / longer nose and different placement of the electronics. Some questions:
1) I think a balsa ribbed wing with 1/4" spars will be lighter than a foam core with laminated skin. Am I correct?
2) I usually use 1,5mm balsa skin on the wings. I´m now considering 3 layers of 0,5mm each, glued together with thinned white wood glue, all formed in a foam mold (like building a foam wing). I think this will give a nice shaped airfoil (I´m using MH16). Any thoughts on this?
3) I want to build the fuse largely from sticks, all triangulated, and the spaces filled with depron. Front of course with a doubler from front to wing saddle.
4) Would blue Sullivans with ball links instead of the forky thingies be safe to use? Or is there still too much play in those.
Any input would be appriciated. I want to build the wing first, than collect the drive system and control parts, and then design and build the fuse.
Cheers,
Hugo
I´m considering to join the Dutch electric quickie 500 league, seems like a lot of fun for little money. I can of course buy an ARF and convert it, but designing and building are a fun part of the hobby for me, too. Now the Dutch regulations call for a relatively slow set-up, since we fly with the fuel guys who are restricted to quiet (slow) engines, too. So, the route to go I think is to shed weight. This will help accelleration and breaking (same drag, less mass). Another thing is I don´t have any experience with glass and resin and stuff like that. Lastly, I don´t want to copy a fuel-design, since I want the battery to be almost on the CG of the plane. Hence, wing further back / longer nose and different placement of the electronics. Some questions:
1) I think a balsa ribbed wing with 1/4" spars will be lighter than a foam core with laminated skin. Am I correct?
2) I usually use 1,5mm balsa skin on the wings. I´m now considering 3 layers of 0,5mm each, glued together with thinned white wood glue, all formed in a foam mold (like building a foam wing). I think this will give a nice shaped airfoil (I´m using MH16). Any thoughts on this?
3) I want to build the fuse largely from sticks, all triangulated, and the spaces filled with depron. Front of course with a doubler from front to wing saddle.
4) Would blue Sullivans with ball links instead of the forky thingies be safe to use? Or is there still too much play in those.
Any input would be appriciated. I want to build the wing first, than collect the drive system and control parts, and then design and build the fuse.
Cheers,
Hugo
