1/5.3 Horten 229
#1
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1/5.3 Horten 229
I've been a bit lax in posting this in this section as I wasn't sure it'd be entertaining to most, since its a "small" EDF model, but It could be flown with a pair of P-20's, MW-44's or a single P-60 to 80. I started the build on Sept. 13th and will be starting to make the molds for the center section on Sunday..
Little background..
Its based off of the wings on the web 82" HO-229 plans and was enlarged 150%. 123" wingspan, Built up outer wing panels with 4 flaps, 2 frise hinged elevons and functional drag rudders. I'll be using a pair of 12 bladed 90mm EDF's on 6s (possibly 8s or 10s depending on its performance). Suspected AUW is 18-20lbs. Center section will be all composite (and available for sell if anyone is interested in one).
For those who want to see the thing in more detail, a Full build thread is here:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_11227905/tm.htm
A few photo's from beginning to now:
Little background..
Its based off of the wings on the web 82" HO-229 plans and was enlarged 150%. 123" wingspan, Built up outer wing panels with 4 flaps, 2 frise hinged elevons and functional drag rudders. I'll be using a pair of 12 bladed 90mm EDF's on 6s (possibly 8s or 10s depending on its performance). Suspected AUW is 18-20lbs. Center section will be all composite (and available for sell if anyone is interested in one).
For those who want to see the thing in more detail, a Full build thread is here:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_11227905/tm.htm
A few photo's from beginning to now:
#3
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RE: 1/5.3 Horten 229
DISASTER!!!!!!!!!!!
JUST KIDDING!
Here ya go...
bottom:
Inlet lips:
Top:
Looking in the inlet with the halves bolted back together:
The plug came out 99% perfect. There are only 2 little places about 1/4" long each where the inlet block-off plates are that where damaged (body filler chipped out). Otherwise, the plug is exactly like how it was before it was molded, which is great, cause now I can use it as a paint test piece lol
After the mold was split, we test fit the master templates. Granted no composite skin is layed up yet, but it told us the templates are pretty dang close to being perfect. Just a little fine tuning to do to them, and then we need do all the lightning holes, etc and they are done. But we can't do this till the skins are layed up and.
Carry through spars. These are 3/16" aircraft ply, and will have another 3/16" doubler around the tube tube sockets. The sockets will also be epoxied and glassed to these spars.
Here is a shot of the landing gear plate support structure. Again, all 3/16" aircraft ply. The Landing gear plate will be 3/16" ply as well and will probably have a layer of glass or carbon on one side. These parts will all be interlocking so they key together and the plate will slot into the ribs. This entire structure will also be over a carbon re-inforcement panel in the composite skins.
And then we sprayed some green paint on the top of the wings.. only 3oz used for both wing panels and elevons.. still need to paint the top of the flaps:
This Friday/Saturday I'm going to try and mold the canopy frame, main gear doors and the vacuum form canopy plug..
JUST KIDDING!
Here ya go...
bottom:
Inlet lips:
Top:
Looking in the inlet with the halves bolted back together:
The plug came out 99% perfect. There are only 2 little places about 1/4" long each where the inlet block-off plates are that where damaged (body filler chipped out). Otherwise, the plug is exactly like how it was before it was molded, which is great, cause now I can use it as a paint test piece lol
After the mold was split, we test fit the master templates. Granted no composite skin is layed up yet, but it told us the templates are pretty dang close to being perfect. Just a little fine tuning to do to them, and then we need do all the lightning holes, etc and they are done. But we can't do this till the skins are layed up and.
Carry through spars. These are 3/16" aircraft ply, and will have another 3/16" doubler around the tube tube sockets. The sockets will also be epoxied and glassed to these spars.
Here is a shot of the landing gear plate support structure. Again, all 3/16" aircraft ply. The Landing gear plate will be 3/16" ply as well and will probably have a layer of glass or carbon on one side. These parts will all be interlocking so they key together and the plate will slot into the ribs. This entire structure will also be over a carbon re-inforcement panel in the composite skins.
And then we sprayed some green paint on the top of the wings.. only 3oz used for both wing panels and elevons.. still need to paint the top of the flaps:
This Friday/Saturday I'm going to try and mold the canopy frame, main gear doors and the vacuum form canopy plug..
#6
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RE: 1/5.3 Horten 229
ORIGINAL: hooker53
Man that mold came out slick. Just a little clean up and your ready to go. Wax. Wax, And more wax. Ha.
Man that mold came out slick. Just a little clean up and your ready to go. Wax. Wax, And more wax. Ha.
Not on this one! I'm going to use a semi-permanent mold release system.. it involves, washing the wax and pva off it.. using a special mold cleaner. Then wiping on 3 coats of mold sealer and wiping it off. The wipe on, wipe off the mold release.. no waxing, buffing or PVA'ing needed. Should save about 2 days of work
#7
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RE: 1/5.3 Horten 229
ORIGINAL: Vettster
Great stuff here! How's the F-14 coming along. Did you ever get around to laying up a plane or two?
Great stuff here! How's the F-14 coming along. Did you ever get around to laying up a plane or two?
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RE: 1/5.3 Horten 229
Very Nice!!
So..How Does a plane with no vertical stab fly? Will you be using a Gyro? I know the B-2 has no tail either..but there is a massive computer hard at work to keep it straight and level.
So..How Does a plane with no vertical stab fly? Will you be using a Gyro? I know the B-2 has no tail either..but there is a massive computer hard at work to keep it straight and level.
#17
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RE: 1/5.3 Horten 229
ORIGINAL: Vettster
Very Nice!!
So..How Does a plane with no vertical stab fly? Will you be using a Gyro? I know the B-2 has no tail either..but there is a massive computer hard at work to keep it straight and level.
Very Nice!!
So..How Does a plane with no vertical stab fly? Will you be using a Gyro? I know the B-2 has no tail either..but there is a massive computer hard at work to keep it straight and level.
Its mostly all in the design, sweep back, airfoil and washout. There are some oddities with the Horten though that the EDF's require a thrust tube extension to the TE of the wing. No one really know's why as the Turbine versions in this size don't need that extension, we plan to find out why the EDF's do and to hopefully eliminate them on ours.
#19
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RE: 1/5.3 Horten 229
Hi !
The Horten brothers have designed around 20 differents planes, in fact mostly gliders. All were flying wings and no one needed a vertical stabilizer to fly correctly and doing thermal circles.
At this time gyro were not used for flying the planes (only for autopilots or gun sight) and flying computer were not yet designed for planes... First were seen for V2 bombs and were not very effective.
So a complete and correct stability, added to a correct controllability was obtained only by design : correct airfoil and twist combination + sweep back.
The Northrop flying wings don't need computers or vertical surfaces until the props were changed for turbines... should have needed a little more sweep...
The Horten brothers have designed around 20 differents planes, in fact mostly gliders. All were flying wings and no one needed a vertical stabilizer to fly correctly and doing thermal circles.
At this time gyro were not used for flying the planes (only for autopilots or gun sight) and flying computer were not yet designed for planes... First were seen for V2 bombs and were not very effective.
So a complete and correct stability, added to a correct controllability was obtained only by design : correct airfoil and twist combination + sweep back.
The Northrop flying wings don't need computers or vertical surfaces until the props were changed for turbines... should have needed a little more sweep...
#20
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RE: 1/5.3 Horten 229
I forgot to post, but we did the maiden flight on the Horton nearly a month ago! Here's some photo's:
It wasn't without complete fault.. one of the motors shorted out which caused a power failure on one side (you'd never of known, as it handled the same), which caused a premature landing in the field adjacent to our runway. Damage was minimal, but the flight confirmed our thought's we'd need more power..
Soooo a the HK setup has been replaced with a pair to E-jets Jet-fan 90's, HET 700-68-1200 motors, Tamjets heatsinks and tail-cones and a CC ice2 120HV ESC.. This is all on 12S and one fan produces more thrust than both of the CS90's did combined..
After that maiden flight, we also made up the second Horton 229 Center section. This one should be completed by Mid april.
It wasn't without complete fault.. one of the motors shorted out which caused a power failure on one side (you'd never of known, as it handled the same), which caused a premature landing in the field adjacent to our runway. Damage was minimal, but the flight confirmed our thought's we'd need more power..
Soooo a the HK setup has been replaced with a pair to E-jets Jet-fan 90's, HET 700-68-1200 motors, Tamjets heatsinks and tail-cones and a CC ice2 120HV ESC.. This is all on 12S and one fan produces more thrust than both of the CS90's did combined..
After that maiden flight, we also made up the second Horton 229 Center section. This one should be completed by Mid april.
#21
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RE: 1/5.3 Horten 229
More progress... Robart finally shipped my nose gear unit and nose strut, so that arrived saturday. I got all of the flite-metal done on saturday, along with the adapter for the nose gear strut to work on the retract (it was intended to be used as a fixed gear only)..
And some different length's of nose gear unit showing the AoA..
Then today, i got to painting!
First up was doing the interior RLM colors for the gear doors and wheel wells. Then the RLM-76 light blue was spraying on the bottom of the center section and outer surface of the gear doors.. No picture of this though..
Then was the green base coat (RLM-81) on the top:
Then the outer wing panels were put on, and the brown camo (RLM-82) was sprayed:
Then came time for the fun stuff.. WINTER CAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First i took my i-phone in one hand and the airbrush in the other and started copying the separation line between the green and white. then started filling in the white area's. Since WWII luftwaffe winter camo was field applied and normally was made up of whatever white color they could get ahold of and sometimes applied with a mop, rag, brush, paint gun, broom... whatever they had on hand, I purposely tried not to completely cover the RLM- 81/82 base camo..
Then i just continued on with the outline and filling in the gaps, until I got to the point where all the base winter camo was applied.
I'll have to make up the paint masks for the insignia's this week and then plan to spray those on Saturday, then commence with the weathering; some of it (LE chipped) has already been started.
And some different length's of nose gear unit showing the AoA..
Then today, i got to painting!
First up was doing the interior RLM colors for the gear doors and wheel wells. Then the RLM-76 light blue was spraying on the bottom of the center section and outer surface of the gear doors.. No picture of this though..
Then was the green base coat (RLM-81) on the top:
Then the outer wing panels were put on, and the brown camo (RLM-82) was sprayed:
Then came time for the fun stuff.. WINTER CAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First i took my i-phone in one hand and the airbrush in the other and started copying the separation line between the green and white. then started filling in the white area's. Since WWII luftwaffe winter camo was field applied and normally was made up of whatever white color they could get ahold of and sometimes applied with a mop, rag, brush, paint gun, broom... whatever they had on hand, I purposely tried not to completely cover the RLM- 81/82 base camo..
Then i just continued on with the outline and filling in the gaps, until I got to the point where all the base winter camo was applied.
I'll have to make up the paint masks for the insignia's this week and then plan to spray those on Saturday, then commence with the weathering; some of it (LE chipped) has already been started.
#22
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RE: 1/5.3 Horten 229
Those are great news !!!
Please say us more about the flights caracteristics ! How does it handles ? In particular, as you suffered it, how does it handles on one engine ?
You've put more than twice the power that had allowed her to fly for the mainden. Is it only to keep ability to fly on one engine (double the power don't seem the right answer to me as it double the rudder amount needed to keep it straight, and you have no rudder on this one !), or do you suffered a low powered plane feeling ? How do you feel the power when the two engines where running ?
Best should be a video if you have that sort of stuff... Horten IX is still a "must have" project in my mind for more than 15 years ago, and I have more and more think to order you a kit if it's possible ! (This should not be easy to ship her from states to France ! [:@])
Horten IX was a pionner jet, with low power (Jumo004...) and limited aerobatics needed for its mission, as Me262...
Great applauses to you !
Please say us more about the flights caracteristics ! How does it handles ? In particular, as you suffered it, how does it handles on one engine ?
You've put more than twice the power that had allowed her to fly for the mainden. Is it only to keep ability to fly on one engine (double the power don't seem the right answer to me as it double the rudder amount needed to keep it straight, and you have no rudder on this one !), or do you suffered a low powered plane feeling ? How do you feel the power when the two engines where running ?
Best should be a video if you have that sort of stuff... Horten IX is still a "must have" project in my mind for more than 15 years ago, and I have more and more think to order you a kit if it's possible ! (This should not be easy to ship her from states to France ! [:@])
Horten IX was a pionner jet, with low power (Jumo004...) and limited aerobatics needed for its mission, as Me262...
Great applauses to you !
#23
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RE: 1/5.3 Horten 229
Other than the instant descend once the one power system failed, it handled fine on one motor and didnt exhibit any significant yaw changes.
There is a rudder on the model, just not a conventional one.
The reason for the power increase is bc we want this to fly like the fighter it was intended to be. The original power system was marginal and barely flew the plane. I like my planes to have a little bit of extra power on reserve. The fact that it will be able to atleast maintain altitude in the event one power unit fails with the new system is a plus.
Therea a video on youtube of the maiden as well
I am working on getting a dealer for these based in Europe to possibly make it available to you guys on the other side of the pond. Ill update the thread with more info on that as i get it.
There is a rudder on the model, just not a conventional one.
The reason for the power increase is bc we want this to fly like the fighter it was intended to be. The original power system was marginal and barely flew the plane. I like my planes to have a little bit of extra power on reserve. The fact that it will be able to atleast maintain altitude in the event one power unit fails with the new system is a plus.
Therea a video on youtube of the maiden as well
I am working on getting a dealer for these based in Europe to possibly make it available to you guys on the other side of the pond. Ill update the thread with more info on that as i get it.