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Any RC homemade flying ideas?

Old 01-13-2004, 04:06 PM
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pete2194
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Default Any RC homemade flying ideas?

Hi, Can anyone help me on plans for a homemade rc powered paraglider, i have 4 standard servos, one can 540 motor, plus prop, 2000 MAH 7.2v rc car battery pack, standard reciever, and a standard speed controller lying around, that i would like to use for it, what homemade items would work, to create it. I know all i just mentioned isn't exactly light, but if i make a huge chute, the 540+ 7.2v Battery should be able to get into the air?

If no one can help me on this, I would like to make anything that will fly with this equipment, anything. Any help will be much appreciated. I don't have much to spend on expensive things.

THANKS

Pete
Old 01-13-2004, 11:36 PM
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BMatthews
 
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Default RE: Any RC homemade flying ideas?

How about an electric powered model made using carved white styrofoam and cover it with newsprint using one of the new water based varnishes as a glue and finish? Sort of a paper mache airplane. I did a few control line combat models like this years ago and they were very strong for the weight.

It's nice to cut the foam with a hot wire but fine tooth SHARP saws and SHARP knives also work even if they are very messy. Pick a nice high wing design and buy some sheets of 1 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch. Cut out the wing, carve it to a Clark Y shape using the knives and very coarse and fresh sandpaper. The fuselage is made using the 3/4 material hot glued together to form a box. Tail surfaces are cut and carved to a thick'ish symetrical airfoil. The only balsa you need is a sheet of 1/4 to make strips to glue onto the foam along the hinge lines and to make the control surfaces out of.

Use a long block for shaping the airfoils so they are even as practical root to tip. Use some guidelines for the initial bevel cuts so the facets on the wings act as guides for the final sanding. Same for the tail surfaces.

If you don't want to use clean newsprint from a packing or paper supply outlet then the ad flyers that come into your door will do fine. To form spars cut out diamond shapes and glue them to the wing with the water based varnish. Similarly if the varnish seems like too much money then for an electric you can get away with wall paper paste. Just mix it up a little thinner than they recomend. You may need to wet the paper lightly first if there is not enough moisture in the varnish itself. If using paste then making it a bit runny will solve both the weight and moisture problem all at once. It needs to be wet to mold to the shapes. Glue in the dihedral before adding the paper spars. You will be making the spars right on the foam by using mulitple layers of newspaper. In this case the foam acts as the spar webbing for the paper spars. No need for wood as long as you don't get crazy with the hard pullouts. (Or you could build in something like a yard stick with foam to the front and rear and then carve to shape) The first spar diamond is about 1 1/2 inches wide and runs out to the 1/3 span point going right over the dihedral joint (which was just hot glued). The second spar layer is 2 inches wide at the root and goes out to the 2/3 span point. The third spar layer diamond is 3 inches wide and goes root to tip. Finally lay on one full layer over the whole wing with a fairly generous overlap at the leading and trailing edges. This should all be done in one go and done quickly enough that it does not dry as you work. Once it's all layed up and wet with enough varnish so that it's coated nicely but not dripping then stand it on it's trailing edge with some bits of stick to hold it up a little. It's VERY important to let air get to all areas evenly so it dries as a unit. If you don't do this it'll warp. Do the tail surfaces the same way but add the balsa trailing edges for the hinging. The fuselage can be a simple box or as fancy as you wish but cover it with paper as well.

Finish the whole mess with some nice spray bombs. Or if you did it with clean newsprint you could decorate by laying on art store colored tissue in a nice pattern with a last coat of varnish.
Old 01-14-2004, 02:54 AM
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rchawaii
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Default RE: Any RC homemade flying ideas?

How about this? Details inside: It's not electiric I'm sorry. :S

http://spadworld.net/viewtopic.php?t...light=parasail

If you have any questions, feel free to ask Chris on the fourm
Old 01-14-2004, 01:31 PM
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pete2194
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Default RE: Any RC homemade flying ideas?

Hi

Firstly Bruce, i really wish i had a brother like you building this with me, giving such detail, wow. I will have to carefully study what you wrote, for
looking at all of this at a glance makes my head spin. I wish i had some illustrations of this, but that i cannot ask. Many thanks for all of this detail Bruce,
I will try to build this paraglider, using your ideas on this, if i can. I'ts obviously far more advanced than my own ideas!

Secondly, R chawaii, I'm going through the 2 pages right now, having trouble viewing the pictures that is illustrated, Thank you and thank you both for all this info.

I will post my progress as often as i can,
Many thanks

Pete
Old 01-14-2004, 04:12 PM
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BMatthews
 
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Default RE: Any RC homemade flying ideas?

Yeah, the pictures seem to have expired in that link.

I wasn't thinking paraglider but rather a proper full airplane. The idea of quick and dirty like this has been percolating in my head for a while now. I'm looking for some newsprint and hope to try roughing out a trainer for giggles this spring. I figure if I can't hack it out and be finished in a couple of evenings then I don't deserve to be a scratch builder. Watch in this forum for it. Hopefully sometime in Feb or March.

You can thank our own Crazy Herb for my inspiration.....
Old 01-16-2004, 03:00 PM
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pete2194
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Default RE: Any RC homemade flying ideas?

MMM.. HA, now i see you meant plane and not Paraglider me re-reading the first line, sometimes i tend to only see what i want, and that is not always a good thing, hey but now i'm building a paraglider chassis out of styrofoam because of your idea, i do not have the proper tools to sculpt a good looking, let alone well balanced plane, Well oaky also because i'm still a rookie when it comes to scratch building the way you mentioned. All complements to you, i wish i had
your expertise on this!

Thanks for helping, I wish i had a laser foam cutting machine, i think i saw one in one of
the ads up here, Now i forgot where it was, i'll get one someday,
Have a nice weekend

Pete
Old 01-19-2004, 12:02 PM
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BykrDan
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Default RE: Any RC homemade flying ideas?

Pete -

Recently, I bought a stunt kite for my son (and, well, myself too) that has been a LOAD of fun at the park flying around. This is the kind with two strings and you have some control over where it goes. It was cheap too, seeing as how it's bitterly, bitterly cold here now.

Not long after we got it in the air, I was musing over how well it flies, and thought to myself, "with a Speed 400 on an 8.4v pack, I bet I could make a rather fun airplane out of this". Everything's an airplane to me these days...

The "controls" would have to be inventive, and would probably be a little sluggish in the air anyway, but I'm betting it could be done.

Just a thought. Happy flying (inventing and building).
Dan.

By the way Bruce - I was just looking at some old newspaper the other day, thinking "could you varnish that and make a suitable covering material from it?" Like I say - everything's an airplane! I may try that on some foam soon myself.
Old 01-19-2004, 12:52 PM
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pete2194
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Default RE: Any RC homemade flying ideas?

Hi BykrDan

Well thanks for the encouragement, I lost a bit of faith in this project for the world of SPAD
is trying to pursuade me in going their way, and i am looking at building a Spad Sloper, a SuperCheeter, but i'm finding it hard to get Coroplast in my country, i emailed a company asking them if they would be able to cut me some Coroplast, still did not recieve a response, and
it looks like this 1 company is the only one who makes, and sell Coroplast in my country. This
is driving me back to my paraglider project, The Kite wing will be perfect, i was wondering if the one you have would work with this project, the less expensive one (2 strings). Now your
are almost 100% convincing me that it would, more affordable, in comparison with a spad, well
the Spad is nice, will be less expensive, lots, but i'm finding it hard to get the material.
I am going to try a liitle more and see if i can get coroplast, i was also thinking of building a wing out of a big rubbish bag, but hey, nothing wil beat a proffesionally built Kite wing like yours.

Thanks BykrDan

Pete
Old 01-19-2004, 06:56 PM
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Jim Finn
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Default RE: Any RC homemade flying ideas?

Do a search here for "Moogallo" Lots of ideas there.
Old 01-20-2004, 12:51 PM
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BykrDan
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Default RE: Any RC homemade flying ideas?

Don't give up Pete - I built my first built airplane out of a wall that was removed from a building (it had a thin panelling on it that made the fuse and wing rib formers). The stringers are hardwood dowels, and the control surfaces are regular 1/4" plywood from Home Depot. And it flies like a banshee! Of course, I had to spend a lot on the power system to haul all that weight around but hey, it can be done!

Dan.

My second plane was going to be an indoor model built entirely from Depron foam "to go" boxes. I ended up using balsa for everything but the tail surfaces and wheel pants, for the sake of time. First flight reports coming soon on the "Indoor" forum...
Old 01-23-2004, 04:31 PM
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pete2194
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Default RE: Any RC homemade flying ideas?

Interresting little flying machine that one, haven't ever seen anything like it! thanks Jim, Well
if the moogallo can fly using a some sort of Kite wing, Mine just have to work. But i finally
did get someone who will supply me Coruplast, I'm gonna buy lot's of sheets, so i can
build and build till i get it right, for i am a newbie to all this. My paraglider project will be resumed a soon as i get some extra radio equipment for it, right now i have to use what i have for my Spad plane

Well Dan, thanks for patting me on the shoulder, i'm gonna do this
and hopefully get rewarded with a plane that flies, it has to fly, i cannot wait until it's finished!

You know it is people like you Dan and everyone that shares the experience of flying that i want to sit down with and build planes with! ,people on the outside
that don't share it, misses out on a very important experience!

mmmmm...... well i just wanted to say that, now then, thx to all and i hope someday we all
come together and fly forever! ...... [:-]

Pete

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