Bipe Flyer

I'm starting a little .010 powered bipe with a 15" span. The plan is to make it quick to build and have simple construction.

DICKEYBIRD

Cute as a bug's ear Andrew! Are the wings all sheet? Built-up? Foam?

ajcoholic

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I am looking for a neat plane for my 010...

AJC

Bipe Flyer

I had originally considered a Jedelsky wing, but I think I'll cut a Clark Y out of foam. I think it would look best with a built up wing, but foam is the easiest for me.

AJC
I'll send you the plans if it flies.

DICKEYBIRD

Oh yeah, a little Gilles Muller software, a little foam, mix in a hot wire and some stepper motors and bada-bing, bada-boom....1 perfect set of biplane wings! I'm gonna get me a CNC foam cutter when I grow up!

BMatthews

Two 15 inch span flat wings using a slightly shortened LS rib? Can't be THAT hard you slacker....

A 20 inch span version for a TeeDee 020 would be killer too.

Bipe Flyer

After investing in the CNC foam cutter I have to justify it somehow.

It doesn't show on the drawing above, but it will be R/E with dihedral.

jessiej

Looks sorta like a cross between a Dakita and a Staggerwing Beach Neat looking design!

jess

Bipe Flyer

I was going to just make unsheeted extruded blue foam wings, but I decided that fully sheeted expanded white foam would be nicer. I used 3M77 to attach the 1/32 light balsa sheeting. I used this same method with the same thickness of sheeting and density of foam on my .46 sized Pitts. Overkill you say? Yes of course, but here's the kicker; I weighed a LS wing that I had framed up but not covered and it only weighs 2 grams less than all four sheeted wing panels combined!

combatpigg

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HI BIPE! That cross section shows how skimpy light the 1/32" looks, even on such a tiny wing. The trouble I have with 1/32" selection at the LHS, is it is stringy, tough and heavy as light 1/16"! I'm sure there is a good mail order source of the stuff, but that tends to be a crap shoot being at the mercy of someone elses' judgement. I either buy from LONESTAR, BALSA USA, or SIG. Even on a 15" plane, that .010 looks TINY! I've never seen one run, imagine how much more critical the tolerances are than with a bigger engine.

Andrew

Hi Andrew --

The wing, as usual, looks real good. Is the 3M77 you used the most recent formulation. For some reason, old age being likely, I thought someone had said the formula had changed and was no longer foam friendly. Obviously not since you were able to use it.

the "other" Andrew

Strykaas

Hello Bipe Flyer,

Have you ever released the plans for your Ultimate (in your Avatar) ?

thx

Bipe Flyer

CP
I got some 1/32 sheet where the QC wasn't very good and the thickness varied from sheet to sheet. This made it a real pain for joining sheets, but I just picked two of the thinner sheets for this wing.

Andrew
I read about that in rec.models.rc.air back in March of 2002 but I've yet to see any of foam dissolving 3M77. Apparently the foam safe is in a black can and the type that attacks foam is in a red can.

Strykaas
I just haven't gotten around to finishing up the plans.

Bipe Flyer

The wings are ready for covering.

That mug weighs 11.5 oz. Not bad for a wing that weighs under 10 grams (.35 oz)

Bipe Flyer

I got the fuselage framed up today, but the fin looks a little small. I may make another one.

It's under 2 oz, including engine, at this point.

combatpigg

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HI BIPE! Looks GREAT! How much dihedral?

Bipe Flyer

5 degrees on each wing.

Rendegade

Now who's building cabin bipes?!?!?!

And to think that you all laughed at my Hiperbipe..

rightly so I suppose [&:]

Bipe Flyer

I liked your Hiperbipe! Did you ever give it another try? I'd like to see some pictures.

matchlessaero

Andrew, that little thing is beauteefulllll. An absolute cutie. I am thinking you will have a real floater with all that wing area.

Initially, I was inclined to agree with you about the size of the fin, but after seeing how well all the little Willard planes fly with their small fins, I am not sure you don't already have it right. With all that being said, I personally tend to make my stabilizer surfaces a bit larger (2-3% or more) than normal on my smallest planes.....

Keep posting. Can't wait to see the finished product......

Frankly if you were to re-shape the fin a bit, you could almost get away with calling it the 'Light-BeerCat' [sm=lol.gif]

Bipe Flyer

Thanks Match. I'd rather err on the side of slightly larger stabilizer. I'd rather have a plane want to tuck a little in the turns than not know which end points to the front.

Now that I think of it, it does look a bit like a Beercat. That wasn't the intention but I guess that working on the 1/2A Beercat plans has rubbed off. It just goes to show that no matter how original you think your design is, you are always drawing on past experience to a certain extent.

Rendegade

I got halfway through a rebuild and then suddenly thought that without a decent powerplant I was wasting my time.

The enya .09 couldn't pull the skin off custard, so I'll sell that and get myself a nice .074 I think.

Then I'll give it another go

phuffstatler

My Feedback: (20)

Hilarious!!!! though mine used to pull my old All Star bipe around ok. Had this odd vibration I couldn't locate, though... []

BF, neat neat plane you've got there. Do you ever sleep?

phil in austin

Rendegade

Maybe I'm doing something wrong with it.

hmmm time to start another thread..

MR Flyer57

Hey Bipe,

Great looking little plane, When they get that small they all start looking like the Beercat!
Can't wait to see it fly!
MR Flyer57