According to the search function, there isn't a single Skimmer 600 build thread anywhere in RCUniverse! Or for that matter, a build thread of any size Skimmer (at least not of the aircraft)! So I guess this is the first build thread of this plane here.

This isn't the first Skimmer I've built though, I made the 400 version some years back, but my dog found it before I could maiden her. I'll spare you the gory details, but safe to say it wasn't repairable (All the King's horses and all the King's men...:sad. This one will be her larger brother, the Skimmer 600. This is the bird I should have made back then. I can already see it is going to be a lot easier, if only because there is a lot more room inside, and moving things around is going to be a lot easier.


Naturally, it will be modified. instead of the large 600 can motor I will be using a modern brushless (almost four times smaller!) the 6-7 nickel cells which normally sit under the wing will be replaced with a LiPo pack, which I can fit just about anywhere. As the plane is designed and balanced for a much larger and heavier motor I will probably be moving the pack forward, hopefully right behind the smaller brushless. That motor will be a Hyperion Zs2213 series outrunner. Batteries will be a 11.1V 1300MAH LiPo, (Mfg. rated at 30C).


I will also be lightening this bird as much as possible, mostly in the tail, as I need to re-balance the now lighter nose anyway. The lumber that came in the box is certainly not contest grade (thank goodness, I tried working with that dried sea foam on another plane! ), but is good enough. A least to me barely trained eye.ops: The solid pieces, like the rudder, elevator and tapered TE pieces will be drilled out, the clumsy 1/4 Sq. balsa pushrods replaced with modern, 'streamlined' .070 carbon rods. These may not be that much lighter, but they will make installation a lot easier. Advertised weight for this bird is 44oz. Wing Loading @ 12 oz./ft. MotoCalc tells me with just the new motor and batteries it will already be much lighter; 33oz AUW, 9 oz/ft WL. Hopefully I will be able to beat even that.


Other mods will be on the main wing, which as designed is a 70" (1.8M) single piece dihedral. Almost as long as my truck bed, which as I don't have a cover for it is probably not the best place store an RC sailplane wing while transporting this bird to the field. So I will be breaking it into two pieces. Also I will be replacing the 1" x 35" tapered trailing edge piece with a 1.25" x 35" tapered TE which will be cut and hooked up with servos to give me camber/reflex control, or 'CambFlex' (hey, it's better than "Refer" >). Since both control surfaces will be working in unison they will be connected to the same channel (5) via a reversing Y harness. These will not be ailerons, The basic controls will remain as designed; Rudder/Elevator/Throttle. They will not be flaps or spoilers (although they can easily be modified to provide such). I hear flaps are pretty much useless on this plane anyway. http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...ps#post4044841