FERNDALE AIR FORCE

I pondered where to put this thread. Micro, no not really, indoor yep fits fine. But I also plan on flying in my yard, But the backyard thread is pretty much park flyers. So here I am.

OK, first, shipping is pretty quick, and the plane is die cut, including the 60* cut for the elevons and rudder. I bought the the the full on kit with motor and servos etc. It turns out I have a motor that should work that is faster. No problem, the kit includes an x mount. There are lots of pieces in this kit. I did not count, but 40+ pieces seems rational. And then you cut some of thes into smaller pieces. The instructions are great in some places and bad in others.
Here are some pics of where I am now with the build.

Tim

windfou

how cost the plane and the dimension of this one thank you

Ched

I'm glad you posted the plane here. I have been wanting one for a long time.

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

wind fou, here's the link. http://www.lightflite.com/

Tim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

No visuals tonight.[][]. The wing is bonding to the cf frame.

Tim

windfou

thank you for the link and it look like a good flyer !!

jzrf6c

You'll love the bug. I've been flying mine for two years.. Guess what? I've had lots fewer crashes this year!

All kidding aside I have learned lots and been able to improve my eye-finger coordination by a factor of 10!

Since CA always adds to the weight of the model I'm about to order my second bug as this one now weighs at least 8 ounces!

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

ok, some new pics.

Tim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Here are somemore pics. I held off on mounting the lg until last. It's easier to work with this way. All that is left to do is to fine tune the servos, mount the LG and battery. And balance it. I am going to put a gws control horn for a dragger. Here are more pics.

Tim

jelly bean

where can i get one? how much? thanks

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Jelly bean, there is a link on post #4.

The build is done guys, maiden tomorrow, with the cooperation of the weather of course.

Final pic's tomorrow as well.

Tim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

First up, build impressions. I think the first step after separating your parts should be melting the hole for the LG strut. There is indeed an inventory of parts, but it is at the rear of the manual. The biggest thing is that you need to read the entire section prior to starting, it is not an exact step by step manual. BTW, for those of you that want to get grumpy about that, try writing a manual for something you know how to do, then ask someone to do it according to the instructions you have given. Now see what happens, instructions are hard to write. Writing step by step instructions for a plastic wall hanger run to half a page, been there, done that, and got calls asking how to do it[X(][:-].

I also saved the final LG install until everything else was done. My experience with other builds has taught me that LG can get in the way while building. The pig tails for my battery are too long and will be re-done to save weight. Once I have a good length for the 2s480mah batteries I'll post it.

So, we get to my attempt to maiden the plane. My first problem was that the included esc is set up for a pusher. That could have been checked in the build process, but I seem to have a mental block on doing so. I took my SU-27xxl out with the same problem. Just switch the red and yellow wires, no big deal. Then I powered up and gave the plane a toss I got a hard right turn. I recovered the plane, used a rog and got a hard right turn. I taxied, and got a wide right turn. I think my prop is way out of balance.

Anyway here are some pics.

Tim

jelly bean

Alright thanks. right after i posted that i scrolled down on the page the rest of the way and found it. Will any 4 channel radio work with it?

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

You really want a computer radio, although you can fly it 3 channel.

Tim

Flyin C

Very nice biuld review. I saw one of these fly the other weekend, very impressive, and amazed at how acrobatic these wings are.

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

I got the prop balanced and tried again. I forgot to ensure I had my rates turned down, but got a few seconds of flight. At present I'm over controlling the plane. I broke a tie strap linkage, so I repaired that and will try again this afternoon.

Thanks, C

Tim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

OK, tonights flight proved the "nerf airplane" moniker to be true[X(]. And taught me a lesson. I launched and was flying nicely until I realized that I was flying the launch pattern for my micro-cessna, and that I was trying to go left instead of right. And then I started both over controlling and turning the wrong/correct direction. It turned out that I had channel 1 plugged into channel 2. I don't know if there is a rule for elevon planes about left and right. I did get decent flight and a nice rog prior to the other problems.

As to the nerf rating, I rolled the plane and crashed it, it was heading for no man's land. I hit a chain link fence and nettle canes. Damage was a 2" cut to the wing. All parts came back in the house in one peice, so a bit of glue and the plane is ready for another flight tomorrow.

Feel free to comment, I feel like I'm writing for others but if there are no comments, pro or con, I don't know what you want to know. I should have a nice flight tomorrow, and I'll post it. But that will be the end of this thread. Barring outside interest

Tim

importfan

My Feedback: (3)

Tim,

Appreciate all the time you are spending with these posts (and all your AA and Cessna posts). I have been thinking of building a small version of the Bug and wanted to know if you had any comments regarding the IFO versus the Bug? Also, for flying in small spaces that are just right for an AA bipe what might be more suitable: the Bug or the Cessna? Or do they need significantly more space? They have not released the kit yet for the mini Bug but it sounds like it will be soon.

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Import, thank you for the feedback I appreciate it immensely, my understanding of the IFO is that it has no rudder and is made of kite material. From reading on the Bug site it seems like the bug is IFO v.2.0. I did buy a kiteplane once and it was defective. As for flying space I fly the cessna in the same space as the ace, but I launch from a different spot. I have a fairly large area to fly in out front. The way the house is situated the front is pretty big, 40x80(?) plus the road out front and a little road that starts across the street. The goal is to be able to fly the bug in the yard as well. My beef with the cessna is that it is fragile. Parkzone is now marketing it as an intermediate plane. That said when the cessna is functional I run multiple batteries through it. Time will tell on the bug. I hope that was helpful.

Tim

Oh and if you get the mini-bug, try to read the entire set of instructions first. That will help you a lot. And figure on spending some time on the build. I try to find separate areas to work on while glue is drying. tim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

I found a book that would have been helpful to me when I started flying and is still helpful to me. It's a detailed training manual for park flyers. OK, probably notas necessary for starting with the aces, but by the time I got into major mods to "fix" the plane very handy. And will continue to be handy for the next few years as I continue to grow in the hobby. For the bug there are sections on 3d flight. Read the free portions, they have saved me from a couple of bug crashes already. I am ordering the book after this post. I wanted this book 18 months ago when I started 3 channel planes. It had yet to be written. Any way here's the link.

http://www.rcflightschool.com/ParkFlying_Manual.asp

Tim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Hi all, I haven't dropped the thread, the weather has dropped on me[X(][>:][][:'(]. The best I did was to fly my micro cessna for about 25 minutes since thursday. If you care, I have purchased a fancy shelf that will allow me to store my 3 channel planes, the bug is on a hook as recommended, and the other half is on wheels[X(]. Can you say build station? I've never been this pleased about a clean up & organize period. Here are a couple of pics, I'm feeling a bit proud.

Tim

importfan

My Feedback: (3)

Tim,

Thanks for the link to the book. Sounds like great information. At least all your models are readily accessible. Mine are in various boxes all over the garage (3 AA bipes, 3 Power Hawks, 1 X-Twin, 2 echargers, 1 HPI Splash (30" plane) and 1 Graupner Tipsy (3 channel 36" plane)). I am still deciding between a IFO-like mini Bug or a home-built mini Bug. I bought a kite from Costco for 10$ and it should have all the carbon rods and material I might need for the IFO-like version. It is intended for in front of the house. Not too fast but still agile. No time to build right now but hopefully in time for summer.

Rich

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Import, for the aeroace size planes, I got one of those wire mesh and wood shoe holders from costco That will hold all your little birds in one spot.

Tim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

This thread has not been abandoned. The weekend weather and the little league people have combined to make a remaiden challenging. Normally during decent work night I can walk over to the park across the street and fly over grass. The little league people re seeded the field and posted please stay off the field signs in late november they are still in place.

I got my tx lipo the other day so my tx battery is no longer an issue. My goals for tomorrow are to re maiden the bug, my su-27xxl(bad battery) and a decent not-so-slow stick flight. A maiden with the high wing fokker w/ a 300 motor might occur as well. And if all goes well 4 batteries through the micro cessna. I hope to fly the bug in the same space as the cessna, but I need to get a feel for it first.

I may have mentioned that I used an extra couple of grams and used a LOS(line of sight) rx on itI have better than a 1/4 mile to fly in if I get 400' from my yard and mostly unobstructed.

Tim

FERNDALE AIR FORCE

Here is the long awaited flight report. In one word, WOW.

I took the plane to the high school so that I could have some nice grass to fly over. On the first toss I realized that the lg was squappity, so I flew for a couple of minute and brought it in. The cf rod broke[X(][>:]. But it still flew so I launched again[8D][8D]. This time I didn't realize that I had flipped the dual rates switch to full rates, this was a short but interesting flight. I grabbed it again, flipped the rate switch, and gave it a toss. I flew for better than 10 minutes this time, slow fast loops and rolls just a great plane.

I would recommend this plane to anyone. I would strongly recommed a computer radio though.

Tim