nstaller

My Feedback: (9)

How about using some clear acrylic or lexan as the vert stabs. On my millenium falcon I used Cd cases as the verticles and you cant even see them when its flying.

Look Good

Porky

I suppose I could do the same with the canard. Good idea. I need a ton of wait in the front anyway, I could probably use 3/8" thick acrylic shape it and flame polish back to clear. I just won a x-wing, cox u-control on ebay last night, it uses clear vert. & horiz. stabs. Can a u-control be converted to RC?

Porky

I found a link to a foam x-wing build a guy did. There are two videos at the bottom of the page.

http://www.webalice.it/michelecarla/...ing/x_wing.htm

Espresso-Outfitters

Very nice, where did you get the plans? I've found electric is the way to go with x planes, you have greater control over the weight since it remains constant. Also, have recently found out how dramatic temperature effects things, it may fly as originally designed in warmer weather.

Porky

You might be right about electric being the way to go. My cg was so far aft it imidiately went into a few flips before landing on its back, during both test flights. I haven't landed too many planes on their back, but this one twice in a row, hmm. When I build a new one I will figure a way to put the tank on or near the CG. I got the plans at rcstore.com, they had it listed as a plane called the kneeknocker for a few years, but I got them to change the name after I ordered it and received a plane called the kneenocker and it was a conventional plane.

http://www.rcstore.com/RS/general/de...6841&catego=PL

Espresso-Outfitters

Well, you are doing yours in foam, it looks like they are selling balsa plans. I suggest cutting away as much as possible from the nose section, ie. drill some holes in it and/or replacing it with balsa construction covering the gaps in mylar or paper to get the weight down. My personal direction when constructing non conventional aircraft, if it can't glide, it will be a ***** in powered flight. Gliding also is alot easier in the crash ratio as well since you have more control over where it lands/crashes and can prepare a soft spot to minimize the damage. That design by default should have the tractor/puller prop located at the front, it should function much more smoothly, pushers aren't the way to go when you have that high of a profile blocking air intake.

Porky

Mine is built up balsa construction. See the pictures here:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/davidp.../ph//my_photos

Espresso-Outfitters

it appeared to be a solid unit to me upon first glance, did you surface the entire surface in balsa? Sounds like a very heavy design.

Porky

It is pretty heavy. It comes in at 4lbs. 11oz dry.

The wings are 1/16" balsa over ribs. I decided to build per plans to prove out the design. I have found weak spots in the fuselage and plan on rebuilding to more scale shape and light building practices.

The design calls for the CG 2" in front of the wing LE, per my calcs anyway. In order to get the CG worked out (wet) I need to have the RX battery in the nose and about 8oz of lead, OUCH!

My next design will put more weight up front, inherent in the stronger construction and location of servos....etc. and.. lightening the construction in the rear. I also have my eyes on a .36 engine that only weighs 10.76oz w/ muffler, as opposed to the junker 40LA it has right now.

I will be test flying this tommorrow, I hope, Maybe I can get some video for y'all.

Espresso-Outfitters

the covering does indeed help with the structure, but it sure is heavy, I try to use as little balsa as possible, so test the structure before adding any supports, covering the entire surface of anything in solid balsa is something I only put in place if I have to mount something onto it after the fact, otherwise, it's the paper/mylar that fills in the gaps making it much lighter.

Here is a diagram of what I would do in order to keep the model more true to the original Star Wars look, it should also make adding/removing weight less critical since you can just adjust the angle of the blades attack, this is meant to be located within the nose/fuselage while hollowing it out, similar to a mig, I'm sure it can be effective even if you have it in an adjustable, fixed place, or better yet, add a servo to control it and I'm sure you'll be doing some killer acrobatics:

Porky

Espresso,
I have no idea what I am looking at. What are you trying to explain? Is that in lieu of a canard? Sorry, but I am confused.

Espresso-Outfitters

Yes it's in lieu of it, here is another diagram that should explain it better:

Porky

I see. With all the radio gear and gas tank I don't think I would get enough flow through the fuse to have effective lift to support the nose. It would be cool to do away with the canard. I am curious if I could use elevons and just balance it without the canard.

Kinda like a delta wing with a nose sticking out.

Espresso-Outfitters

I suppose anything you do to make it more stable is going to move it away from the direction of the original, it sounds like it should work to me with your latest revision. Here is a photo of the progress I've made on the current project:



It's a disc platform I'm configuring to run a few experiements with, so wanted strength, but at the same time, it had to be ultra light, so I merged foam with the balsa, taking advantage of the circular shape for strength within a couple of the crossmembers. What is cool about working in this way, you are shaping the foam in 3 dimensions and beefing it up in balsa, so the foam makes a great, lightweight foundation.

Porky

EO,
I like the progress on the new "ship". What is it modeled after?

I have now had the 3rd full speed crash with the .40 size x-wing. I did some CG calculations on the thing I still need to move the CG up another 1.5". I can't belive it. I hope to get this, now pile of junk, together enough to prove out this design and build a pretty one. I am encouraged as this 3rd flight actually produced forward flight, but way too pitch sensitive. CG, CG, CG. I am now a full 3: ahead of where the plans indicate the CG should be.

I am considering building a version out of foam for quick and easy testing. Where can I get foam easy here in California? What do you all use and where do you buy it. I wanted some 6mm and 3mm Depron, but I hate when shipping costs more than the material.

Any help, I want the x-wing to live on.

nstaller

My Feedback: (9)

Use Dow blue cor available at Lowes or Home Depot.It comes in a bundle and gives you lots of "Spare Parts"

Porky

Is it available in 3mm and 6mm sizes or at least close to this?

Espresso-Outfitters

You can cut this stuff with a hack saw blade, so like nstaller mentioned, plenty of spare parts. Good call on foaming it out and doing some preliminary's, it sucks when you have a new design that is hopeless unless you make some serious modifications, the X wing is a classic example of a design that just doesn't work well in the real world, it would fly better backwards, that or having a counter balance trailing behind it to help offset the nose. The above design was an experiement in combining semi-traditional balsa construction with foam, it all went pretty well until I started covering it, even after I coated the foam with a light layer of diluted wood glue, the airplane dope still managed to seep through the paper and destroy it, so it's a wrinkled mess, be it at least enough of it stayed in tact to prove this design. So, not modeled after anything in particular outside of my own advancment upon the final, proper solid disc shape. I call it the flying potato chip, that or the flying vette, or the flying stingray, take your pick. Here is a photo of it compete and ready for it's first flight test:




I'm also finding out the threshold of workability within new designs, ie. when you get under 16", things start to get really crazy, and even proven designs have trouble, the 22"+ seem to be alot more forgiving.

nstaller

My Feedback: (9)

Nice plane EO. The best thing I have seen to cover foam with is colored packing tape.Lots of colors and weighs next to nothing plus it adds a little protection to the foam.

Porky

I wonder how packing tape might stand-up to the old heat gun. If it shrinks at a low enough temp. then covering an "open cell" foam & balsa object like the potato chip might be possible.

Espresso-Outfitters

another element about the paper, it's advantages being that you can get the wrinkles out before you seal it, it's shrinking does tend to warp what ever you are covering, so it's tricky enough with balsa that has a more defined, solid structure, the foam gave alot in the process, so it was impractical in this area, will try the packing tape on the next one and see if it's shrinking properties are more forgiving.

I suppose at this point. I gotta bring this all back to the original star wars thread, what has flying capacity but hasn't been done yet in this realm, even thinking along the theme with some all new fighter that isn't even on the screen would suffice, any episode is valid as well?

nstaller

My Feedback: (9)

How about a A wing or a Jedi starfighter from ep 3?

Ashtn88

After I finish my vtol, i actually have made plans on building the N-1 Naboo Royal Starfighter, because it seems airworthy. Granted, thats after my VTOL, so it could be a while

PS- what about the ARC-170 from episode 3?

-SomeGuy-

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ericthetree

My Feedback: (11)

how about this one, I think it's kind of starwarsy looking. sort of a float plane. I've decided to use front mount for motor placement.