Flite Fest 2017: Bugatti 100P
- Thread starter willsonman
- Start date
Jim, I will be arriving on the 11th to help out with setup, as per my usual. I will be there for the event's duration. Lookey-loos will be able to gawk/drool on a first come first served basis. A paint section may be a bit much but a finishing section may be more appropriate. Topics such as glassing, panel lines, etc can all be covered and discussed there... but that also ties into the scratch building section in relation to FT aircraft in general. Not sure how beneficial it would be.
Pop 'em in the mail Carl!
To further give folks a chance to see this subject and talk about it in-person, I have been notified by Jordan (FF coordinator) that I will have the opportunity to do a Q&A session as part of the Building Series this year. Not sure of a day and time yet but I have been told that I will be able to have a more formal discussion with folks, which I am honored to do. Now, I just have to make sure she gets there in one piece
Pop 'em in the mail Carl!
To further give folks a chance to see this subject and talk about it in-person, I have been notified by Jordan (FF coordinator) that I will have the opportunity to do a Q&A session as part of the Building Series this year. Not sure of a day and time yet but I have been told that I will be able to have a more formal discussion with folks, which I am honored to do. Now, I just have to make sure she gets there in one piece
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
Brother this was a win the instant the stress left your face and that huge smile replaced it during the maiden. I think that is great that FT has set aside actually time and space for this project. It is so well deserved as this in my opinion is close to being a museum piece some where to represent part of aviation history RC style.
Nothing done on the Bugatti this weekend. I took some time to spend with family and do some other activities. I'll get on the glass layup today for the oleo covers.
I did wrap up the goon repairs and get her out to the field yesterday. Nobody wanted to give me a hand toss as they have reservations about do that with scratch builds. I figured this may be the case so I did bring the bungee launcher. The launch went fine but it has been so long since I have flown her that I was unprepared for the abrupt stall characteristics. As I launched it was straight and true and I applied up elevator as I applied throttle. I used too much elevator and the wing stalled. She rolled over and cartwheeled from nose to wingtip. Its possible to glue the cracks back together and I'll give her another go but I will insist on a hand launch. I'd really like to bring her along as part of my scratch built racer collection.
I did wrap up the goon repairs and get her out to the field yesterday. Nobody wanted to give me a hand toss as they have reservations about do that with scratch builds.
I figured this may be the case so I did bring the bungee launcher. The launch went fine but it has been so long since I have flown her that I was unprepared for the abrupt stall characteristics. As I launched it was straight and true and I applied up elevator as I applied throttle. I used too much elevator and the wing stalled. She rolled over and cartwheeled from nose to wingtip. Its possible to glue the cracks back together and I'll give her another go but I will insist on a hand launch. I'd really like to bring her along as part of my scratch built racer collection.
This thread could almost be it's own forum. I went back and read all 86 pages of this for the maiden. This thread has more views than some episodes.
You could sell ads to this thread if not tickets.
I am not worthy.
You could sell ads to this thread if not tickets.
I am not worthy.
Careful or Joshua's head will need its own camping spot at FTFF!
FT should fly him to the event as an attraction.
LOL, you guys are too funny. I'm just another guy with his own passion. It is not that far of a drive for me from MD. I knew that this would be a popular subject as it has been so rarely modeled and is just striking to look at. I did not, however, think that it would gather so much community support. So, thank you all!
Progress on the oleo covers. First, I used 110# card stock to cut the overall shape I wanted for the cover. I laid it in place and covered the entire area with plastic wrap, stolen from the kitchen.
Next, I mixed up some epoxy and applied it over the area on the plastic wrap where the cover template was. Applied cloth, more epoxy, another layer of cloth, and more epoxy, making sure the cloth layers were completely wetted out. I then added another layer of plastic wrap over the top. This has three purposes. First, it allows me to squeege the epoxy around to ensure that every fiber of the cloth has been penetrated with epoxy. Second, It provides a smooth barrier to minimize finish work in the end. Third, it keeps out the moist (humid) air to prevent the epoxy from flashing.
As there are a few subtle curves to this part I put some sand into sandwich bags and laid them on top to weigh the glass down to conform to the curves.
Prior to the glass work I did an inspection of the retraction with the cover supports. They were too large in a couple of respects. I modified the STL file and 34 minutes later I had two new parts. Here you can see the new part on the left and the old part on the right. The cover will simply be glued directly to this part and it will slide along the oleo as it moves.
So, I'll check on the cure of the epoxy this evening, Cut the glass to shape and see what finish work needs done with primer. Supposed to be sunny and hot so any curing of paints will not take too long. I may wrap this project up today.
Progress on the oleo covers. First, I used 110# card stock to cut the overall shape I wanted for the cover. I laid it in place and covered the entire area with plastic wrap, stolen from the kitchen.
Next, I mixed up some epoxy and applied it over the area on the plastic wrap where the cover template was. Applied cloth, more epoxy, another layer of cloth, and more epoxy, making sure the cloth layers were completely wetted out. I then added another layer of plastic wrap over the top. This has three purposes. First, it allows me to squeege the epoxy around to ensure that every fiber of the cloth has been penetrated with epoxy. Second, It provides a smooth barrier to minimize finish work in the end. Third, it keeps out the moist (humid) air to prevent the epoxy from flashing.
As there are a few subtle curves to this part I put some sand into sandwich bags and laid them on top to weigh the glass down to conform to the curves.
Prior to the glass work I did an inspection of the retraction with the cover supports. They were too large in a couple of respects. I modified the STL file and 34 minutes later I had two new parts. Here you can see the new part on the left and the old part on the right. The cover will simply be glued directly to this part and it will slide along the oleo as it moves.
So, I'll check on the cure of the epoxy this evening, Cut the glass to shape and see what finish work needs done with primer. Supposed to be sunny and hot so any curing of paints will not take too long. I may wrap this project up today.
Does that card stock keep the wet fiberglass from sagging into the cavity?
Yes, it does but with how narrow this part is the support needed is minimal. The plastic wrap can be stretched taught to provide the support. I've used this method similarly to make gear doors on the tail of my jug. There, it did require the support of the card stock to get the right shape and not sag.
My Three Bugatti 100p planes
I got interested in this amazing plane in the early 2000's, but found it difficult to find any info on which to base my plan. I eventually found an A4 sized magazine three-view and drew up a plan for a "proof-of-concept" model. I started building it from light balsa sheet, purely to find out how to build such a curvacious beast. Once I had a basic shape to work with, I moulded wet balsa onto a foam blank that I'd carved and sanded. I fitted formers of the right shape inside, and it looked OK. It was only 32 inch span, but looked great. I tissue'd it and painted it Orange for visibilty.
I thought this is going to be something, so I fitted a single motor, 4 x 9gm servos and a small 3-cell pack. It went away from a hand-launch like a scalded cat, and after about 15 feet dived violently left and crashed. i repeated this several times, and decided I must try a contra-prop motor. i found a suitable sized unit, wrestled a standard spinner to fit the two props ( a bit poorly), and got the same flight characteristics.
I decided there must be some asymmetry in the construction, so planned a 42 inch version. I made this using planked construction, and decided this should have retracts, so got some small HobbyKing units and fitted them. I started again with a single motor, but got exactly the same results as the 32 inch plane.
I was a bit stumped then, so made a third one using 4mm Depron the same size as the original small one. I fitted a small indoor type brushed, geared motor, and it flew fine.
I got interested in this amazing plane in the early 2000's, but found it difficult to find any info on which to base my plan. I eventually found an A4 sized magazine three-view and drew up a plan for a "proof-of-concept" model. I started building it from light balsa sheet, purely to find out how to build such a curvacious beast. Once I had a basic shape to work with, I moulded wet balsa onto a foam blank that I'd carved and sanded. I fitted formers of the right shape inside, and it looked OK. It was only 32 inch span, but looked great. I tissue'd it and painted it Orange for visibilty.
I thought this is going to be something, so I fitted a single motor, 4 x 9gm servos and a small 3-cell pack. It went away from a hand-launch like a scalded cat, and after about 15 feet dived violently left and crashed. i repeated this several times, and decided I must try a contra-prop motor. i found a suitable sized unit, wrestled a standard spinner to fit the two props ( a bit poorly), and got the same flight characteristics.
I decided there must be some asymmetry in the construction, so planned a 42 inch version. I made this using planked construction, and decided this should have retracts, so got some small HobbyKing units and fitted them. I started again with a single motor, but got exactly the same results as the 32 inch plane.
I was a bit stumped then, so made a third one using 4mm Depron the same size as the original small one. I fitted a small indoor type brushed, geared motor, and it flew fine.
Attachments
Thank you so much for sharing! And welcome to the forum! It is a very unproven airframe for sure but the overall aerodynamics seem to scale down from the big one just fine. Once my CG is set she will be a peach to fly. LOVE you work, never stop building what you are obsessed with!
Ok, so my initial idea of a sliding part along the oleo was not going to work. The issue was that when the gear extended it would bend the glass part into a comical/cartoonish way. I ran through a few options and decided to go with the complicated option because, why not!?
SO the mount on the oleo will remain stationary. There has to be distance between the cover and the oleo when the gear extends and when retracted, there is only 3mm of space between the oleo and the bottom surface of the wing... so it has to be very compact. I worked out that I could use a nylon tube bushing but the size I had was too large for my wire options and created a TON of slop. Not good when retracted at high speeds. I figured out that I could cut a slit along the long side of the tube, sand it and then apply it back to the metal using CA. This would eliminate the slop. Then, I would CA the tube to the cover and the oleo mount with the seam on the glue joint to make sure it held the spacer. These are the spacers with the tubes applied. I went through 3 prior iterations of this metal piece to get the right size.
Then we have the retracted position. This is what the internals will look like. The cover will glue to the tube to the right in this photo.
And here with the cover in it's final position. I've not glued it yet as I want to do some paint work before I do the final mounting. Also note the pin hinge to the right. This slips down between the foam of the wing and the back end of the retract.
While I did not finish just yet we are well on our way. Just a few more hours of work. I posted a video of the mockup on FB last night. I'm hopeful that this link works.
SO the mount on the oleo will remain stationary. There has to be distance between the cover and the oleo when the gear extends and when retracted, there is only 3mm of space between the oleo and the bottom surface of the wing... so it has to be very compact. I worked out that I could use a nylon tube bushing but the size I had was too large for my wire options and created a TON of slop. Not good when retracted at high speeds. I figured out that I could cut a slit along the long side of the tube, sand it and then apply it back to the metal using CA. This would eliminate the slop. Then, I would CA the tube to the cover and the oleo mount with the seam on the glue joint to make sure it held the spacer. These are the spacers with the tubes applied. I went through 3 prior iterations of this metal piece to get the right size.
Then we have the retracted position. This is what the internals will look like. The cover will glue to the tube to the right in this photo.
And here with the cover in it's final position. I've not glued it yet as I want to do some paint work before I do the final mounting. Also note the pin hinge to the right. This slips down between the foam of the wing and the back end of the retract.
While I did not finish just yet we are well on our way. Just a few more hours of work. I posted a video of the mockup on FB last night. I'm hopeful that this link works.
I love the orange one with the red spinner - that looks dynamite!
And Welcome to the Forums!
I'll decipher that quote. I built this one as scale as possible... lemme go check the measurement.
Ok, so following the straightness of the leading edge and the trailing edge to the center line of the aircraft (red lines in the attached diagram), My recommended CG is no more than 2.7% aft of the leading edge at the centerline of the plane (Green line in the diagram).
Ok, so following the straightness of the leading edge and the trailing edge to the center line of the aircraft (red lines in the attached diagram), My recommended CG is no more than 2.7% aft of the leading edge at the centerline of the plane (Green line in the diagram).
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Yes, I've seen that page. I know this build thread is Looooong now but if you go back and look, I have been in contact with the resident expert on this aircraft at the EAA. He has been very kind.
For those tuning in this evening, I thought this link might be worth your perusal. If you are not a member of the Flite Test Fans group on Facebook, You will get some pics tomorrow.
For those tuning in this evening, I thought this link might be worth your perusal. If you are not a member of the Flite Test Fans group on Facebook, You will get some pics tomorrow.
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