Hardware installed on one side. Servo glued down with just a little hot glue around the top before pushing down in. Will cover servo with something. probably just a square of matching vinyl.
8ft Zagi Sloper - DIY / Hot cutting / Fiberglass - MAIDENED!
- Thread starter thenated0g
- Start date
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- Tags
- glider gliding slope slopesoaring
bracesport
Legendary member
looks like it will do the trick!
Least amount of slop of any plane i have done. I guess thats what you get for using after market linkage stuff.
Hot glued in the RX. After sliding the wings together it became pretty apparent that i need a little more space, maybe a hole on the other side for all the wires.
I measured the entire wing again as some things always change once you start cutting.
I input those measurements back into the wing CG calculator and taped a rod at that location.
I than taped a container in the nose area and started adding lead until it was close to balance. I will probably add a little less and leave some space in the same area of the nose to put temp weights so i can add/remove in the field to get final cg.
I weighed the plane and its sitting around 3.2kg. Adding in the above 350g puts me right where i was aiming which was 3.5kg (close enough).
Here i have a comparison between my big f-100 sloper on the right vs this zagi on the left. Knowing that i flew the f-100 in 18-21mph winds gives me an idea of how this wing will fly and what types of winds. The zagi has half the wingloading and the cubic loading, which tells you "how" the plane will fly is dramatically lower. Should be a good floater.
I measured the entire wing again as some things always change once you start cutting.
I input those measurements back into the wing CG calculator and taped a rod at that location.
I than taped a container in the nose area and started adding lead until it was close to balance. I will probably add a little less and leave some space in the same area of the nose to put temp weights so i can add/remove in the field to get final cg.
I weighed the plane and its sitting around 3.2kg. Adding in the above 350g puts me right where i was aiming which was 3.5kg (close enough).
Here i have a comparison between my big f-100 sloper on the right vs this zagi on the left. Knowing that i flew the f-100 in 18-21mph winds gives me an idea of how this wing will fly and what types of winds. The zagi has half the wingloading and the cubic loading, which tells you "how" the plane will fly is dramatically lower. Should be a good floater.
That looks like it turned out amazing. Thank you for letting us into your workshop with you as you build it.
After your maiden flight, let us know what you liked and will do next build, what didn't work and you'll stop, and what things you should start doing next time.
After your maiden flight, let us know what you liked and will do next build, what didn't work and you'll stop, and what things you should start doing next time.
The reason i did the vacuum bag laminated wingtips is that my next build will involve vacuum bagging foam wings with fiberglass. This was an easy "lets get the problems out of the way" part that didnt really matter how it looked. Vacuum bagging fiberglass wings has been a goal i have been working on/wanting to do for years and i finally feel like its a good time to jump in. Ill probably do a couple small sections as a test and than do an easy straight winged plane first before going "crazy" on hard multipanel wing.
Right now the plan is to do a modified version of the old Ridge Rat slope soarer but with a different airfoil and a wing that is not as deep.
Its a pretty basic shape as far as planes so i can just focus on the process's and steps.
PS that FB alula is awesome. If my dreamflight one dies i would totally make one of those.
That's a great compliment, I thank you. Now if I can just get it to fly right. (It's coming.) I want to get it be tip launched. When I can get success, I will put together a build page.
I've been chugging for about three. 2 Avidly building... this medium is just fun. I have to have better cycling system. What do you do? If you are like me and build like a fool. How many do you keep, what is you litmus test for plane retainage.
My thoughts on cycling rule. Build, maiden, fly... after 4 build up (per motor setup
). then I have to chose one to be rid of before I build another.) if I love it, and flying it... then put it in the ready to go - keep rack.
I am a builder, that sometimes flies. I am also blessed for the past 2 years to live in a house that has its own large shop. IE i have lots of room to store planes. Usually my process for getting rid of a plane is a combination of how long has it been since i flew it, how much does it mean to me personally (my design?, was it a great experience, did i spend a bunch of money on decals or time on finishing), How good does it look as a static model just hanging on my wall (decor?). Usually i hit a level where i have filled up all the nooks and crannies and than i will go thru all my stuff at one time and clear shop. We do the same thing with our garage once a year. Take everything down, look thru it all. How long has it been since we used this stuff, do we need to store it? Make dump run. Or in this case, rip the electronics out. Take the spars out that you can, throw the rest away, maybe take some pictures before destroying them.
My 120" guinea pig was awesome, but it was right at the beginning of my branching off into my own stuff. So it was overbuilt, heavy, was a pain in the butt to transport and to store. There were a lot of things that, looking back on it 2 years later, 2 years of getting better at building, that i finally just got tired of it and took all the parts out and tossed it.
I think some people are collectors and some people are builders, just like some people collect art and some people are artists. I really dont have any interest in collecting planes. Im always thinking about the next thing im building. I have a couple planes i love love love to fly at the slope dont get me wrong, but i think the idea of having room to build the next plane is way more interesting than holding onto a plane i havent flown in a year.
I really like the idea i have seen in a few places. of cutting just the tail feather section off and mounting it to a piece of wood like a hunting trophy. Have a wall of old planes/memories.
My 120" guinea pig was awesome, but it was right at the beginning of my branching off into my own stuff. So it was overbuilt, heavy, was a pain in the butt to transport and to store. There were a lot of things that, looking back on it 2 years later, 2 years of getting better at building, that i finally just got tired of it and took all the parts out and tossed it.
I think some people are collectors and some people are builders, just like some people collect art and some people are artists. I really dont have any interest in collecting planes. Im always thinking about the next thing im building. I have a couple planes i love love love to fly at the slope dont get me wrong, but i think the idea of having room to build the next plane is way more interesting than holding onto a plane i havent flown in a year.
I really like the idea i have seen in a few places. of cutting just the tail feather section off and mounting it to a piece of wood like a hunting trophy. Have a wall of old planes/memories.
One thing i noticed yesterday was some play in the control arm section on the elevons. I think these were made to mount to something solid, like balsa that you could crank down on to get a solid connection. But mine are mostly hollow foam that doesnt have a lot of strength. I took them apart this morning, squirted some gorilla glue into the hole and than i put outdoor double sided tape on both of the red washer caps to let it pull on the vinyl skin. Really tightened up the controls.
Next i drilled a hole (sorry forgot to take a pic) in the nose and removed some foam, poured in the lead to make sure the hole was large enough.
When i have time i will mix up some of my thin laminating epoxy, dump the bb's back in, than pour in the epoxy. The thin epoxy will go thru all the bb's and should lock it in place in the tip of the nose. Than i will mix up some thick epoxy and filler to fill in the rest of the hole i made and sink in one of the magnets so it sits flush with the wing. Than repeat on the other side making sure the magnets connect and are flush.
The delicate part of this process is the weight of everything. I know i need 175g in each side to hit cg, but i want a little bit less. This way i can still move cg forward and back later and not have to add weight in the tail. About 10g of that is a magnet. The thin epoxy im adding is going to have weight and the filler as well.
Next i drilled a hole (sorry forgot to take a pic) in the nose and removed some foam, poured in the lead to make sure the hole was large enough.
When i have time i will mix up some of my thin laminating epoxy, dump the bb's back in, than pour in the epoxy. The thin epoxy will go thru all the bb's and should lock it in place in the tip of the nose. Than i will mix up some thick epoxy and filler to fill in the rest of the hole i made and sink in one of the magnets so it sits flush with the wing. Than repeat on the other side making sure the magnets connect and are flush.
The delicate part of this process is the weight of everything. I know i need 175g in each side to hit cg, but i want a little bit less. This way i can still move cg forward and back later and not have to add weight in the tail. About 10g of that is a magnet. The thin epoxy im adding is going to have weight and the filler as well.
bracesport
Legendary member
@thenated0g - so awesome, I can't wait to see it fly - I am keen on the vac bag experience too - I have one at work but have not been near it - I will be watching!
Added 125g of BB and 20g of thin epoxy to the nose's.
Mixed up some thick epoxy, filler, and set in one sides magnet.
Than the fun part, making a rig to hold the wing vertical.
Mixed up some more thick filler and put in the other magnet.
Final weight (before graphics and art) is just about 3.6kg or 7.93 lbs
I decided to do some art on one side of the wing, so first i did a test piece with oil paint pens to get a feel for them as i have never used them before. Than i used a chalk pencil to get a rough idea and than sharpied the lines. Started coloring it in, will probably take a few days to fill it all, its 4ft. Than will go back over all the black lines again.
Mixed up some thick epoxy, filler, and set in one sides magnet.
Than the fun part, making a rig to hold the wing vertical.
Mixed up some more thick filler and put in the other magnet.
Final weight (before graphics and art) is just about 3.6kg or 7.93 lbs
I decided to do some art on one side of the wing, so first i did a test piece with oil paint pens to get a feel for them as i have never used them before. Than i used a chalk pencil to get a rough idea and than sharpied the lines. Started coloring it in, will probably take a few days to fill it all, its 4ft. Than will go back over all the black lines again.
I finished coloring the wing and than went back over all the black lines again. Couple coats of clear coat on top.
Cut out a square of vinyl and covered the servo. Blends in pretty well.
I was kind of unhappy with how visible the seam was between wing cores and how the graphics just ended in the middle so i added a black strip on each side. This will make a definite end to the graphics and make the inner seam less noticeable.
Now just placing vinyl graphics and various stickers on it trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the wing and bottom.
Cut out a square of vinyl and covered the servo. Blends in pretty well.
I was kind of unhappy with how visible the seam was between wing cores and how the graphics just ended in the middle so i added a black strip on each side. This will make a definite end to the graphics and make the inner seam less noticeable.
Now just placing vinyl graphics and various stickers on it trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the wing and bottom.
bracesport
Legendary member
golden gate? I see you live north of San Fran (nice area) - I did some biking around San Fran and San Jose on my last visit to the USA!
yeah i grew up about 45 minutes away from san francisco, right now its about 2 hr drive (from lakeport,ca). Just before the golden gate you take a 20 minute drive west to hwy 1 and that is tick point, my favorite slope spot, also where flite test did there slope soaring video.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/T...322546844f9b0!8m2!3d37.8667811!4d-122.5879333
https://www.google.com/maps/place/T...322546844f9b0!8m2!3d37.8667811!4d-122.5879333
Thanks man! Ready for maiden!
