An R/C Paramotor wing YOU can build!

[RCAiradventures]

Brent -

I'm glad to hear of your progress! I think it wasn't too long ago you two were making those templates

Thank you the kind remarks - I hope you enjoy this wing as much as I enjoy the 2... or 3 I have built for myself! And rest assured, I use the very same plan sheets that I have published - I really want yours to fly as well as mine do!

The Icarex really is an amazing fabric, and it's polyester and as such avoids some of the problems associated with nylon. Plus, the folks at Kites and Fun Things are quite nice. I have had some long and interesting conversations with them.

Practice with a few attachment points and make sure you have your process down pat - by the time you put them in place, you will have already done a lot of work on the wing and caution will be the better part of valor. My level of patience and care always increases as I near the end of the build for fear of ruining all that work!

If you can't post your photos, feel free to drop me a line at my blog: http://adventurerc.blogspot.com

using the contact page and I'll get you my email address - I would be happy to post them for you.

Also, if there are any items that I have not made sufficiently clear for the build, please let me know - I am always happy to put together additional videos to clarify confusing parts of the construction.

Good luck, and have fun!

-James

 

[Mythradites]

Most of it is now cut out. Just waiting on the other color to show up in the mail tomorrow. I wasn't horribly happy that the material came folded into a square vs rolled but you get what you get. It seems as if its light enough and strong enough. At 48g per sq. yard I hope it will do

 

[Mythradites]

Have you guys tried to Iron this stuff at all? I've got a lot of wrinkles and creases from the way it was packaged. I know its super sensitive to heat, just wanted to see if there was anyone out there with some experience to share.

 

[RCAiradventures]

I'm sure it will work well- lots of material will work fine, it's just that the crisper material results in a more 'locked in' feel to the wing. As far as ironing, yes you can - just be careful with the temp! Test on a piece of scrap, and don't linger too long in any one spot - it's easy to iron too much. Iron, and then let the material rest and recover. This video may help a bit:

 

[RCAiradventures]

I can't wait to see the result! Awesome, and great job on a good start!

 

[RCAiradventures]

For anyone interested, I think I'll be posting plans for my larger wing soon. 3 square meters instead of 1.1 for those that like to go BIG! It is about 13' from tip to tip and flies very scale, not aerobatic like the LuteFisk.

Also, I think we will need to start a cart thread soon. All these wings are not much good without a cart to hold them!

In the meantime:

 

[Mythradites]

Got the last of the materials in today! All cut out!

Gotta watch those ironing videos now

 

[Mythradites]

I've got all of the leading edges hemmed up. A little bumpy as its a new sewing machine and I am learning the sewing part

This is the first time I've been able to lay it all out.
Went with a lime green/black option. Be wary with black/darker materials as I've had a difficult time transferring the 5mm allowance to the ribs. Lots and lots of measuring.

 

[RCAiradventures]

Dark materials can be tough - try a white colored pencil or fabric pencil. Also, make a guide on the plate of your sewing machine with tape or marker so that you are not always relying on the panel marks.

Great start, and good luck!

 

[Mythradites]

So far so good! The curves were challenging at first but after I got used to manipulating the material it started to come right along.

 

[Mythradites]

So...I lined up the marks on the leading edge...yet the trailing edge is very very far off. Where did I go wrong?

 

[Mythradites]

I've gone this far! Full span achieved! I'm a little concerned about the trailing edge not lining up. If all else fails this has been really good practice

 

[Mythradites]

Well...double check

I'm 90% positive that i may have flipped the sides which has thrown off the alignment of the trailing edge. I have plenty of material to make a 2nd chute which may end up happening. I may continue on with this one and just adapt it to make it work although I'm sure it will throw off all the measurements of the lines. All the fun of scratch building a project!

 

[RCAiradventures]

Unfortunately, yes - all of the panels are flipped, which reverses the elliptical shape of the wing. Be sure to mark the center side of each panel and make a left and right. When assembling, be sure that the center mark points toward panel #1 (middle). I usually tape all of my panels up on the wall in position so that I don't get anything in the wrong place. Notice in the photo how the panels curve out toward the tip.

It looks like you really got the hang of the leading edge alignment and curve, though! Don't worry, I spent literally years making a bunch of these that turned out to not work at all.

It is normal to have a little misalignment at the trailing edge (up to 1cm or so). This is why we start at the leading and sew toward the rear and also why I left the 1cm seam allowance at the back to allow for trimming the trailing edge to shape before adding the trailing edge strip.

fun it is! Keep going, and good luck!

 

[RCAiradventures]

It may help to review this video, wherein I cover the assembly and making sure the panels are going the right direction. It is really confusing because of the way everything is sewn until your brain gets used to working backwards a bit. I know I disassembled more than a few panels and wings until I got the hang of it.

 

[Mythradites]

At least I got a lot of practice. I'm nearly done cutting out a 2nd wing. Just a few more ribs to go. I filed the tip of my soldering iron to have a flat beveled edge with a rounded tip. It does nicely for ensuring there aren't any frays in the material after cutting it out.

Round 2! Here I go!

 

[RCAiradventures]

That's the spirit! Once you get this thing built, pretty much everything else gets easier - and it is great to see them in the air.

:applause:

 

[Bdhost05]

Lutefisk build pics... finally!

So here is a few pics of our work area...


Here are the ribs and panels all cut out, with the rib stiffeners in the background. Using a soldering iron to cut the material is really a genius idea!


We took James's example and hung the ribs and panels up in order


In order to build confidence (it really did!) we used a bunch of scraps and made some practice ribs and panels.


After last weekend, here is what we had done.

And just last night, we sewed 4 more ribs and panels together.


It's such a satisfying feeling to see this thing come together! Hopefully this weekend we'll finish up the sewing

Mythradites- Way to keep on going! The good thing is, you got one of those mistakes out of the way early . I'm pretty sure we still have some of them coming!

What a fun project!!

Brent

 

[RCAiradventures]

Brent - Awesome! I love the colors, and it looks like you are really getting the process down! :applause:

It is so gratifying for me to see some wings being built - Great job, everyone!

 

[RCAiradventures]

Oh, and I love the small cutout of the 3D view showing how it will look with the colors up on the wall!