any Flitetest planes under 250g

[eagle4]

Hey gang, What FT planes can be built to be under 250g? Just looking at building my next one and keeping it under 250g means i can fly it in Canada without restrictions.
I reckon the mighty mini series would be ok. but what about the FT Sparrow?
Have you guys weighed your planes?

 

[Ltngstrike]

FWIW, my painted ready to fly FT Mini Scout weighs 109.8g with servos and control rods installed but WITHOUT power-pod/motor/prop, battery and receiver. I'm sure once those are added I will still be in under the 250g weight. I haven't maidened my scout yet but I am hoping to do so soon.

Good luck!

 

[eagle4]

I'd be keen to see how much it weighs with everything included and ready to fly. Best of luck on your maiden mate

 

[Ltngstrike]

Ok, I put everything on it. Total AUW with 2C battery is 225g.

Thanks for the best wishes.

 

[jtrops]

I weighed my Sparrow with a 3s/800mah battery installed (9g servos), and all said and done it was around 265g. It could be built lighter with construction adhesive instead of hot melt glue, and I think there are some other places you could reduce weight. I don't think it would be out of the question to lose the 15-16 grams in order to get it under 250.

I build it with a removable power pod which I think reduces the weight a bit from the original design. I also build the bigger version which adds a bit if weight, so that might be a net loss of 0 grams.

 

[eagle4]

I wonder if using FoamTac would save me a ton of weight on these builds?

 

[Hai-Lee]

Removing paper where possible saves a lot of weight. The FB I use weighs only 40% of its original weight when all of the paper is removed.

Have fun!

 

[rockyboy]

Building with White Gorilla Glue instead of Hot Glue saves a lot of weight as well.

 

[eagle4]

The problem with removing paper is it adds a ton of strength and rigidity and durability to the plane.

 

[Michael9865]

Building with White Gorilla Glue instead of Hot Glue saves a lot of weight as well.

Plus 1. I agree with rockyboy, using White Gorilla Glue saves weight. I only use hot glue in very small amounts when and where necessary.

I agree with eagle4 also, you would sacrifice strength and rigidity by removing the paper.

 

[Hai-Lee]

The problem with removing paper is it adds a ton of strength and rigidity and durability to the plane.

True! But the idea of the strength, and extra weight, where it is not required is what I was referring to.

I recent experiments I found that a thin layer of Balsa, (1mm), to one side of the paperless foam was lighter and stronger than the 2 layers of paper. (Posted on the forums)

As for durability I did a FT Spitfire without the paper, (but with Balsa), and whilst it has had a number of bad landings, (all my fault), it is still flying without repair. The same plane has shown no tendency to warp, crease, or delaminate over time. (Again posted on the forums - under mad scratch builders).

If chasing real weight savings then try building FT designs with Depron and thin balsa for structural strengthening and you could easily achieve 25%+ weight savings on the bare airframes.

What works for me!

Have fun!

 

[mrjdstewart]

i have built 5 different FT mini Scouts and even the heaviest (the one i scratch built from plans) was still well below the 250g mark.

i believe in the he was 237g. with everything, including the lego guy. this was my first build and i used hot glue so i erred on the side of excess when glueing.



the lightest, and most recent was just over 200g.



build can easily be done in a day if you know what you are doing.

laters,

jason

 

[mrjdstewart]

5hrs from start to finish, best and lightest yet. 186g

 

[Hodoodle]

Our mini scout was flown and crashed many times, but at the end with all the repair glue, power pod, and battery, it was about 200g