(Das) Little Stick Parkflyer Plans

wacoflyer

WacoFlyer
das_small.jpg




Introduction

The classic "Ugly Stick" and "Das Ugly Stick" are iconic designs that stand the test of time thanks to their simplicity and performance.

Just like the originals, my adaptation uses a minimal amount of material and requires very little time to get airborne. In order to simplify things as much as possible (and use electronics I had on hand) the design employs a short 29" wingspan that can be cut from a single sheet of foam board.

Much of the design is based on the Bud Anders and Larry Leonard balsa buildup from Midwest:
http://www.outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=5860
This, combined with the Flite Test build techniques and modern electric power results in a great little park flyer. As with any scratch build, let my design and experience be a starting point for your build. There is plenty to improve upon!

Materials/Specs.


Build

Download the plans:
Download the plans from the links below. Get started by printing the templates, transfer them to foam, and cut out the parts. Red lines represent 100% cuts, blue lines represent score cuts, and yellow lines represent creases. Feel free to omit the scallops on the trailing edges for simplicity.

[Edit] if the download links below don’t work for you, there is a .pdf attached to this post.

Assemble the Wing:
The wing is a single piece design that is very easy to shape and results in a simple, zero-diehedral airfoil. Cut a double 45o bevel on the leading edge and gently crease the foam board with a BBQ skewer on the yellow lines. I like to use a straightedge to "break" the wing gently at the creases before folding. With the bottom wing surface on a table, gently fold the top of the airfoil over until the trailing edge rests on the table. Once the foam has accepted this position, unfold the wing and repeat the process and dry-fit the spar so that it lines up just forward of the second crease.

spar_small.jpg


Make a reference mark on the bottom surface at the spar location. Unfold the wing and glue the spar to the bottom surface using the reference mark. Once dry, fold the wing permanently using a bead of glue on the leading edge, top of the spar, and trailing edge. Reinforce the center of the wing with clear packing tape. If you like, glue a short piece of BBQ skewer to the center section of the trailing edge to protect against the rubber bands that will be installed later.

Assemble the Fuselage:
The fuselage is another single-piece foldup. Just as with most FT builds, remove the foam in the fold joints leaving a single layer of paper. Fold the fuselage so that the "side-cheeks" are positioned next to the top and bottom faces of the fuse.

Install Tail Feathers
Cut a single 45o bevel on the stabilizer portion of the elevator and rudder to form a hinge. Due to size restrictions, I did not include locating tabs on these parts, they must be positioned by hand. The horizontal stabilizer sits in the notch on the underside of the fuselage. The elevator is glued directly to the top of the fuselage. Both hinge lines should line up with the aft tip of the fuselage.

tail_small.jpg



Install the Firewall:
I deliberately left a firewall template off the plans because I find it easier to "scribe" the firewall to the fuselage. Cut a piece of plywood large enough to cover the open nose of the fuse and use the profile of the fuselage to trace the final shape. After trimming the firewall to size, drill a hole or cut a notch to pass the motor leads through into the fuselage. Install the firewall using hot glue on all four faces of the fuselage and reinforce with clear packing tape.

Install the Servos:
The Aileron servos are installed similarly to the FT Spitfire and Duster builds but you will need to notch out the bottom wing surface to accept a 9g servo. This may not be necessary if you decide to go with smaller servos. Install just forward of the spar.

servo_small.jpg



The rudder and elevator servos are slotted into the fuselage near the tail. Again, I omitted cut lines on the plans to accommodate multiple servo sizes. To further simplify the design, omit the rudder servo and the score cut/bevel on the vertical stabilizer.

Instead of typical pushrod wires I used a BBQ skewer pushrods on the tail surfaces for rigidity and because I was low on wire. To make a BBQ skewer pushrod, cut a piece of skewer about an inch shorter than the distance between the control horn and linkage stopper. Cut two 1-1/2" long pieces of wire, make a z-bend in the end of one and leave the other straight. Use heat shrink to attach the wire to each end of the skewer, adjusting length as necessary. Once happy with the fit, drop a little CA into the heat shrink near the wire on both ends of the skewer. Once dry, this makes a nice rigid linkage.

Wire it Up:
At this point the build will begin to differ depending on the electronics used so proceed as you see fit. Install your rx and esc making all the necessary connections. If you are using the same electronics as I am, bear in mind that the battery and a 1/2oz weight will have to be positioned as far forward in the fuselage as possible to result in an acceptable CG.

Install the Wing:
The wing sits in the notch on the top of the fuselage, use a BBQ skewer to pass through the fuse just forward and aft of the wing. Use rubber bands to hold the wing on.

wing_small.jpg



Tune

CG:
Install your battery so that the model balances on the spar. Again, the tiny 2s battery that I used was so small that I had to use an additional 1/2oz of lead along with the battery as far forward as possible to get the plane to balance. If you are using a larger battery, you're in luck!

Control Throws:
The setup I used for my maiden flight was very aggressive.
  • Aileron: 3/4" up/down
  • Elevator: 5/8" up/down
  • Rudder: 1" left/right
I like the high roll rate but the pitch control is a little touchy, the elevator throw could stand to be reduced to 1/2" up/down. I ended up dialing in 40% expo on the aileron and elevator - combined with the throws above, I was relatively happy with the model.

Fly

Here comes the fun part. I hand launched the model at about 3/4 throttle into a 5mph wind and circled our local soccer field a couple times as I setup trims. Speed is not impressive on this 2s setup but there is enough power for aggressive climbs, loops, rolls and mild aerobatics. Stalls are gentile but control inputs (especially aileron) become weak at very low speeds yet there is solid control at a 3/4 throttle cruise. Flying in winds over 10mph would be a handful as the model tends to get blown around a little bit. However, I'm not at all disappointed in the overall performance of this budget parkflyer.

Is this a good BEGINNER plane? No, probably not, but it would make a good mild aerobatic "trainer".

Is this a good FIRST TIME build? No, probably not, but it would be great for those that have built one or two FT swappables or a modeler with traditional build experience that would like to try his hand at foam board.
 

Attachments

  • das_ls.pdf
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Christopher14

Driftin' with the wind...
Amazing job wacoflyer!:applause: I always wanted a small Stick, I am totally building one. (Good thing I ordered two motors from HK).:D

What's the ready-to-fly weight?
 

wacoflyer

WacoFlyer
Thanks for the feedback!

On the flying weight: I'm not sure but ballpark between 250g and 300g.

Maybe I'll turn it into a full article at some point but I don't have any build photos. This was a fun quick project that I wanted to leave open to interpretation. After all, the Ugly Stick is all about experimenting, right?
 

MrClean

Well-known member
I like it, plans downloaded just gotta find time. Thanks.

Always a soft spot in my heart for a Stick.
 

degriz

Active member
Great build log and plan, it was a snap to build & flys very nice.

I did add bbq skewer dowels to the bottom of the vertical stab to stiffen it up a bit, and cut a hatch up top for the battery.

No paint, I used packing tape before construction and it looks good, as well as adding strength and making it moisture proof.

I am using a blue wonder with a 800mh battery and it balanced out perfect with battery all the way up front.

Thanks for posting the plans.
 
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Failed God

Learning to fly
Can i fly this off my EMAX MT1804 2480KV Brushless mighty mini motor? I like the ugly stick and would like to build and fly one.
 

wacoflyer

WacoFlyer
The mighty mini motor might be worth a shot. I'm guessing that a 3s setup with the 1804 motor would capable of nearly twice the power that my setup was.

Anybody else agree that it should work?
 

SP0NZ

FT CAD Gremlin
Staff member
Admin
Moderator
Mentor
The mighty mini motor might be worth a shot. I'm guessing that a 3s setup with the 1804 motor would capable of nearly twice the power that my setup was.

Anybody else agree that it should work?

I think on a 3S that motor should work. It's not going to be super fast, but it should fly. But, there's only one way to find out for sure...:black_eyed:
 

Allenhat

Member
Just curious if Failed God or anyone else has flown this on an 1804 or 1806 motor yet? If so how was the performance? I am no looking for speed but slow speed thrust.

Here is my build as of a few days ago. Since then I have modified the firewall and front end to accept a FT Mighty Miny powerpod only with zero right thrust as the plans for the plane show.

IMAG1789.jpg