DHC-4 Caribou | 73" Span
- Thread starter Pieliker96
- Start date
cyclone3350
Master member
I've been reading this since U started and can't go any further without a comment. Damn impressive is the least I can say!
Pieliker96
Elite member
Thank you! I've been putting my soul into it for the past two weeks, and it feels good to be nearing completion.
Both wings are closed out and awaiting their trailing edge devices. Speaking of which:
I've got one of the slotted flaperons in and I've got to say I love the way it looks - I just haven't seen this type of stuff done in foamboard before. The hinges are just popsicle sticks with servo screws, which prove sufficiently sturdy when embedded into the foam. The tolerances here are pretty tight but should be manageable, hopefully the flaps turn out the same way.
Test Fly RC
Elite member
Wow, super cool, man!
The plans for that aleron and hinges must be kind of complex.
cyclone3350
Master member
Kinda sounds like this famous Aviator's quote. "I've put the sweat of my life into this thing. I have my reputation rolled up in it. And I have stated several times that if it is a failure I will probably leave this country and never come back."
Pieliker96
Elite member
Ladies and gentleman and both and neither: We have flappage!
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FlyerInStyle
Elite member
That is incredible! if you keep up that amazing work, (which I hope you will,) This plane will be the BEST looking scale cargo plane on the forums!
SSgt Duramax
Junior Member
Thats awesome. I would have probably cycled them on and off 700 times they look so cool.
cyclone3350
Master member
Yes the flaps R impressive. What U did to the ailerons, now that is ingenuity.
Pieliker96
Elite member
I definitely got close to that number last night between setting endpoints and just watching them - they're just so mesmerizing
Thank you! Though I expect someone out there will have put more effort into scale detailing than a paint job - While it may be the most scale-accurate it certainly won't be the most detailed.
Well I've got to leave for college first thing on the 6th so I've got tomorrow and overmorrow to fly. Winds there are forecasted to be super gusty (>25mph) so I'll probably end up doing the maiden flight when I get back to college, maybe as early as the 9th - classes start on the 10th. I'm hoping to get the plane mechanically complete and taxi tested (and painted, if possible) by the time I leave. I'm also aiming to get the plans and build guidance out by the 16th if possible - hoping the first few weeks of the new semester will be light.
Pieliker96
Elite member
Wings done, everything is closed up. I even made a carrying jig for the wings and a stand for the fuselage.
Taxi testing was successful - it handles well, turns tight, and the thrust reversing works a treat!
I did strip out the little 5g steering servo when I hit the lip to the garage floor slab at an angle - I've replaced it with a 12g metal-gear servo that should take the abuse better. Another option is to install a "servo saver" or add a spool or two in the steering pushrod to give the linkage some flex under high loads.
A good bit of dirty ice and water got flung up into the main gear bays, flaps, and underside of the fuselage. Dirt and such will accumulate over time and give the plane some character, though I'd rather that happen after I've painted it.
And the final weigh-in shows the one big shortcoming of this project: I clocked in at 650g per wing and 950g for the fuselage. With a 400g battery, that puts me at an all-up weight of a whopping 2.65kg (5.84lbs)! This will be the highest WCL plane I've ever flown at 12.7, and I'm not expecting it to have massive amounts of excess power or benign stall tendencies.
All that's left is to get the main gear doors working properly (I'll be doing it mechanically, one way or another) - the next video you should see from me is the maiden flight, followed by the plans.
Taxi testing was successful - it handles well, turns tight, and the thrust reversing works a treat!
I did strip out the little 5g steering servo when I hit the lip to the garage floor slab at an angle - I've replaced it with a 12g metal-gear servo that should take the abuse better. Another option is to install a "servo saver" or add a spool or two in the steering pushrod to give the linkage some flex under high loads.
A good bit of dirty ice and water got flung up into the main gear bays, flaps, and underside of the fuselage. Dirt and such will accumulate over time and give the plane some character, though I'd rather that happen after I've painted it.
And the final weigh-in shows the one big shortcoming of this project: I clocked in at 650g per wing and 950g for the fuselage. With a 400g battery, that puts me at an all-up weight of a whopping 2.65kg (5.84lbs)! This will be the highest WCL plane I've ever flown at 12.7, and I'm not expecting it to have massive amounts of excess power or benign stall tendencies.
All that's left is to get the main gear doors working properly (I'll be doing it mechanically, one way or another) - the next video you should see from me is the maiden flight, followed by the plans.
Pieliker96
Elite member
that is so awesome! just need some external speakers with engine noises to overcome the motor whine
I'm tempted but the weight is already too much
This is the sort of scheme I plan on going for - it's the nicest looking I could find which wasn't camouflage
Despite looking similar there doesn't seem to be much commonality between the two. The -5 has a polyhedral wing with a swept outboard leading edge as compared to the -4's gull wing and straight LE. The nacelles, tail, and hstab are also obviously different, but the fuselage is as well: noticeably, it's stretched and has different cross-sections all around (most noticeably, the cross-sections from the flaps back have square lower corners, which may make it easier to build. It would be possible to re-engineer the existing plans, but you'd probably be better off starting from scratch.
Battery800
Elite member
Nice! how many sheets of foam is it?
FlyerInStyle
Elite member
Wow! ti si a cargo plane after all, so that should help it liift itself off the ground. cant wait for the maiden! This project si goin g along so fast!
Great job, @Pieliker96
Great job, @Pieliker96
Pieliker96
Elite member
13, plus any extra for do-overs. Also 2 sheets of 1'x2'x1/8" ply for the structure and a sheet of posterboard for some small bits.
FlyerInStyle
Elite member
wow! what motors are needed to lift such a beast?
Flightspeed
Convicted Necroposter
Beautiful build! I hope it flies!
