F-15C

[WeeVikes]

Here's a prototype DT foamboard F-15C I've been playing with. I borrowed design ideas from Steve Shumate's F-15, and incorporated FT build techniques, including a replaceable nose -- a feature I've unfortunately used multiple times…

It's a little underpowered, but I'm barely more than a beginner, so it's a good plane for me at this point. It makes me look better than I really am.

As I'm still working out the bugs, I do not yet have plans available -- sorry.

Any glaring errors you see, or advice you have would be appreciated.

Here's a video of it in the air:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R1jUppdFH5g

 

[TEAJR66]

Beautiful! I would love to see flight video.

Duh.... Just saw the video link. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ricci]

Beautiful!

 

[DamoRC]

Man - that's a really nice plane. Great detail.

DamoRC

 

[Joe M]

Super slick, nice job.

 

[Namactual]

That looks really good!
I have always had a soft spot for prop and slot park jets.

 

[FoamyDM]

That is a wonderful job. I was wondering how you did the cockpit "glass". Was it a bought number, made with vaccu-forming, or a drink bottle?

 

[WeeVikes]

That is a wonderful job. I was wondering how you did the cockpit "glass". Was it a bought number, made with vaccu-forming, or a drink bottle?

Foamy,

The canopy was a heat formed water bottle -- three, actually.

I made a wooden form for the canopy, and as it turned out, no single bottle was long enough, or suitable enough to make the canopy one piece. So what I did was form it in three pieces -- the three pieces defined by, and joining at the canopy rails, (which were a raised feature on my wooden form), overlapped them at the rails, and glued them together. I used paper strips to represent the rails, and hide the glue joints.

An important detail I almost left out -- the pieces of the canopy were shrunk to the form with a heat gun. There are examples on YouTube of this process if you've never seen it. That's where I got the idea.

The cockpit is a paper model I designed, trying to get the major details of the real thing. I'm sure it's not 100%, but it's close enough for my purposes.

 

[FoamyDM]

Thanks for the build notes!

You did a great job, I'm sure everybody here would love to see some pics of the details too.

 

[DamoRC]

Thanks for the build notes!

You did a great job, I'm sure everybody here would love to see some pics of the details too.

Seconded!

DamoRC

 

[WeeVikes]

Yes, of course, absolutely.

Hopefully these came out ok.

The picture of the form is obviously not for the Eagle -- I don't know where that one is at the moment -- it's for an F-4 I'm working on. The Eagle's is basically the same, just shaped slightly differently and with rails in different locations. Hopefully you get the idea.

 

[earthsciteach]

Crazy detail on that plane! She is a beauty. Fine job, WeeVikes!!!

 

[WeeVikes]

Thank you.

For me, the process of researching, designing, engineering, problem solving, and building is as satisfying as flying them.

I'm sure you understand!

 

[philgabanski]

Thank you.

For me, the process of researching, designing, engineering, problem solving, and building is as satisfying as flying them.

I'm sure you understand!

For many, me included the design, build and testing (sometimes with less than desirable results), this is what the hobby is all about!
Curious though, what power system are you using? Battery etc? Also curious about dimensions?
Great build and love your attention to detail!
Can't wait to see what you come up with next!
I'm kinda addicted to the whole prop slot thing.

 

[WeeVikes]

For many, me included the design, build and testing (sometimes with less than desirable results), this is what the hobby is all about!
Curious though, what power system are you using? Battery etc? Also curious about dimensions?
Great build and love your attention to detail!
Can't wait to see what you come up with next!
I'm kinda addicted to the whole prop slot thing.
View attachment 95375

I love your fleet! You make me jealous!

At the time of he video, it had a Grayson Hobby MicroJet V3, with a 30A ESC, 6x4 prop, and either an 800 or 1200 3S battery. Recently I re-engined it with a Grayson Hobby GH2212-06 2200 kv brushless outrunner, 30A ESC, 6x4 prop, and the same batteries.

http://graysonhobby.com/gh-micro-jet-v3-brushless-outrunner-motor.html

http://graysonhobby.com/gh2212-06-v2-brushless-2200kv-motor.html

For better or worse, it would take a fairly major redesign to accommodate a bigger engine and prop, which I’d need to get significantly more thrust and vertical performance. I’m happy with what it does, and it maxes out this rookie’s capabilities at the moment.

If I remember right, the wingspan is 28”, but honestly I’d have to look at the plans or measure the wings — the memory isn’t what it use to be! ;-). Seriously, though, I was trying to maximize what I could get from a sheet of DTFB, with a little margin at the tips.

As far as what else I’m working on, it’s the Eagle’s older brother:

 

[abieex]

You sir, have crazy good skills!! We are going to need plans for these beauties. Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[WeeVikes]

Gratitude, abieex!

I don’t yet know if the Phantom flies properly. I had an earlier prototype, but I made a rookie mistake calculating the location of the CG, and I destroyed it. I have a degree in Aero, so imagine how sheepish I felt when I figured out my mistake!

Right now, this one’s elevator servo is acting up all of a sudden and I don’t know why. It’s “stuttering” and “jittering” on its own when the transmitter is turned on. Neither the ailerons nor the throttle are doing this. If it’s a bad servo, I’m screwed, as it’s buried right about where the combustion chamber of the port J79 would be!

I’ve been building models of one sort of another for about 46 years, so making them look like something is in my wheelhouse. Making them work and actually piloting them successfully is new to me!

 

[TEAJR66]

Put a little distance between the receiver and the transmitter. I'll bet that the jitter goes away. That's one reason the old-school range tests before flights. Some transmitters have a mode for this so you can do the test without walking any distance.

 

[WeeVikes]

Put a little distance between the receiver and the transmitter. I'll bet that the jitter goes away. That's one reason the old-school range tests before flights. Some transmitters have a mode for this so you can do the test without walking any distance.

Thank you, Sir, I will do that.

As I said — rookie…