Flea Fli scale model in foam board

[model14]

As recommended by Daskis, I built a scale model of Phil Kraft's Flea Fli using Readi Board and FT techniques. Wing span is 39", fuse length is 30". Hope to fly it Sunday. Weight came out to 1.4 lbs with a 1300 mah 3S battery. Wattage is 160, on a 10x6 APC prop, so I expect pretty docile behavior. Comments and suggestions appreciated.

 

[model14]

Maiden flight today went perfect. I couldn't be more pleased. CG and trims were very close. Under-powered as expected. Going to 4S for the next outing.

 

[danskis]

Wow - nice build! Glad to hear the maiden went well and it flew as expected. I've got a 2836 with a 10X5.5 prop on 3S and it has almost enough power. My field is at 5500 ft. so that makes it a little harder. I've got a 4s on the shelf so I might have to give that a try although I the motor isn't rated for 4s.

 

[model14]

I am so stoked about how the FleaFli flies, I have started my next "old school pattern" project: Joe Bridi's Super Kaos Jr. I am scaling it down from 52" to 40" WS. This model has a tapered wing form, which will present new challenges.

 

[danskis]

Very nice - I can't wait to see it. I'm a slow builder and have some repairs left to do this winter BUT I want to build something like this:
48" Vanquish MKII (extremeflightrc.com)
Using this motor.
AM480 3D_AM Series_Motors_Fixed Wing_T-MOTOR Store-Official Store for T-motor drone motor,ESC,Propeller (tmotor.com)

 

[model14]

Okay, here is the Flea Fli maiden video with the "I can't see it" sections edited out.

 

[danskis]

That was great! Good edit and great flying. That plane is solid. Your remark on foam board wings and symmetrical airfoils is why I went with a hotwire foam wing. I wanted to see how much of a difference it make flying inverted - and it flys great inverted with just a slight touch of down. You could make a hot wire cut wing for that fuse. Anyone at the field doing hot wire?

 

[model14]

Next club meeting I will ask. Interesting, that very few members scratch build. I think they are missing out on a big part of enjoying this hobby.

 

[danskis]

Making a foam wing is a little work and a little expense but its not that hard. The biggest expense is the foam and the power supply. Your batter charger may be able to act as a power supply. There's a pretty good thread on here about foam cutting.
Fellow hot wire foam cutters, please feel free to weigh in. | FliteTest Forum

I'm in a glider club and an electric power club. The glider club had a lot of kit builders. They are getting on in years so the building has gone down. There are still a few active in the glider club with the former president of the club having built over 30 glider kits. He's building one now. The electric power club has almost no builders of any kind. The foamies have gotten so good its hard to beat them....there are few out there that are really tempting - but then I'd have too many planes (I do anyway as I'm not crashing as much). Also, used planes are easy to come by because of the aforementioned aging.

 

[MrClean]

So, there's a control line circle behind you isn't there? Model looks nice. Did you put any protectant on it yet to keep it from getting moist in humidity? Another cell and some decals ya got a winner there.

 

[model14]

Thank you, sir. That is a control line circle, mainly used for combat (which is crazy stuff, by the way).
I have gone to 4S on the Flea Fli and now have six flights on her.
Here is a quick shot of the almost completed Kaos Junior next to the Flea Fli. We have had little flying weather, but lots of build time. The Kaos is a little bigger and is what I believe is about the limit for what I am comfortable building using Readi Board and FT. techniques. The Kaos uses a 300 watt, 10/6 motor/prop combo and I am guessing the all up weight will be around 2 pounds. When complete I'll start a new thread.

 

[model14]

The Kaos Jr is no more, without a single flight. Destroyed by a stupid mistake of having the prop on when making control surface adjustments in the xmtr. I meant to change the direction of channel 4 rudder, but instead had channel 3 ESC selected. Model crashed into the basement wall at full power and totally destroyed everything forward of the wing. Dumb, dumb, dumb! New rule for me: Never connect the battery in the house unless the prop is off.
So, after beating myself to death, I decided to build another Flea Fli with some modifications I felt would improve flight performance. My Flea Fli 2 has a more powerful 4S motor making 300 watts on a 10/6 prop, increased empennage area, and a 2" longer fuselage. Weight is just under 2 pounds. I hope to get in a maiden flight this weekend, Weather has really been crappy for flying

 

[danskis]

Hey...I've done that with a brand new (to me) never flown Radian. Tore the nose to shreds. Can't wait to see how you're new one flies. Lengthening the fuselage was a great idea.

 

[model14]

Finally got in a maiden flight of the Flea Fli 2.
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBE-xV_obCo

 

[model14]

How not to land in a headwind!

 

[JDSnavely]

So glad you didn't get hurt by the prop! I've spent 3 years drilling "no adjustments with the prop on" to my two boys. And, I've been good not doing any "quick" adjustments myself.

I also learned to always check surfaces before flying. I made a small correction to my Alpha one time (with the prop off). When we went back outside, I had a nice launch and then drilled it into the ground. Somehow, the elevons were reversed. I still don't know how that happened as I was just flying it minutes before. Nevertheless, it was a 10 minute fix (nose completed knocked off) and it still flies great today. I can't tell you how many times my boys say, "Remember that time Dad didn't check his surfaces!" We always get a good laugh out of that. I don't think they have ever repeated my error in the 3 years since. Priceless!