FT Explorer with twin boom

alan0043

Well-known member
Hi Everyone,

I was curious to know if there are any twin boom Explorers out there. How do they fly ? Any pictures would be great. I have seen pictures of a twin boom Spectre.

Any info would be great,
Al
 

FoamyDM

Building Fool-Flying Noob
Moderator
I promise you I'm not aiming to be a jerk, but do you mean the FT Bronco?
broncobuild-thumb-ft-png_1445958450.jpg
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
Hi Everyone,

I was curious to know if there are any twin boom Explorers out there. How do they fly ? Any pictures would be great. I have seen pictures of a twin boom Spectre.

Any info would be great,
Al
If you were looking to go with the Explorer/Bronco mash up I will be totally following this thread. I was just talking about this yesterday, how a friend gave me his Explorer to keep, never really had any interest in this airframe. But after flying it I am hooked, awesome airframe and so adaptable. If you go with the Bronco wing and twin boom tail and still keep it a pusher prop in between the booms, delete the twin engine mounts, it would be such a stable robust airframe to learn on. And would look really cool in the air. The Bronco is the perfect plane to model it after... (y):cool:(y)
 

alan0043

Well-known member
"I promise you I'm not aiming to be a jerk, but do you mean the FT Bronco? "

Hi Foamy,

You are not being a jerk. I should have had a little more coffee in me starting this post. lol. I did not give a enough detail about what I was asking in the posted. I saw a video that Andrew Newton did about a Depron Spectre. I was another video where someone was putting the tail of a Spectre on the Explorer. Then I also saw one more video where a guy replaced the wing on the Explorer with an Armin wing.

My thinking is a mash up. I have been working on a Simple Storch wing that is 60" with no dihedral. Add the Spectre twin boom section to finish the rear of the plane. Then use a power pod that has a 5 degree down thrust. Use another power pod to hold the battery. This power pod might have to be made longer to get the nose of the plane to have the same length as the Explorer. Next you will have to build a support to hold the two power pods. I'm thinking if you build the power pods first then you can make the support for stacked pods next. The support for the power pods will not be as tall as the one used on the Explorer. Then come up with a nose for the front. I hope this crazy idea makes some sense. lol.

Always looking for ideas. If it doesn't work, it's just foam board. I am using the white stuff from Dollar Tree.
Al
 

Duck

Active member
If you were looking to go with the Explorer/Bronco mash up I will be totally following this thread. I was just talking about this yesterday, how a friend gave me his Explorer to keep, never really had any interest in this airframe. But after flying it I am hooked, awesome airframe and so adaptable. If you go with the Bronco wing and twin boom tail and still keep it a pusher prop in between the booms, delete the twin engine mounts, it would be such a stable robust airframe to learn on. And would look really cool in the air. The Bronco is the perfect plane to model it after... (y):cool:(y)

I thought the bronco actually has a pusher motor mount as one of the options. You cover the boom heads. It was in the build video I think. I was just about to build one. Or you could just do a 3 motor setup with both boom motors AND the pusher.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
Yea i watched the build vid and looked at the plans after I posted and realized that it is all built into the scheme as choices. I have the Explorer and changing the wing set up to the twin boom of the Bronco is what I want to do to it, but instead of calling off the front of the books I was thinking of tapering them off just behind the LE of the wing and using the H tail design. I would like to use the A tail but I don't think I can mix rudder and elevator on my DXe Tx... unless you know how? Hint, hint, nudge, nudge
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
"I promise you I'm not aiming to be a jerk, but do you mean the FT Bronco? "

Hi Foamy,

You are not being a jerk. I should have had a little more coffee in me starting this post. lol. I did not give a enough detail about what I was asking in the posted. I saw a video that Andrew Newton did about a Depron Spectre. I was another video where someone was putting the tail of a Spectre on the Explorer. Then I also saw one more video where a guy replaced the wing on the Explorer with an Armin wing.

My thinking is a mash up. I have been working on a Simple Storch wing that is 60" with no dihedral. Add the Spectre twin boom section to finish the rear of the plane. Then use a power pod that has a 5 degree down thrust. Use another power pod to hold the battery. This power pod might have to be made longer to get the nose of the plane to have the same length as the Explorer. Next you will have to build a support to hold the two power pods. I'm thinking if you build the power pods first then you can make the support for stacked pods next. The support for the power pods will not be as tall as the one used on the Explorer. Then come up with a nose for the front. I hope this crazy idea makes some sense. lol.

Always looking for ideas. If it doesn't work, it's just foam board. I am using the white stuff from Dollar Tree.
Al
What are you looking too do with the plane, just fly it, or FPV? And your right, I am kinda lost in you concept of this build lol
 

Piotrsko

Master member
My OV-10 is a pusher with a C pack in t tail. Needed more down thrust on the motor than what FT suggested. Flies about 15 min on a 2200 3s mostly on 1/2 throttle. won't thermal for poop, twitchy on ailerons, but I got over that.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
My OV-10 is a pusher with a C pack in t tail. Needed more down thrust on the motor than what FT suggested. Flies about 15 min on a 2200 3s mostly on 1/2 throttle. won't thermal for poop, twitchy on ailerons, but I got over that.
I can't decide if I want to do the OV-10 or the H tail. I like the look of the OV-10 but the H tail will be easier to set up servo wise and be lighter aft of CG with options of servo placement, using longer control rods, maybe...

Yours is a pusher on a C Pack with a 2200 3s, exactly like my set up and you are using the OV-10... did you extend the booms out the front of the wing and cap them off? Did you have to add weight in the nose to get CG to balance?
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
I can't decide if I want to do the OV-10 or the H tail. I like the look of the OV-10 but the H tail will be easier to set up servo wise and be lighter aft of CG with options of servo placement, using longer control rods, maybe...

Yours is a pusher on a C Pack with a 2200 3s, exactly like my set up and you are using the OV-10... did you extend the booms out the front of the wing and cap them off? Did you have to add weight in the nose to get CG to balance?
You could also look at the Sea Duck for inspiration on a simple twin boom tail design.

Just a thought!

Have fun!
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
You could also look at the Sea Duck for inspiration on a simple twin boom tail design.

Just a thought!

Have fun!
I have been recently introduced and familiarized with the Sea Duck first hand, I want one so bad. It uses the H tail. Do you think that the stock thrust angle on the Explorer would work better with the OV-10 or H tail? I know on the Sea Angel there was no thrust angle because the Hstab was directly behind and in line with centerline of the prop. That is really my only deciding factor between the 2 styles. The Sea Duck also has the Hstab directly behind the thrust line of the props but also has the wing to contend with as well...
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
I have been recently introduced and familiarized with the Sea Duck first hand, I want one so bad. It uses the H tail. Do you think that the stock thrust angle on the Explorer would work better with the OV-10 or H tail? I know on the Sea Angel there was no thrust angle because the Hstab was directly behind and in line with centerline of the prop. That is really my only deciding factor between the 2 styles. The Sea Duck also has the Hstab directly behind the thrust line of the props but also has the wing to contend with as well...
If you are referring to the up angle it will work just as well. The only real difference will be that you do not get the prop wash giving you effective controls without airspeed. As long as your plane is moving through the air at flying speed then the extra tail area will provide good control. At stall and below their will be little or no real control from the tail surfaces, (especially the rudders as the H tail will still get a margin of the propwash effect.

have fun!
 

Piotrsko

Master member
IIRC, power on the sea duck is centerline to everything. On the pusher OV10, it's way high to centerline, took all the up trim I had on the maiden. I capped the booms off since the speed kit had all these extra options pre cut and I built them and then had to figure out what they were. The T tail seems to be in propwash all the time it's running, bit of a trim change power off but since I primarily slope soar I don't care if it comes down faster. Battery sits pretty much at the front end of the tray, been building too long not to consider what everything is doing to the CG. ( I hate the servo back by the tail that FT does) pretty sure it balances somewhere not to plan because I think they are generally too nose heavy and I prefer twitchy.
 
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BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
If you are referring to the up angle it will work just as well. The only real difference will be that you do not get the prop wash giving you effective controls without airspeed. As long as your plane is moving through the air at flying speed then the extra tail area will provide good control. At stall and below their will be little or no real control from the tail surfaces, (especially the rudders as the H tail will still get a margin of the propwash effect.

have fun!
IIRC, power on the sea duck is centerline to everything. On the pusher OV10, it's way high to centerline, took all the up trim I had on the maiden. I capped the booms off since the speed kit had all these extra options pre cut and I built them and then had to figure out what they were. The T tail seems to be in propwash all the time it's running, bit of a trim change power off but since I primarily slope soar I don't care if it comes down faster. Battery sits pretty much at the front end of the tray, been building too long not to consider what everything is doing to the CG. ( I hate the servo back by the tail that FT does) pretty sure it balances somewhere not to plan because I think they are generally too nose heavy and I prefer twitchy.
So from this I am thinking the H tail would be best? I don't want to be re trimming every time I throttle down.
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
So from this I am thinking the H tail would be best? I don't want to be re trimming every time I throttle down.
That looks like a thumbs up on that one. I figured the up angle of the prop wash on the elevated elevator, (say that 5 times fast), would mess with the pitch but wasn't sure. Thx
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
I thought the bronco actually has a pusher motor mount as one of the options. You cover the boom heads. It was in the build video I think. I was just about to build one. Or you could just do a 3 motor setup with both boom motors AND the pusher.
Yup!
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Yea i watched the build vid and looked at the plans after I posted and realized that it is all built into the scheme as choices. I have the Explorer and changing the wing set up to the twin boom of the Bronco is what I want to do to it, but instead of calling off the front of the books I was thinking of tapering them off just behind the LE of the wing and using the H tail design. I would like to use the A tail but I don't think I can mix rudder and elevator on my DXe Tx... unless you know how? Hint, hint, nudge, nudge
YouTube might know... I had a dx5e (older than the dxe) and it could do mixing, so I would assume that in the online programmer you could program that in. Do you have the online programmer cable?
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
If you were looking to go with the Explorer/Bronco mash up I will be totally following this thread. I was just talking about this yesterday, how a friend gave me his Explorer to keep, never really had any interest in this airframe. But after flying it I am hooked, awesome airframe and so adaptable. If you go with the Bronco wing and twin boom tail and still keep it a pusher prop in between the booms, delete the twin engine mounts, it would be such a stable robust airframe to learn on. And would look really cool in the air. The Bronco is the perfect plane to model it after... (y):cool:(y)
So you flew the explorer! How did it go? I love the explorer - it’s a great plane!
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
YouTube might know... I had a dx5e (older than the dxe) and it could do mixing, so I would assume that in the online programmer you could program that in. Do you have the online programmer cable?
Yesterday I was trying to program aileron servos on two channels and was having trouble, I know I have done it before. I have never looked into the rudder/elevator mix.