FT Flerken ***Official Thread***

[HiGhLaNDeR_Mk]

Hi guys,

First of all, I have to say sorry to the FT team and Flerken creators/designers because due my impossibility to get the plans I made them myself just viewing the videos, and almost nailed it, first I've done some paper models (I wasted a lot of paper sheets, sorry also to the forests) and finally got my FT Flerken done and flying...

In the end I think it's almost 99% the actual dimensions, I failed making the wings about 2 inches wider (each) but flew nicely anyway, now I shorted them and I got the eventual 96cm wingspan size, so I think my made up plans are correct about 99%.

Here are some photos, and I don´t know if videos are allowed here. And also I hope people from FT forgive me, but if I had the opportunity to buy the plans here in Europe I'll pay for them later on.

 

[HiGhLaNDeR_Mk]

Hi guys,

First of all, I have to say sorry to the FT team and Flerken creators/designers because due my impossibility to get the plans I made them myself just viewing the videos, and almost nailed it, first I've done some paper models (I wasted a lot of paper sheets, sorry also to the forests) and finally got my FT Flerken done and flying...

In the end I think it's almost 99% the actual dimensions, I failed making the wings about 2 inches wider (each) but flew nicely anyway, now I shorted them and I got the eventual 96cm wingspan size, so I think my made up plans are correct about 99%.

Here are some photos, and I don´t know if videos are allowed here. And also I hope people from FT forgive me, but if I had the opportunity to buy the plans here in Europe I'll pay for them later on. View attachment 225775 View attachment 225776

And now I realise the plans are already on sale in the FTCA page , well as I said I´ll pay for them, at least next Flerken I build will be 100% accurate. This next one sibling will be on black foamboard.

 

[AIRFORGE]

And now I realise the plans are already on sale in the FTCA page , well as I said I´ll pay for them, at least next Flerken I build will be 100% accurate. This next one sibling will be on black foamboard.

Nice! Nano Flerken plans will be available soon, also.

 

[AIRFORGE]

Nano Flerken plans are available on the FTCA Member Portal, now.

 

[Flightspeed]

Has anybody else tried to fly the nano flerken?

 

[CappyAmeric]

Has anybody else tried to fly the nano flerken?

Built it, and flew it a number of times.

 

[Flightspeed]

Built it, and flew it a number of times.

How was it? I don’t use flight controllers, this is the most unstable, unflyable thing I’ve ever tried to keep in the air.

 

[CappyAmeric]

How was it? I don’t use flight controllers, this is the most unstable, unflyable thing I’ve ever tried to keep in the air.

I learned with the full-sized Flerken that the design is inherently tail heavy. On that one, I redesigned the nose and lengthened it so the battery could be placed about two inches forward. On the Nano, I did something similar, plus I made a battery tray lower so the weight is below the thrust line. No flight controller.

 

[Aslansmonkey]

Built both the regular and the nano Flerken. Flew both too, but I abandoned the nano as it's not an easy flyer. VERY maneuverable, but requires more attention than I want to give it. The regular sized one flies fine (for me) though and holds my FPV camera (one of them).

As you can see by the nose of the bigger Flerken, my experiences have not been without mishap. This photo was taken before the maiden of the Nano. I tore a wing off TWICE on the Nano (same wing) before I got a good flight in. That good flight was also it's last.

 

[Flightspeed]

I’ve never seen a plane flop around quite like the nano, I could keep it in the air but couldn’t really make it go where I wanted, none of my flights ended in a landing, if went into a dove I couldn’t pull out of a couple times. Once at a good 50 feet it just suddenly went straight down, I pinned the throttle and held full up, managed to get out of it with maybe a foot to spare

 

[CappyAmeric]

I’ve never seen a plane flop around quite like the nano, I could keep it in the air but couldn’t really make it go where I wanted, none of my flights ended in a landing, if went into a dove I couldn’t pull out of a couple times. Once at a good 50 feet it just suddenly went straight down, I pinned the throttle and held full up, managed to get out of it with maybe a foot to spare

I made sure it was nose heavy, and I use lots of expo on this one. Power changes have great and sometimes disastrous effect, so after it is flying, I change the throttle very little. If I were to build it again, I would lengthen the nose a little more and extend the wings about 4 inches to get better wing loading.

A hint about all the Flerkens' inherent instability can be seen in their large Flerken with the twin booms. For stability a Flerken really needs a tail.

 

[canpnavas]

hello my name is carlos, I built a flerken but found several suggestions. the material I use seems to be a little heavier because I don't stay with the suggested weight, for the cg to be correct I need a 4000 lipo 4s battery with 400gr, it seems to me that the upper bay is very narrow, if the lower bay is eliminated 120 gr are saved, the wings should be about 20cm longer and finally the nose should be a little longer. I haven't flown it yet, I'm waiting for a calm day to be able to do the maiden flight.

I'm worried because I don't want the maiden flight to end badly. I would like any suggestions from someone who has managed to fly the flerken successfully.

 

[canpnavas]

I would like to know what is the maximum weight in flight that they have loaded and how they have distributed the components on the plane. I do fpv and my plane is weighing 1200 gr with battery without fpv and controller.

 

[CappyAmeric]

hello my name is carlos, I built a flerken but found several suggestions. the material I use seems to be a little heavier because I don't stay with the suggested weight, for the cg to be correct I need a 4000 lipo 4s battery with 400gr, it seems to me that the upper bay is very narrow, if the lower bay is eliminated 120 gr are saved, the wings should be about 20cm longer and finally the nose should be a little longer. I haven't flown it yet, I'm waiting for a calm day to be able to do the maiden flight.

I'm worried because I don't want the maiden flight to end badly. I would like any suggestions from someone who has managed to fly the flerken successfully.

1200 grams is very heavy for a FLERKEN.

My first build ended with a crushed nose. For this size plane a 2200 mAh is as big as you want, but with that shoved full forward (no FPV), it was tail heavy and almost unfly-able. I rebuilt the nose about two inches longer and was able to balance it with a 2200 mAh. It flies fairly well now, but the design is extremely pitch sensitive.

 

[canpnavas]

this is my build. but josh say this model is for fpv and fly slow. i need to use a big battery because i fly long range. about 50 minute on fly.

 

[CappyAmeric]

this is my build. but josh say this model is for fpv and fly slow. i need to use a big battery because i fly long range. about 50 minute on fly.


View attachment 227587 View attachment 227588 View attachment 227589 View attachment 227590

Very nice looking. I doubt if you will get it to fly very well with that much weight, and being that heavy you will not get as long a flight time as you expect.

 

[aka.thebeezknees]

Still a work in progress, tails are not glued and some more rivets and panel lines to paint.
It was a very fun build.
(First forum post, hi everybody!) View attachment 221194 View attachment 221195

Any chance you documented the painting process? Curious if you assembled it *then* painted or each piece. What about the servos? Excited to paint my models but super nervous so trying to pin down as much info as I can.

 

[canpnavas]

Today I went to fly. but because of the color I lost sight of it and got confused and crashed.

Today I went to fly. but because of the color I lost sight of it and got confused and crashed.

 

[Flightspeed]

Oof

 

[canpnavas]

I like this plane. But you must build a plane light. Around 700 grams with batery. I think enlarge the wings for use batery more big and FPV electronics.