I set out to build a STOL FT Mini Scout, similar in spirit to the UMX Turbo Timber. This was motivated by the fact that the only place I can fly during COVID-19 lockdown is a small baseball field near my house. I was tempted to buy a UMX Timber to have a small-field STOL plane, but instead decided to build a STOL FT Mini Scout with flaps and ailerons.
I also have the "big FT Scout," I fly it with flaperons, which are okay (they are a great help to add lift with pontoons on!), but I don't love the feel of flaperons, and wanted a plane with true, separate flaps.
AUW ended up at 195g (164g airframe with electronics and landing gear + 31g battery)
Maidened it today, with a total of 5 flights (no video unfortunately). It seemed to fly well. The flaps indeed help slow it down to a crawl, and it was no problem to fly it on the small field, but I haven't had a chance to tune the flaps to achieve full STOL capability.
6 min flight times were about right, flying with mix of mid-range throttle, WOT, and multiple touch and goes.
Time to give it some color....
Build details:
- Slightly decreased wing dihedral angle, given the ailerons and flaps.
- Six 5g FliteTest servos
- A-Pack 1806 Emax motor
- 5 x 4.5 x 3 prop
- 10A Turnigy ESC
- 2S 450mAh battery
- Flap servos recessed into wing by cutting out foam (but careful not to cut the top-of-wing paper). This is much more secure than surface-mounting the servos, as I did for the ailerons. I'll likely modify the aileron servo installation to embed them in the wing as well.
- 6ch Rx: ailerons y'd together (otherwise it'd be a 7ch plane), flaps on separate Rz channels so I can match L/R flap travel