FT Scout XL : Flite Fest 2022 Dawn Patrol Challenge

Old Bid

New member
This build looks to be right up my street!
Being in the UK I'll not have a chance to attend any Flite Fest events, but will be very happy to build a British paint scheme variant when it's released..

I have three of the original Flair balsa scouts already, but this looks like a great project for some simple fun... Thanks all for pulling this together. Keep us updated SPONZ on progress plesae!
 

SP0NZ

FT CAD Gremlin
Staff member
Admin
Moderator
Mentor
Finally getting started on my own Beta Build of the Scout XL. Busy time of the year with family and work right now, but I'm going to try and grind this out as quickly as possible so I can make any final revisions to the plans and get them out to everyone.

1643907826967.png
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
Had a little goodie bag show up yesterday. Master Airscrew props are the most durable props I’ve ever used. I frequently see folks in our community continue to use “electric” props when in reality a prop is a prop. They all have pros and cons.

In my opinion, the scimitar prop you see here is a good balance of a lot of factors. The prop is not overly heavy like the classic props and the shape is nice to match the era. I also like that the prop came nearly perfectly balanced. The airfoil for this series is also not terribly bad either. There’s a more semi-symmetrical profile used that helps with efficiency and makes a nice smooth sound too. The advantage that I love is with how we abuse these foam board airplanes these props hold up so much better long-term. They are not nearly as brittle and the blade roots are much thicker helping the prop blades stay intact upon some fairly good abuse.

Of course being made in the good old USA has the pride associated with a good quality product but you also get more of a feeling that the prop is an investment rather than a disposable.

F78BF989-5808-46EC-90F1-B460DB0A76A2.jpeg

Shout out to @SP0NZ for the dummy motor design. I enlarged it slightly and used some ply and CA to mount it to the firewall.
 

Matthewdupreez

Legendary member
I love the master air screw and APC props... When I started the hobby I bought 4 props... And on my 15+ nose down full throttle crashes... I've never replaced a single prop...
I love them
Had a little goodie bag show up yesterday. Master Airscrew props are the most durable props I’ve ever used. I frequently see folks in our community continue to use “electric” props when in reality a prop is a prop. They all have pros and cons.

In my opinion, the scimitar prop you see here is a good balance of a lot of factors. The prop is not overly heavy like the classic props and the shape is nice to match the era. I also like that the prop came nearly perfectly balanced. The airfoil for this series is also not terribly bad either. There’s a more semi-symmetrical profile used that helps with efficiency and makes a nice smooth sound too. The advantage that I love is with how we abuse these foam board airplanes these props hold up so much better long-term. They are not nearly as brittle and the blade roots are much thicker helping the prop blades stay intact upon some fairly good abuse.

Of course being made in the good old USA has the pride associated with a good quality product but you also get more of a feeling that the prop is an investment rather than a disposable.

View attachment 217908

Shout out to @SP0NZ for the dummy motor design. I enlarged it slightly and used some ply and CA to mount it to the firewall.
 

Ligbaer

50 Percenter
I love the master air screw and APC props... When I started the hobby I bought 4 props... And on my 15+ nose down full throttle crashes... I've never replaced a single prop...
I love them
idk if the apcs my lhs sells are bad batchs, one time i landed and the plane nosed over a tad and prop broke.
(where do you get these unbreakable apcs)
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
idk if the apcs my lhs sells are bad batchs, one time i landed and the plane nosed over a tad and prop broke.
(where do you get these unbreakable apcs)

My thoughts too. APC props are good props for a good amount of thrust for electrics. They are nice and light for efficiency but they have a more under-cambered profile. This sort of washes out the benefit of the lightness in terms of efficiency but the thrust you get is hard to match. The plastic that is used is also not fiber-reinforced like MA props. Especially when cold, I've seen these props without much effort, especially at FF where the bumps and dips are plentiful and landings are ... less than graceful. Don't get me wrong. APC props have their place. Like I said previously, a prop is a prop and they all have their pros and cons. The big pro is the cost. But at the same time, spend a bit more on a MA prop and you get a far more resilient prop. THe other issue I have with APC props is that they just look ugly. They are by far more function over form.
 

Baron VonHelton

Elite member
Had a little goodie bag show up yesterday. Master Airscrew props are the most durable props I’ve ever used. I frequently see folks in our community continue to use “electric” props when in reality a prop is a prop. They all have pros and cons.

In my opinion, the scimitar prop you see here is a good balance of a lot of factors. The prop is not overly heavy like the classic props and the shape is nice to match the era. I also like that the prop came nearly perfectly balanced. The airfoil for this series is also not terribly bad either. There’s a more semi-symmetrical profile used that helps with efficiency and makes a nice smooth sound too. The advantage that I love is with how we abuse these foam board airplanes these props hold up so much better long-term. They are not nearly as brittle and the blade roots are much thicker helping the prop blades stay intact upon some fairly good abuse.

Of course being made in the good old USA has the pride associated with a good quality product but you also get more of a feeling that the prop is an investment rather than a disposable.

View attachment 217908

Shout out to @SP0NZ for the dummy motor design. I enlarged it slightly and used some ply and CA to mount it to the firewall.

Any chance of getting those to fit a Power Pack F motor??

:unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure:
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
Any chance of getting those to fit a Power Pack F motor??

:unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure:

Power Pack F motors are pretty dang tiny motors. The smallest size Scimitar motor is a 6.5x3.5 with a hub thickness of 7.9mm. My only concern would be how long the prop shaft is on the motor to accommodate the prop hub. The mild increase in pitch and diameter is likely within the power specifications of the FT gear. Take some measurements and I'm sure you can figure out if that will work for your application.
 

FlyingTyger

Elite member
Any chance of getting those to fit a Power Pack F motor??

:unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure::unsure:

I have an F-pack equivalent motor with a Zingali 7x6 mounted on it with no issues. The Zingali props are nearly identical in size to a Master Airscrew. The threaded shaft isn't long enough to add a spinner, but works just fine with just the prop.
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
So, I was staring at my fresh WWI era airplanes and realized that the nice was just a little bare on each of them.
BB5F23D7-8BF6-402D-86B4-478CA6444D48.jpeg
This printed prop washer really adds a touch more depth on the Tummelisa and dresses up the prop a little bit more.
3AB34666-C136-4711-AE64-691BA4E32B70.jpeg BA9C6B8E-002A-4C5A-8687-1BA89756F941.jpeg
As you can see it does add a little more depth to the model that otherwise was a little boring.
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
Trying to attach the STL file here. The prop washer takes about 5-10 minutes to print depending on your settings. It weighs next to nothing so I'm not concerned about it breaking a hurting someone. Use with or without a metal washer, that I leave to you. The washer has an OD of roughly 26mm and I sized the ID to 6mm for most prop shafts in this range. I'm not planning to publish this on Thingiverse because different models would require different sizes and that's a LOF of different sizes to accommodate.

Enjoy.
 

Attachments

  • WWI Prop Washer small.stl
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jfaleo1

Junior Member
So, I was staring at my fresh WWI era airplanes and realized that the nice was just a little bare on each of them.
View attachment 218007
This printed prop washer really adds a touch more depth on the Tummelisa and dresses up the prop a little bit more.
View attachment 218005 View attachment 218006
As you can see it does add a little more depth to the model that otherwise was a little boring.

That looks very cool. Adds a ton of visual appeal for next to nothing. A bit of Panache!
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
The WIlliams Brother wheels are nice but I'd wager that you can 3D print stuff as-nice if not better these days. They were purchased waaaaay back in 2013/2014 time frame when printing and making your own stuff was much less of an option so take that for what you will. If you and a few others can hold out for a wee bit I have something in my brain that I would like to flesh (or flush LOL) out and may be worth just a bit of my time and yours.

Just so you all know, You can expect a full release of this later this week. I'm confident that those who really want something a little more "extra" will want to invest their time into this. I know this is a bit cryptic but @SP0NZ , @wilmracer , and @Mid7night know what this is and can share their own input. I'm very excited to share this with everyone.
 

Mid7night

Jetman
Mentor
Just so you all know, You can expect a full release of this later this week. I'm confident that those who really want something a little more "extra" will want to invest their time into this. I know this is a bit cryptic but @SP0NZ , @wilmracer , and @Mid7night know what this is and can share their own input. I'm very excited to share this with everyone.

Uh…yeah… if I do this for my Scout XL it will be the coolest thing on it, and only amplify the “that’s a FOAMY?!” responses 🤣
 

willsonman

Builder Extraordinare
Mentor
Well, considering my 1/4 scale Fokker is also a foamy, I’ve got a few of those already. Here’s the prop washer I posted previously. Being bigger, I was able to dress it up a little more with some safety wire.
1B47EF1F-59B0-4C7C-8D62-63440A77A85A.jpeg

Adding little details along the way are what takes a “sport scale” model and deletes the “sport”. Just my $0.02
 

wilmracer

I build things that fly (sometimes)
Mentor
Just so you all know, You can expect a full release of this later this week. I'm confident that those who really want something a little more "extra" will want to invest their time into this. I know this is a bit cryptic but @SP0NZ , @wilmracer , and @Mid7night know what this is and can share their own input. I'm very excited to share this with everyone.

Yeah. VERY cool stuff in the pipeline right now. Looking forward to seeing these Scout XL models all dressed up.