FT Spitfire Build

[fliteadmin]

FREE Build Plans:
FT Spitfire - Swappable [ FULL SIZE ]
FT Spitfire - Swappable [ TILED ]


LazerToyz.com currently has a great electronics package designed specifically for the Baby Blender power pod that will work great for this airplane as well! More details AVAILABLE HERE.

Equipment used in this build:
FT Control Horns
NTM Prop Drive Series 28-26A 1200kv / 250w
Hextronic 9 Gram Servo
TURNIGY Plush 25amp Speed Controller
Turnigy 1300mAh 4S 20C Lipo Pack
Linkage Stopper "Speed Clevis"
.81mm piano wire (push rods)
Futaba T8FG Super 14ch Transmitter w/R6208SB 2.4GHz Receiver
Futaba R6106HFC 2.4GHz FASST Mid Range 6Ch Rx

Additional/Alternate components:
Suppo 2208/14 1450kv Brushless Motor (Park 370 equiv.)
APC-style Electric Propeller - 8x4E
Suppo 18A Brushless ESC
Suppo SP-90 9g Micro Servo

 

[OutcastZeroOne]

First!

very nice. need to get one of these going!

 

[Villalji]

This is soooooo great, can't wait to finish my FF23 and DR1 to start this one!! And this is supposed to be flying season, not building time!! Thanks a lot Flitetest, you're the greatest!
Like many othes in the right side of the pond, we would love to buy your kits to support you, but we hate to pay more for CO2 wasting than for the actual kits, so if you ever open a franchise in Europe, you will have a sizeable market!

 

[bandicooot]

I've been very excited waiting for this to come!
Any chance that a copy of the plans could be posted in the "compressed" layout? ie. The same layout as they are cut out in the "Speed Build Kits"? It's just paper backed foam board is rare in Australia and only available in small sheets.
Thanks heaps!

 

[OutcastZeroOne]

This is soooooo great, can't wait to finish my FF23 and DR1 to start this one!! And this is supposed to be flying season, not building time!! Thanks a lot Flitetest, you're the greatest!
Like many othes in the right side of the pond, we would love to buy your kits to support you, but we hate to pay more for CO2 wasting than for the actual kits, so if you ever open a franchise in Europe, you will have a sizeable market!

maybe David has a few friends back home who could get a kick start on something like that?

 

[Khattak]

I have started on the plane I am almost done and I will post pictures when I am done.

 

[Mralex10733]

where is the spinner from and how do you put it on?

 

[jhitesma]

Printed out my plans and just got them taped together...about to start cutting. But I'm wondering.

Are the lines on the plans even thinner than in the past this time around or did my printer just suddenly decide to make life even more difficult for me? Can barely see a lot of the lines this time. I also lost the line for the hinge on the elevator this time because it wound up right on a page edge and didn't get printed on either page. Not trying to complain, just making a bit of an observation.

I'm also thinking about modifying the plans so they'd be easier to print - putting things like the elevator and rudder on one page since they'd fit that way and moving a few things around so they don't have quite as many breaks on them. Would FT be ok with me doing that and resharing the modified version on here?

 

[OutcastZeroOne]

I think they are thinner. I noticed that too looking over the ful sized plans on the computer. havent printed them out yet but I think they are thinner. BLAME THE SWEED!! An extra week in the basment for him! J/K

 

[jhitesma]

I use my laser to print them usually since toner is so much cheaper than ink (I've bought one toner cartridge in the 12 years I've had this printer and have gone through two cases of paper with it.) The plans from FT have always been on the ragged edge of visibility but still there enough I could make them out. On the Spit though the lines are so thin that some of the diagonal/curved lines just disappear.

I have been having issues with this printer lately and getting some fading (I think the drum unit is finally dying) but this seems worse than normal.

Not insurmountable, and hey...free plans so I'm really not trying to complain But it looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow to cut my foam since my kid is already asleep so I can't turn on the bright lights in my Kitchen to see the lines The last few planes I've been able to make the lines out with my "evening lights" only.

Guess this means tomorrow morning I'll be cutting foam instead of flying

My wife saw me working on the plans when she came home for lunch and asked "But isn't that the plane you asked me to get you for fathers day?" I just said "Yeah, but I can't wait and I'll probably smash at least one so I do still want the kit even if I'm building one from scratch." I love that she's so supportive of this hobby. The fact that I made her a FT Flyer and she got to fly it this morning before work probably helps too

 

[OutcastZeroOne]

nice. I am lazy about plans. I just take the full version to kinkos and have them print it out as one beig sheet. I think their software makes the line thicker so I may get by okay with that. Biggest issue in my area is just how much wind there has been latly. I havent been able to fly for a week because of it!

Good chance I will hotwire mine out. I will have to make afew modifications to the plans to make sure the foam dosent tear, but we will see.

 

[CrashRecovery]

End of the video shows chads video on painting this plane...... Anyone know where it's at?

 

[BrownEyedFool]

the video they refer to a 2200 mah battery pack, the list of components lists a 1300 mah pack. Is there a recommendation for CG purposes?

 

[jhitesma]

Little something I noticed in the vid was David using a cheap utility blade while Josh has usually been using #11's. Even heard Josh comment on the cost savings and how much longer the utilities stay sharp cutting foam.

Funny thing about that...I was a huge #11 fan for a LONG time - but when I started building foamies I switched to utility blades because, well honestly because everyone in town was out of stock of #11's But I kept hearing about how utility blades supposedly stay sharp longer against foam and they cost a lot less. So picked up a 100 of them and have been quite happy with them. Being so cheap it's no big deal to keep switching to a new blade more often than I used to. (I would keep cutting with a #11 well past when I should have switched because every time I'd switch blades I'd hear a cash register in my head.)

But I've had a hard time doing the little alignment notches with utility blades so I dug the old xacto out today to cut some parts of my spitfire. And man, I'm suddenly hooked on the #11's again. Staying sharp way longer than the utilities I've been using and even when a little dull cutting nicer than a fresh utility.

Still like the utility blades for score cuts since I can set it to it's lowest setting and drag it along my ruler to just cut the paper. And still like them for big rough cuts. But I actually enjoyed cutting my bevels with the #11 today instead of it feeling like a chore.

I swear my utility blades seemed sharper out of the package a few weeks ago...today even a fresh one I can't seem to get a clean cut. Oh well. Just had to share a little Got to go finish cutting out my fuselage and then warm up the glue gun!

 

[CrashRecovery]

the video they refer to a 2200 mah battery pack, the list of components lists a 1300 mah pack. Is there a recommendation for CG purposes?

Look at the motors and props, I bet that's the reason

 

[jhitesma]

And it's built. $3 worth of foam board and one day split between playing with my daughter and building! Would have had it done a lot earlier if she had actually taken her full nap today...



I did two things slightly different than the video showed. First I reinforced the wing spar with a popsicle stick because...well because I managed to bend the end of the spar while test fitting things. So rather than build a whole new half wing I decided to just beef up the spot that I damaged:


The other thing I did a little different is I put packing tape along the bottom surface - because I'll be flying in the desert and landing on rocks and sand. In fact...I may add a layer of duct tape as well since experience tells me without gear even gentle landings will take a tole quickly!

As long as it's not too windy I hope to maiden it tomorrow. Should even have someone along to shoot video if it goes as planned.

 

[CrashRecovery]

Why not add landing gear when building this? Wouldn't one of those kits work well on here and look relatively scale?

 

[CrashRecovery]

And I found this online for you guys trying to paint scale...... Stickers to make it even better!!!!!!

http://callie-graphics.com/airplanes.php?type=Warbirds#459

 

[OutcastZeroOne]

will have to make a nice plug for doing exhausts on my vacuum table

 

[jamiedco]

build video and maiden on its way