FT storch built

Potter

Member
finished my FT Storch today. I got the speed build kit for my birthday super happy the only thing I can say I did not like the wire for the landing gear it's way too stiff. I had some pretty good vise grips and heavy duty pliers and still hardly could bend it. watching the build video Josh Bixler was bending the wire like it was a balloon animal compared to what I was working with. I finally went to my local hardware store and bought a spool of wire. anyway enough complaining.
 

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Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
I don’t think you will be happy with wire from a spool.
The FT wire is bendable if you have a bench vice.
 
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buzzbomb

I know nothing!
Nice looking build. I haven't made any landing gear yet, so I can't really comment on it. Regardless, can't wait to see video of the Maiden!
 

Potter

Member
@Merv I kind of miss spoke the wire isn't really on a spool it's more just wound up it's 12 gage steel wire. I still used the FT rod for the wheel axil.
 

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Potter

Member
@buzzbomb I wanted to fly yesterday perfect weather 30 degrees clear day what more can you ask for in February but no I couldn't get the family to come out with me. so today it's not just snowing but wet snow so my flight has been canceled due to inclement weather. hopefully tomorrow it clears up. it's my day off so fingers crossed
 

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Potter

Member
Started painting tonight because well what else am I going to do. This snow is demoralizing it’s taking me a lot longer then alexes 20 min A-10 warthog but I’m getting it
 

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Potter

Member
so I painted some nice coats of green with blue wing tips I was liking it and I wanted to make it look like it was wet so I decided to use some blue and yellow paint for this effect. the first pic was a test piece, disclaimer the first pic Is FT brown foam board do not try this on the dollar tree foam it wont work that's the test sample of dollar tree foam in the second pic with the yellow and blue. anyway so I found the green background was too light and the water droplet effect didn't work out very well. the reason I didn't test this effect with green because I ran out of green spray paint. so I decided that I would paint everything blue and do the water droplet effect with silver. guess what didn't work out. so I repainted everything once again black like the first test piece and I think I got the effect I want although the wing was very hard because you have to hold the spray paint at a low angle and the leading edge wanted to gather all the paint. I'm pretty happy with the end effect hopefully this awful weather clears up soon I'll take some photos outside before I crash it. or land it in a tree like I'm good at.

I haven't really decided weather I was going to paint windows or not I think if I do Ill do them either white or maybe a silverish color
 

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clolsonus

Well-known member
Storch windows: I believe you can buy decals that just stick on. The raw graphic file is also available, so I just downloaded it, printed it out on my inkjet ... sprayed the front side of the paper with clear-cote (rattle can, ace hardware), cut the shapes out and glued them on (super 77 spray adhesive -- only because i have a can sitting on my shelf and it goes on pretty thin/even.) I probably didn't scale them perfectly and for all I know, I put them on upside down and backwards, but they came out good enough for me.
 

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Potter

Member
Storch windows: I believe you can buy decals that just stick on. The raw graphic file is also available, so I just downloaded it, printed it out on my inkjet ... sprayed the front side of the paper with clear-cote (rattle can, ace hardware), cut the shapes out and glued them on (super 77 spray adhesive -- only because i have a can sitting on my shelf and it goes on pretty thin/even.) I probably didn't scale them perfectly and for all I know, I put them on upside down and backwards, but they came out good enough for me.

I like those wheels, the windows look great I was just going to hand paint them on. I'll see what works if my hand painted windows look bad I can always use this great idea thanks
 

Potter

Member

clolsonus

Well-known member
I like those wheels, the windows look great I was just going to hand paint them on. I'll see what works if my hand painted windows look bad I can always use this great idea thanks

I was going to hand paint my windows too ... or maybe get out a black sharpie, and then the closer I got to trying something the louder my bad idea voice started screaming in the back of my head. :)

Those wheels I grabbed out of the bin ... left over or reclaimed from some long ago 40-size glow airplane project. They are a bit heavy, but make perfect tundra tires for the storch.
 

Potter

Member
So finished painting and took it out of the garage took some pics. My van is having some problems. So I went to take the car the seat belt decided to rip part of the elevator off ahhhh!!!! So bad to head back into the garage for minor repairs. Today would have been perfect maiden 18 degrees clear sky’s. don’t have to worry about melting snow. But looks like tomorrow.
 

Potter

Member
So before I ripped the elevator took some pics. It looks a lot better in person you have to zoom in to see the details but the sun highlighted some of the blue so it looks like there a blue strip.
 

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Potter

Member
I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to fly again came out of the store and the first thing I noticed was this wind sock in the tree. So I looked up the weather. 18mph winds ahhh
 

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buzzbomb

I know nothing!
The Storch is pretty good at handling strong winds...

That was cool as heck! Also very confusing. As far as I know, single-engine, fixed-wing aircraft are not supposed to hover. Definitely not supposed to go backwards. I think you got the whole gravity/physics thing wrong. You might want to work on that. ;):LOL:

Joking aside, that was pretty darn cool. Your plane was just floating, and the music was so calm it was just "Here I am, calmly flying while not moving. Da da, Da dum de Do, No big deal." If you had set the video to some heavy metal I would have been like, "OH shoot! No! Be careful! Holy Cow! Watch out!"

You have definitely proven that with skill the Storch can handle the wind. And do so impressively, I might add. Thank you. Three thumbs up for that one! (y)(y)(y)
 

Potter

Member
The Storch is pretty good at handling strong winds...

awesome video I was super impressed I did go out today and I did the same thing you did for about 5 sec. it was cool and then it turned a little to the right and the wind caught it and did a 180 and it flew a mile the other direction. I set it down all in all about a 30 sec flight I was so scared. anyway I did bring out my gopro but I don't think it liked it because it only recorded about 3 sec. of video. maybe the -4 degrees might have something to do with it.