Hondo76251
Legendary member
Build 1
Micro DH.88 Comet "Black Magic"
I've always been an aviation nerd and I like interesting stories. The DH.88 Comet, built specifically for the 1934 MacRobertson air race, definitely has an interesting story. This particular comet, G-ACSP "Black Magic" is one of two surviving original planes. Though not as famous as "Grosvenor House," (the red one) Black Magic holds several records of her own: England-Karachi during the 1934 MacRoberston air race, and later as "Salazar" after being sold, set and then broke her own record for London-Lisbon in 5hrs 27min in 1937.
This build was made up as I went, no plan other than a picture of the plane. I wanted to use old toy quad motors so I knew roughly the size and weight I'd be limited to. I used the rolled foam (master series) technique mostly which is fairly tricky on something this small. (The fuse is only 1" wide) The electronics are quite small and delicate. It required a lot of soldering on components like the ESC's which are about the size of my pinky fingernail. Because of the size, I'd rate this build:
Build: 4.5
I did the maiden before paint because if any shifting of the CG was required I would have to do surgery. Luckily it came out about right. It flew surprisingly well for such a small and light plane and also proved to be reasonably durable. With a little trimming I think I could get her some better low speed manners and if I had it to do again I would go with an As3x receiver. Due to the small size and its affinity to quickly enter a tip stall at low speeds, particularly when trying to land I'd rate the flying experience:
Flight Characteristics: 4
All in all I'm pleased with how she turned out. Its a nice piece to add to my fleet, an homage to an early pioneering airplane. I do plan to do this build again a bit larger with some brushless motors, a bit more like a Mini Master series build and shoot for sub 250 to make a fun FPV platform. Since this was a scratch build with no real plans, I don't have a lot to offer in tips and tricks other than any time you build something this small, even the simple stuff gets exponentially harder!
Here is the video:
Build 2
FT "Smart" Duck
As a kid I always watched Tailspin, and who doesn't love the Sea Duck!? This is the second time I've built the FT Sea Duck. My first one was retired long ago and I've been thinking about adding another to my fleet for quite a while. I've done my share of long range FPV flying in the past, a great deal of which was done manually. (No stabilizers, no GPS) and I've always thought that the Sea Duck would make a great platform for a long range PixHawk powered system due the the large easily accessible cargo area. What better excuse than the Buildruray!
The build was done pretty much as per the FliteTest instructions in the build video. I did add rudders to it and did not do differential thrust in an attempt to keep the setup simple for the flight controller. I did not glue the lower portion of the fuselage to the rest of the plane and chose to secure it with packing tape. This allows me to open the craft up to have good access to the electronics. The Sea duck itself isn't a terribly difficult build but I would say it is closer to a master series than it is something like the tiny trainer. With the added complication of all the electronics (PixHawk, GPS, UHF receiver, DJI Camera) I'd rate this build a solid:
Build: 5
The Maiden went well, the plane flew great even with all the extra weight. It took very little trimming to get hands off flight even before turning on the stabilizer. The power level with the twin C pack motors was pretty good as well. I may toy with some other props as I continue development of this platform. All in all I'd rate the flight:
Flight Characteristics: 1.5
I'm looking forward to continuing to toy with all the capabilities of this Duck. I've already got a lidar and pitot tube ready to go on as well as some LiIon batteries to try out!
Here is the video:
Build 3
FT MM Cruiser (w/GPS)
I've had numerous versions of the DH.88 in my fleet, easily one of my favorite aircraft. I wasn't planning on doing ANOTHER Comet for the buildruray but I had a wild idea to see what kind of an FPV craft the Mighty Mini Cruiser would make. I originally set out to do a Sub 250 build but I had an extra UHF mini receiver just laying around so I thought I'd give that a try instead! I do plan to revisit the Sub 250 MM Cruiser in the future as It seems totally do-able after having weighted all the electronic options I was considering. In truth, this platform is probably more well suited for that roll than the medium range FPV platform I have it configured for now.
Much like the Duck, this build was done pretty much as per the FliteTest instructions in the build video. I added a wooden spar and chose to mount the wings under the fuselage vs through it to give more room for the electronics and to make the routing of the wires easier. (also looks more "Comet" like that way) The Mini Cruiser is a fairly simple build itself but I did increase the complication by adding a PDB, UHF receiver, 1000mw TX, and runcam mini to the craft. I'd give the cruiser build itself a 2 and the electronics add a good 1.5 so I rate it at:
Build: 3.5
The Maiden wasn't an immediate success. I had originally mounted the video TX far out on the starboard wing but this was a mistake. With the gross weight already being 380 grams the added weight so far out from the CG was a problem. I was able to fly it with the stabilizer but just barely. I went back and moved the TX farther inboard and that mitigated the problem. It turned the unruly little beast into a slightly less unruly one! Its a handful in manual mode but flies very well with the stabilizer which is sort of ok as stabilized FPV flight was the goal of this build all along. I'd rate it at a full on 5 but due the stabilizer I'd give it a:
Flight Characteristics: 3.5
The flight controller I used is a ZOHD Kopilot Lite. It features a GPS and return to home. The RTH combined with the 1000mw TX video and UHF receiver makes this a cool build if I do say so myself! At $40 I'd recommend that ZOHD to anyone! I've already had it out over a mile with no trouble at all so I'd say it has fulfilled its intended roll of a medium range FPV craft. I've had a blast flying it the last couple weeks and I have to say that the added weight has not diminished the "Mighty Mini's" reputation for durability. The wooden spar does help but she's taken some pretty spectacular knocks and keeps on going! Like I said in the beginning, I want to revisit this build with a sub 250 craft in mind but I think I will also try this "medium range" build again with a few tweaks that I think would make it even cooler.
Here is the video:
Build 4
Twin Boom Tiny Trainer
As you might have noticed by now, fixed wing FPV is kind of my thing. I've been considering a twin boom build of some kind for a while, something like my Sea Duck but smaller. I was this to be a bit more user friendly, portable. I decided a simple way to go would be to use the plans for the Tiny Trainer! I've seen many modifications to the design but I've never seen one like this. My theory here is that the center pod is easily removable to service the electronics and to change the configuration for the mission if so desired. I didn't have time to get into this for the buildruray but decided a basic proof of concept was in order.
This is yet another build that is done pretty much as per the FliteTest instructions in the build video. I have added a wooden spar and I chose to use the glider wing but I may reconsider that in future versions. The glider wing made adding a spar easier but it is also a bit thick for the higher speed I would like out of this platform. Because this is simply two Tiny Trainers in one plane Id say the build is pretty simple. Future versions may include removable outer wings to aid in transport but for now, as was built for the buildruray, I'd rate it:
Build: 2
The Maiden went well. The plan flew great, right up until I got into a nasty little tip stall! I think altering the wing a bit will help with this but the overall flight of this TBTT was a great success I think. It really got me excited for all the things I can do with it. This is definitely a project that I will continue with in the future. I'd rate it:
Flight Characteristics: 2
Here is the video:
All in all I feel good about my builds this last month. Most of them are projects that I will continue with this summer and will have their own threads that I will keep updated on. The Micro DH.88 is just to show that I do, occasionally, paint my planes! lol Because the rest of them are works in progress I generally don't get excited about getting them all pretty. I'm a function over form kind of guy most of the time! Just like most, given more time I'd have all kinds of things I would have liked to have completed but life is what it is. I'm glad I was at least able to get mine together and in the air in time! Its been fun watching all the builds come together and I look forward to seeing all the cool things that have been built!
Micro DH.88 Comet "Black Magic"
I've always been an aviation nerd and I like interesting stories. The DH.88 Comet, built specifically for the 1934 MacRobertson air race, definitely has an interesting story. This particular comet, G-ACSP "Black Magic" is one of two surviving original planes. Though not as famous as "Grosvenor House," (the red one) Black Magic holds several records of her own: England-Karachi during the 1934 MacRoberston air race, and later as "Salazar" after being sold, set and then broke her own record for London-Lisbon in 5hrs 27min in 1937.
This build was made up as I went, no plan other than a picture of the plane. I wanted to use old toy quad motors so I knew roughly the size and weight I'd be limited to. I used the rolled foam (master series) technique mostly which is fairly tricky on something this small. (The fuse is only 1" wide) The electronics are quite small and delicate. It required a lot of soldering on components like the ESC's which are about the size of my pinky fingernail. Because of the size, I'd rate this build:
Build: 4.5
I did the maiden before paint because if any shifting of the CG was required I would have to do surgery. Luckily it came out about right. It flew surprisingly well for such a small and light plane and also proved to be reasonably durable. With a little trimming I think I could get her some better low speed manners and if I had it to do again I would go with an As3x receiver. Due to the small size and its affinity to quickly enter a tip stall at low speeds, particularly when trying to land I'd rate the flying experience:
Flight Characteristics: 4
All in all I'm pleased with how she turned out. Its a nice piece to add to my fleet, an homage to an early pioneering airplane. I do plan to do this build again a bit larger with some brushless motors, a bit more like a Mini Master series build and shoot for sub 250 to make a fun FPV platform. Since this was a scratch build with no real plans, I don't have a lot to offer in tips and tricks other than any time you build something this small, even the simple stuff gets exponentially harder!
Here is the video:
Build 2
FT "Smart" Duck
As a kid I always watched Tailspin, and who doesn't love the Sea Duck!? This is the second time I've built the FT Sea Duck. My first one was retired long ago and I've been thinking about adding another to my fleet for quite a while. I've done my share of long range FPV flying in the past, a great deal of which was done manually. (No stabilizers, no GPS) and I've always thought that the Sea Duck would make a great platform for a long range PixHawk powered system due the the large easily accessible cargo area. What better excuse than the Buildruray!
The build was done pretty much as per the FliteTest instructions in the build video. I did add rudders to it and did not do differential thrust in an attempt to keep the setup simple for the flight controller. I did not glue the lower portion of the fuselage to the rest of the plane and chose to secure it with packing tape. This allows me to open the craft up to have good access to the electronics. The Sea duck itself isn't a terribly difficult build but I would say it is closer to a master series than it is something like the tiny trainer. With the added complication of all the electronics (PixHawk, GPS, UHF receiver, DJI Camera) I'd rate this build a solid:
Build: 5
The Maiden went well, the plane flew great even with all the extra weight. It took very little trimming to get hands off flight even before turning on the stabilizer. The power level with the twin C pack motors was pretty good as well. I may toy with some other props as I continue development of this platform. All in all I'd rate the flight:
Flight Characteristics: 1.5
I'm looking forward to continuing to toy with all the capabilities of this Duck. I've already got a lidar and pitot tube ready to go on as well as some LiIon batteries to try out!
Here is the video:
Build 3
FT MM Cruiser (w/GPS)
I've had numerous versions of the DH.88 in my fleet, easily one of my favorite aircraft. I wasn't planning on doing ANOTHER Comet for the buildruray but I had a wild idea to see what kind of an FPV craft the Mighty Mini Cruiser would make. I originally set out to do a Sub 250 build but I had an extra UHF mini receiver just laying around so I thought I'd give that a try instead! I do plan to revisit the Sub 250 MM Cruiser in the future as It seems totally do-able after having weighted all the electronic options I was considering. In truth, this platform is probably more well suited for that roll than the medium range FPV platform I have it configured for now.
Much like the Duck, this build was done pretty much as per the FliteTest instructions in the build video. I added a wooden spar and chose to mount the wings under the fuselage vs through it to give more room for the electronics and to make the routing of the wires easier. (also looks more "Comet" like that way) The Mini Cruiser is a fairly simple build itself but I did increase the complication by adding a PDB, UHF receiver, 1000mw TX, and runcam mini to the craft. I'd give the cruiser build itself a 2 and the electronics add a good 1.5 so I rate it at:
Build: 3.5
The Maiden wasn't an immediate success. I had originally mounted the video TX far out on the starboard wing but this was a mistake. With the gross weight already being 380 grams the added weight so far out from the CG was a problem. I was able to fly it with the stabilizer but just barely. I went back and moved the TX farther inboard and that mitigated the problem. It turned the unruly little beast into a slightly less unruly one! Its a handful in manual mode but flies very well with the stabilizer which is sort of ok as stabilized FPV flight was the goal of this build all along. I'd rate it at a full on 5 but due the stabilizer I'd give it a:
Flight Characteristics: 3.5
The flight controller I used is a ZOHD Kopilot Lite. It features a GPS and return to home. The RTH combined with the 1000mw TX video and UHF receiver makes this a cool build if I do say so myself! At $40 I'd recommend that ZOHD to anyone! I've already had it out over a mile with no trouble at all so I'd say it has fulfilled its intended roll of a medium range FPV craft. I've had a blast flying it the last couple weeks and I have to say that the added weight has not diminished the "Mighty Mini's" reputation for durability. The wooden spar does help but she's taken some pretty spectacular knocks and keeps on going! Like I said in the beginning, I want to revisit this build with a sub 250 craft in mind but I think I will also try this "medium range" build again with a few tweaks that I think would make it even cooler.
Here is the video:
Build 4
Twin Boom Tiny Trainer
As you might have noticed by now, fixed wing FPV is kind of my thing. I've been considering a twin boom build of some kind for a while, something like my Sea Duck but smaller. I was this to be a bit more user friendly, portable. I decided a simple way to go would be to use the plans for the Tiny Trainer! I've seen many modifications to the design but I've never seen one like this. My theory here is that the center pod is easily removable to service the electronics and to change the configuration for the mission if so desired. I didn't have time to get into this for the buildruray but decided a basic proof of concept was in order.
This is yet another build that is done pretty much as per the FliteTest instructions in the build video. I have added a wooden spar and I chose to use the glider wing but I may reconsider that in future versions. The glider wing made adding a spar easier but it is also a bit thick for the higher speed I would like out of this platform. Because this is simply two Tiny Trainers in one plane Id say the build is pretty simple. Future versions may include removable outer wings to aid in transport but for now, as was built for the buildruray, I'd rate it:
Build: 2
The Maiden went well. The plan flew great, right up until I got into a nasty little tip stall! I think altering the wing a bit will help with this but the overall flight of this TBTT was a great success I think. It really got me excited for all the things I can do with it. This is definitely a project that I will continue with in the future. I'd rate it:
Flight Characteristics: 2
Here is the video:
All in all I feel good about my builds this last month. Most of them are projects that I will continue with this summer and will have their own threads that I will keep updated on. The Micro DH.88 is just to show that I do, occasionally, paint my planes! lol Because the rest of them are works in progress I generally don't get excited about getting them all pretty. I'm a function over form kind of guy most of the time! Just like most, given more time I'd have all kinds of things I would have liked to have completed but life is what it is. I'm glad I was at least able to get mine together and in the air in time! Its been fun watching all the builds come together and I look forward to seeing all the cool things that have been built!
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