Going Green - Hybrid and other building.

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
I have a little distracted of late as I have been busy building, designing and teaching RC models and how to fly lately and so I have been rather distant on the forum.

Just posting this thread to bring those who follow up to date.

I have been building and designing in Foam Board and the results where quite good but I have a student that seems to have an issue in controlling more than a single axis at a time. As the student had a sponsor we tried a myriad of different designs both FB and retail offerings but none of the designs seemed to suit the student. After about 50 hours of stick time the student can fly solo but gets a little confused if the wind picks up or there is other air traffic flying close .

The student can fly a Bixler type and a clipped wing club, (both with a stabiliser fitted), but remove the stabilisation and a crash becomes quite a strong possibility.

Anyway I kept teaching and searching for a more stable design to suit the students particular requirements. So far I have built or assembled about 25 different models and fitted about 10 stabilisers. Anyway I finally tried a retro design in Balsa. Actually it was a slope soaring design, (2 channel only), that I modified to have a battery tray, a very heavy and robust tail, and of course an electric motor setup with a 2200 3S battery.

The student was given the model and we did the students first flight with the new bird last week. The first flight was incredible. The student was given control after a short time, (I flew it initially to demonstrate its performance and then handed over the control). The flight was smooth, predictable and the student even started to use GENTLE stick movements. It flew so slow and seemed to just float around. We actually got in a number of flights on the same battery and the total air time was well over 10 minutes. The battery was still 60% charged after the 2 flights and the student landed each and every flight without my intervention and without any stabiliser.

So it looks like I will be doing a lot more Balsa type builds and as I had previously done a few Hybrid Balsa/Foam Board builds in the past, I will be doing more of such in the future. My work or designs will be evolving and rather than abandon FB I intend to enhance its use.

There was something that I did not do during my frenzied activity and that was record or document my efforts photographically and so there are no pics to add, YET. I hope to get back to taking pictures of the work but that will require a break in the current weather. Stopping and setting up to take pictures can actually take considerable time when in a building frenzy!

From here I shall post mostly hybrid and Balsa, (wooden), builds with the occasional all FB build if a model is posted that catches my imagination or suits someone else's desires locally. I will still do my usual FB designs and the occasional FT design but I will often augment the designs with different materials, (balsa, ply, plastic - including 3D printed items, foam core, and even Fibreglass). A lot of the work will require jigs to get repeatable and accurate results so I may even do a number of tooling up posts if there is enough interest on the forum.

Sorry the post is long but then i actually feel somewhat invigorated now and after a little success I intend to push ahead in an area that the RC industry has been ignoring of late!

Have fun! (I am now)!
 

Zetoyoc

Elite member
It is always exciting when you find that thing or method that helps a student succeed . Great work! and I am happy to hear you have a new or reinvigorated passion for an aspect of the hobby that may be lacking.
 

Figure9

Elite member
I have a little distracted of late as I have been busy building, designing and teaching RC models and how to fly lately and so I have been rather distant on the forum.

Sorry the post is long but then i actually feel somewhat invigorated now and after a little success I intend to push ahead in an area that the RC industry has been ignoring of late!

Have fun! (I am now)!

Good on you for helping advance the hobby & student flyers. I had a similar problem when I started flying models other than the Champ RTF. Faster models or 4 channel systems caused me to struggle with more than one control dimension of control at a time. Orientation was also a factor. To help me gain control I designed a larger slow flyer based loosely on the Simple Soarer with contrasting colors top & bottom. The strategy you used worked for me, my flying improved by first providing coordination between elevator & aileron controls (bank & yank). Rudder coordination can come later. The size, stability & contrasting colors made it easier for me to feel the connection between the transmitter & the aircraft.
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
Good on you for helping advance the hobby & student flyers. I had a similar problem when I started flying models other than the Champ RTF. Faster models or 4 channel systems caused me to struggle with more than one control dimension of control at a time. Orientation was also a factor. To help me gain control I designed a larger slow flyer based loosely on the Simple Soarer with contrasting colors top & bottom. The strategy you used worked for me, my flying improved by first providing coordination between elevator & aileron controls (bank & yank). Rudder coordination can come later. The size, stability & contrasting colors made it easier for me to feel the connection between the transmitter & the aircraft.
Your experience and that of the aforementioned student are not unique, but rather the reason that many come to the hobby and later leave it without being able to fly RC or flying only with great difficulty.

The model I built was a copy of the "Super Turkey" but with a few changes. Firstly Imperial balsa thicknesses are not available here easily and so I had to do a minor redesign into metric material sizes and then I had to beef up the tail strength to reduce transport damage/hangar rash.

Next was to add provision for a fixed tricycle undercarriage, (not yet fitted). Then of course the battery tray and a motor cowl instead of a solid nose cone block. The servos were moved aft and fitted externally for ease of maintenance. As it was only a prototype I did the final balance with a bit on lead in the nose and on one wingtip.

The Bird uses a Jedelsky wing and has NO requirement for covering. So the model is in raw finish though it will get a sealing coat of varnish soon. The bird was so well received at the club I will return to the design and make it lighter and better in performance and even do a hybrid version. As there was no equivalent design available at a retail level then there is an opportunity, albeit small, to build and sell a few. Even in Balsa it priced out cheaper than retail foamies!

Have fun!
 

danskis

Master member
A lot of the folks I fly with fly with stabilization 70% of the time. They are happy. That's what counts.
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
A lot of the folks I fly with fly with stabilization 70% of the time. They are happy. That's what counts.
Yes being happy is the goal. Sadly not everyone is the same and some students catch on quick and others do not.
I personally do not use stabilisation for any of my planes but I do fit them when asked to and teach with and without stabilisation!

Just broadening my design and build horizons!

Have fun!
 

basslord1124

Master member
That's awesome @Hai-Lee on helping out new pilots.

I have heard of hybrid build techniques but never tried it myself. That's cool that you are trying out some new things as well. :)

Not sure what parts of your builds are balsa and which are FB, I kinda think a balsa main structure and FB skin would be good. May result in a lot less wood pieces in a crash but then again, I have a lot more experience in FB than balsa so I'm just assuming.
 

TooJung2Die

Master member
Your idea and solution is fascinating. I had to find this "Super Turkey" glider so I did; in the archived Feb. 1978 edition of R/C Modeler.
RCM "Super Turkey" Article and Plan
The all sheet balsa construction should make it a perfect design for foam board or hybrid. Thank you!

When I was first learning to fly RC I had a terrible time figuring out which way to move the sticks to make the airplane turn right or left especially when it was coming towards me or straight overhead. I suffered for weeks. Then I made the right wing green and the left wing red. Problem solved. For some reason my brain could quickly decide which stick direction was green or red no matter which way the airplane was headed. Weird but it worked. Before long I was guiding the airplane in the desired direction without having to think.
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
I built my first ST from the original magazine article back when the magazine was first published, (1978? :eek:, now I feel old)!

This was the third build but with the changes already mentioned. The tail was a known weak spot! Also I used Oak instead of Spruce, (I had some Oak strips and no spruce). F1 and F3 were made using 6 mm plywood.
As for a Hybrid version I intend to use the FB and balsa to do away with the "A" and "B" folds. I may even use it to FILL a built up tail! It will not be a build for Hot Glue though! The wing TE is only 3mm in thickness on the original so I will need to do a little work on the structural strength if I am to do the wing in FB.

Out of FB and Balsa at this time and waiting for the weather to relent so I can get out and source fresh stock.

Have fun!
 

Hai-Lee

Old and Bold RC PILOT
Almost cyclonic winds today, which is way to fast and turbulent for the Super Trukey but I managed to get a pic of the completed bird with its proud student owner.

DSCF0043.JPG


The wing is actually all the same colour, (raw Balsa), the coloured wing panel is a feature of the sun angle and the old camera I was using.

Have fun!