Help! Master series design help thread

[Mr Man]

It was a lot of fun learning and continuing to learn Fusion. I'm still frustrated trying to make flat patterns for the skins of golden age racing planes. Tried exactflat and while it was still supported by Fusion it got pretty close but got closer using rollation. I'm going to experiment with onshape's flattening to see if that's less clunky.
Keep up the good work and don't let the spoiled noncontributors get you down.

Well Said!

 

[noahangel11]

You designed a sr-71?

Yes.

 

[noahangel11]

my current endeavor
70mm EDF

 

[Mr Man]

my current endeavor
70mm EDF

View attachment 248484

F35?

 

[Mr Man]

Yes. View attachment 248481 View attachment 248482 View attachment 248483

That is fantastic! Did you make plans?

 

[CrshNBrn]

I have mastered using Fusion and an external app to make great models. I can loft between formers and make a flat pattern of the loft.
As is evident in my SR-71, F-86 Sabre, Firefox, B-25, and many other models I have posted and shared on FT Fans page and on my page.
I learned a lot of techniques of design by observing other models, and then applying those design principles into the CAD world.

I have seriously considered creating a YouTube tutorial series on the process, but this is what has always held me back:
If I help everyone become master designers of their own planes, then where does that leave FT who relies on sales for existence? I do realize they are content creators and a lot of revenue comes from that, but they also have a product business. I am loyal to the team and not interested in damaging their business model.
I have never wanted to compete with FT, they are my friends.

Quite frankly, the early FT Fans expectation that every plane must come with free plans, and the outrage that pursued when they were no longer free, was also quite off-putting to me. A significant amount of effort goes into designing a plane that can be released as a product.
Also, every time I post or share a plane I get inundated with requests for the plans for free.
I do all the hard work, and everyone wants it now and free. On my page I put a link for donations. Only 1 kind person has ever donated after he downloaded plans.
Same thing goes for making videos of my techniques. I spent years perfecting it, and everyone wants the fast track to how to do it in a nicely packaged video. It puts me off.
I usually design hard to design models. I spent a lot of time mastering my craft and am still learning.
But don’t get me wrong, I do like to share, and if I get a good flying plane out of my effort, I usually share my planes and plans on my site or on this forum. I do like the family community of FT, and I love helping others and learning from others, and I love to share what I know. To a limit. I’d love to hear from anyone who has a similar experience. Am I letting a few bad apples ruin the whole cart?

You all are on the right track, and there is more than one way to do this. Persist like I have for the last few years and you will settle on a technique that works for you.

I still fly your B-25. Its been used and abused, but looks great up in the sky. I (for one) appreciate of all your design efforts. I've tried a few times to learn Fusion and the other CAD programs, but just don't have the skill & patience for it yet.

 

[Mr Man]

Yes. View attachment 248481 View attachment 248482 View attachment 248483

I’m not sure I could do something like that, Great Job!

 

[Flyingshark]

I have mastered using Fusion and an external app to make great models. I can loft between formers and make a flat pattern of the loft.
As is evident in my SR-71, F-86 Sabre, Firefox, B-25, and many other models I have posted and shared on FT Fans page and on my page.
I learned a lot of techniques of design by observing other models, and then applying those design principles into the CAD world.

I have seriously considered creating a YouTube tutorial series on the process, but this is what has always held me back:
If I help everyone become master designers of their own planes, then where does that leave FT who relies on sales for existence? I do realize they are content creators and a lot of revenue comes from that, but they also have a product business. I am loyal to the team and not interested in damaging their business model.
I have never wanted to compete with FT, they are my friends.

Quite frankly, the early FT Fans expectation that every plane must come with free plans, and the outrage that pursued when they were no longer free, was also quite off-putting to me. A significant amount of effort goes into designing a plane that can be released as a product.
Also, every time I post or share a plane I get inundated with requests for the plans for free.
I do all the hard work, and everyone wants it now and free. On my page I put a link for donations. Only 1 kind person has ever donated after he downloaded plans.
Same thing goes for making videos of my techniques. I spent years perfecting it, and everyone wants the fast track to how to do it in a nicely packaged video. It puts me off.
I usually design hard to design models. I spent a lot of time mastering my craft and am still learning.
But don’t get me wrong, I do like to share, and if I get a good flying plane out of my effort, I usually share my planes and plans on my site or on this forum. I do like the family community of FT, and I love helping others and learning from others, and I love to share what I know. To a limit. I’d love to hear from anyone who has a similar experience. Am I letting a few bad apples ruin the whole cart?

You all are on the right track, and there is more than one way to do this. Persist like I have for the last few years and you will settle on a technique that works for you.

I think a great thing about the family aspect of FT is that we can all help out by growing that FT family! And providing more designs that people can build seems a great way to do that if you feel comfortable. I haven’t posted plans for everything I've designed, but when I get a project or part to a point that I feel it's worth the extra effort I'd have to put in, I've done it. I've liked that process, but if it began to feel like a chore I can see how that would hurt my enjoyment of the rest of the hobby too. I hope you'll be able to recapture that!

The way I think about it, plans here on the forum don’t really compete with FT in a commercial sense because someone who wants to build from plans probably isn’t buying SBKs for every build anyway. Not everyone will be building from plans and even fewer people will design their own planes, so there will always be a market for what FT sells. So personally, I don't really worry about that when I post something.

I've been using Fusion 360 and other CAD programs for a few years now, but I would certainly subscribe to your Youtube channel if you made one! There's definitely a lot we can all learn from each other in this community. That SR-71 you designed is beautiful—I certainly don't have the skills to tackle a project like that (for now)!

 

[AIRFORGE]

Yes. View attachment 248481 View attachment 248482 View attachment 248483

Johnathon, did you bring an SR-71 to Flite Fest a while back? Maybe it was someone else. This one is truly beautiful!

 

[noahangel11]

F35?

F-22

 

[noahangel11]

Johnathon, did you bring an SR-71 to Flite Fest a while back? Maybe it was someone else. This one is truly beautiful!

I have not yet. I am working on it for 2025.
I have brought my Firefox before. And I have taken a few iterations of the SR-71 to John Overstreet’s if you have ever been to any of his plane crazy build days