Mini FT Flyer

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Flights!
I flew it in my backyard, so most of it is flying slowly at high-ish alpha, to keep it inside the space. It's pretty stable all the time. The only damage were some crushed parts of the wing, 2 broken rubber bands for the landing gear, and one of the foam board wheels fell off.

That thing sure took a beating! :oops::LOL: I’m going to have to buy myself another power pack A and build one - I’m always looking for stuff to fly in my backyard! :D
 

Flyingshark

Master member
That thing sure took a beating! :oops::LOL: I’m going to have to buy myself another power pack A and build one - I’m always looking for stuff to fly in my backyard! :D
It really did take a lot of damage! I was hoping to build a few other mini planes, but I think I'll end up building a fleet of these little guys instead! :D I also want to try building one with ailerons or even flaperons... :unsure: Maybe a 9g servo...
 

Flyingshark

Master member
Mini Flyer #1 is dead. :(

The power pod is smashed and fell off the rest of the plane. It still flew once the power pod was hanging on only by the skewer at the back, but it was a lot less controllable. I'll recycle the electronics into a new one with some mods for more durability. Gives me some more motivation to finish up the plans. :D

I'll post photos and video later.
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Mini Flyer #1 is dead. :(

The power pod is smashed and fell off the rest of the plane. It still flew once the power pod was hanging on only by the skewer at the back, but it was a lot less controllable. I'll recycle the electronics into a new one with some mods for more durability. Gives me some more motivation to finish up the plans. :D

I'll post photos and video later.
I’m waiting eagerly for the plans!
 

Flyingshark

Master member
Plans!!!

They're still a little bit of a work in progress, but they should work to build it from. It goes together exactly like the full-size flyer, so you can watch the build video and have nearly everything just be slightly smaller. After I finish building my second one, I'll post a pdf with pictures and build instructions.

There are no foam board wheels, BBQ skewer holes or the TE cutout for the elevator pushrod. I think it's pretty simple to figure out where they all go, and depending on the weight of your electronics, you might want to move some things around anyway. On the foam board wheels, if you have the option, I'd say go with some real wheels, about 1" in diameter. My foam board wheels delaminated and fell off more quickly than I'd like.

Please post pics if you build one!
 

Attachments

  • Mini Flyer Plans v1.4.pdf
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The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Plans!!!

They're still a little bit of a work in progress, but they should work to build it from. It goes together exactly like the full-size flyer, so you can watch the build video and have nearly everything just be slightly smaller. After I finish building my second one, I'll post a pdf with pictures and build instructions.

There are no foam board wheels, BBQ skewer holes or the TE cutout for the elevator pushrod. I think it's pretty simple to figure out where they all go, and depending on the weight of your electronics, you might want to move some things around anyway. On the foam board wheels, if you have the option, I'd say go with some real wheels, about 1" in diameter. My foam board wheels delaminated and fell off more quickly than I'd like.

Please post pics if you build one!
I’ll be building one in the very near future, probably sometime next week. Thanks again for the plans!
 

Flyingshark

Master member
I updated the plans in post #25. Everything *should* slot together properly now. I also removed the scale bar because it wasn't showing the correct dimensions.
 

Flyingshark

Master member
Mini Flyer #2 is coming along nicely!
I got the power pod, rear fuse and tail section finished today.
IMG_0227.JPG IMG_0232.JPG IMG_0235.JPG

On #1 I sealed the tailskid with hot glue, but on this one I went for some more durability, with a bbq skewer glued into the foam. Might be overkill, and it might make it harder to get it to balance right, but I think it's worth it.
IMG_0231.JPG
 
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Flyingshark

Master member
Mini Flyer #2 is finished! The question is, how long will it be before it's trashed and I need to build another... :D
I found another error in the plans, not a big one, just that the tail cutout is out of place. I'll fix that tomorrow morning. It shouldn't affect how it flies much, though it doesn't look quite as good...

IMG_0250.JPG


IMG_0243.JPG


Hope to maiden it this weekend if the weather permits!
 

Flyingshark

Master member
Just moved the cutout for the v-stab to the correct position and re-uploaded the plans in post #25. Hopefully I've caught all the errors!
 

Flyingshark

Master member
I flew the second mini flyer this afternoon. (Flight video coming soon) Having the stab farther back definitely changes how it flies. I think I might keep mine this way! It's a little more responsive in pitch at high alpha, and I don't have to hold back the stick as much, but it does take a bit of thinking to get the nose back down slowly without crashing. If you don't have my problems of a small-ish space and an inexperienced pilot, just go with what's on the plans.