Modded Tiny Trainer (High Performance - by Tim Simons) 1.6

[tomlogan1]

Here is a list of my preferred components :

- Iflight 2306 2450kv motor
- Hobbywing Flyfun 30a ESC for LED and/or lightweight 3s setup, or Hobbywing Skywalker 50a ESC for more performance up to 4s batteries
- Master Airscrew 5x4.5 BN FPV Bullnose Series Propellers

- Emax ES08MA II 12g metal gear servos (4x)

- 1 meter of 4mm carbon flat strip (reinforce tail)
- 3 meters of 3mm carbon flat strip (top fuselage joints and wingtip reinforcement)
- 1 meter of 2mm carbon solid rod (bottom fuselage joints)

- carbon arrow shaft for wing spar

- 5 meters of 12v LED lights, 1 meter of servo/power wire, 3s balance connector to plug in lights

Thanks for the build images. Very informative. It appears that you are using clear packing tape on the fuselage, no? I, too, hve been doing that but I tape the entire foam board before cutting out the model. Do you find taping after construction adds strength that taping prior to assembly does not? Working on another TT twin, but am planning to use your one piece fuselage. It alone is a tremendous improvement.

Will keep following and may spin up one of these foam board rockets myself.

 

[FlyOHSkies]

Thanks for the build images. Very informative. It appears that you are using clear packing tape on the fuselage, no? I, too, hve been doing that but I tape the entire foam board before cutting out the model. Do you find taping after construction adds strength that taping prior to assembly does not? Working on another TT twin, but am planning to use your one piece fuselage. It alone is a tremendous improvement.

Will keep following and may spin up one of these foam board rockets myself.

Yes, I packing tape the entire outer skin of the model. The combo of the glue, carbon and packing tape is incredibly strong. I would think the order of tape application wouldn't matter as long as you went back and taped the glue joints after construction. The single piece fuselage is great for so many reasons. It lights well, and the carbon at all corners makes it very strong. The carbon flat strip at the top of the fuselage keeps the wing rubber bands from pulling the skewers through the top as well. It also adds a ton of interior room for larger batteries, as I have flown up to a 4s 2200. The trickiest part of the build for me is the top/rear of the fuselage. Once you have the carbon tacked in place, you have to put the glue for the joint on the foam of the fuselage sidewalls. Putting the glue on the top skin of the fuselage like the original build video will cause the carbon to pop loose before you can get everything in place. You also have to do this step at the edge of the build table because the top/front of the fuselage needs to hang off. A couple dry runs without glue is good to practice the process first and test the fit. If you don't already, build on parchment paper. Cooled glue peels right off and leaves a nice, smooth matte finish. It took me a few builds to get the process of the fuselage top down. I use a bunch of glue and either peel or iron it later to seal the edges well. I guess this might be the only benefit to taping later, as sometimes the heat from the iron or glue gun will curl the edges of the tape.

I'm excited to see the variations from other community members. If anyone has any feedback or improvements, I'm all ears. It has definitely taken me a while to come up with my "standard" build now. I'm a sucker for a nice twin, v-tail, or any creative variation, so make it your own and share!

 

[Goodfoot00]

Great design! I saw Luke and Mike flying these at Flite Fest and they are AWESOME! Do you have plans for the V-tail version? Also could you please add the scale so I can make sure I printed them out the right size (1" graphic thingy)

 

[FlyOHSkies]

Great design! I saw Luke and Mike flying these at Flite Fest and they are AWESOME! Do you have plans for the V-tail version? Also could you please add the scale so I can make sure I printed them out the right size (1" graphic thingy)

Thanks! They are a blast to watch and fly. I'll see if John Becker can add the scale to the plans. It should be the same size as the original Tiny Trainer plans designed by Josh Bixler. The v-tail version is just a drop in from the FT Sparrow tail. Fill in (or do not cut) the cutout for the horizontal stabilizer, and then cut the top of the fuselage short for the v-tail to drop in. I usually cut about 1cm off the top of the rear fuselage sidewalls so the v-tail can sit down a bit. Bevel those edges down and inwards for support of the tail. It is a bit trimming and fitting to ensure the v-tail is close to the correct incidence angle to the fuselage and wing. I do the same sort of carbon flat stock support on the v-tail as the standard tail. Don't forget the secret sauce of the Master Airscrew 5x4.5 BN Series bullnose propellers. That is the key to the speed and sound of those birds, or any other FT mini series planes for that matter. Mike's (I built it for Josh as a mashup of his designs but now Mike won't give it back, lol) just has the FT Radial F motor and FT 40a esc, and Emax 12g metal gear servos.

-Tim Simons

 

[johnbecker31]

johnbecker31 updated Modded Tiny Trainer (High Performance - by Tim Simons) with a new update entry:

Adding Scale to Each Page

I added a scale to each page of the plan

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[SP0NZ]

I'm working up FT style plans for both the conventional tail and v-tail versions. Using @johnbecker31 plans as a base and working with @FlyOHSkies to fill in the rest of the details for both models. I will be sending the files to @johnbecker31 to update the plans here to keep all the info for these builds in one place.

 

[johnbecker31]

johnbecker31 updated Modded Tiny Trainer (High Performance - by Tim Simons) with a new update entry:

Modded Tiny Trainer (High Performance - by Tim Simons)

Sponz has been kind enough to provide a updated plans, as well as a v-tail. Tiles plans are included. Thanks!

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[SP0NZ]

The new plans are available now!

Thanks for the great mods @FlyOHSkies!

@johnbecker31 thanks for creating the initial plans. They definitely helped with the creation of the 1.5 plans and the new v-tail plans.

@FlyOHSkies and @FlyingTyger thanks for reviewing the plans and providing valuable feedback to get these plans ready for everyone else to enjoy. Looking forward to tearing up the Ohio night sky with these soon!

 

[tomlogan1]

Very cool to have a "bad boy" plane with a Flite Test foundation. It's on the build list.

 

[LitterBug]

I wonder what would happen if I put BOTH wings on the FT TT at the same time and made it a bi...... May have to dothis at FF'24

 

[johnbecker31]

johnbecker31 updated Modded Tiny Trainer (High Performance - by Tim Simons) with a new update entry:

Modded Tiny Trainer (High Performance - by Tim Simons)

Adjustments to several parts to create a better fit.

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[kingfieldbill]

I watched a young man fly one of these at night at FF last week and it was amazing And while I will fully admit that my flying skills are miles from his, i am a fairly good builder so im going to give it a shot. One question when I was going through the materials needed. I didn't realize that windcatcher rc has flat carbon in multiple thicknesses. What would the suggested thickness be for this? In the past i've used 1mm but now I see that have 0.8, 0.6, etc. thanks.

 

[FlyOHSkies]

I watched a young man fly one of these at night at FF last week and it was amazing And while I will fully admit that my flying skills are miles from his, i am a fairly good builder so im going to give it a shot. One question when I was going through the materials needed. I didn't realize that windcatcher rc has flat carbon in multiple thicknesses. What would the suggested thickness be for this? In the past i've used 1mm but now I see that have 0.8, 0.6, etc. thanks.

Thanks for the kind words and enjoying the flights of these amazing lit birds. I went back and revised the parts list to clarify, so thank you for pointing that out. I definitely use 4mm x 1mm for stiffening all tail surfaces of any versions and models. For the fuselage and wingtips I usually use 3mm x .8mm, unless I'm building a crazy speed plane or for an abusive pilot, then I may step up to the 1mm thick flat stock, or even use the 4mm x 1mm. That is definitely overkill though. They fly better heavy, so I don't shy away from lots of hot glue and wrap the whole plane in Scotch Heavy Duty packing tape. I always have to add some tire weights up inside the power pod for balance, regardless of battery size chosen. Curious, did you get to see and inspect a build up close, or just enjoy from afar? Which color(s) did you watch fly?

-Tim

 

[kingfieldbill]

Thanks for the kind words and enjoying the flights of these amazing lit birds. I went back and revised the parts list to clarify, so thank you for pointing that out. I definitely use 4mm x 1mm for stiffening all tail surfaces of any versions and models. For the fuselage and wingtips I usually use 3mm x .8mm, unless I'm building a crazy speed plane or for an abusive pilot, then I may step up to the 1mm thick flat stock, or even use the 4mm x 1mm. That is definitely overkill though. They fly better heavy, so I don't shy away from lots of hot glue and wrap the whole plane in Scotch Heavy Duty packing tape. I always have to add some tire weights up inside the power pod for balance, regardless of battery size chosen. Curious, did you get to see and inspect a build up close, or just enjoy from afar? Which color(s) did you watch fly?

-Tim

Thanks for clarifying. I saw the plane when they were leaving but it was dark so i didn't get a real good look at it. The lights were blue. If my build works well, i think i may try to make one with removeable tail feathers so it would fit in a pretty small box for travel.

 

[FlyOHSkies]

Thanks for clarifying. I saw the plane when they were leaving but it was dark so i didn't get a real good look at it. The lights were blue. If my build works well, i think i may try to make one with removeable tail feathers so it would fit in a pretty small box for travel.

Gotcha. That wasn't my build then, but another community member's. Blue LEDs are the hardest to see at night, and get kind of "mushy" looking on their own, but are good to mix with other colors. I have done plenty of blue leading edge and red trailing edge builds. It is great to see other builds from the community, and I'm looking forward to seeing your version and modifications. Build, fly, and share on!