Help! More slow flying planes.

[baronbernie]

There are more and more outstanding plans and planes designed by the flite test staff. In the beginning Flite Test created a few planes that flew a bit slower in speed. For example the Old Fogey and the Old Speedster. The plane was large in size and had a motor that kept it flying gentle enough for the beginner. When will the staff come up with another easy flying plane like the Fogey and Speedster?

 

[jaredstrees]

Try the storch (older), simple scout or simple cub. Those planes should all be slow flight capable.

 

[BS projects inc.]

The simple soarer is probably the slowest flying plane they have. Or if you want to fly a nutball at high alpha but I know its not the same.

 

[ThatsALotOfPlanes]

I agree with you baronbernie, I wish FT would take a little break from making more and more complicated planes every once in a while

 

[Hai-Lee]

Most FT designs are capable of slow flight and some are close to being able to hover in a slight breeze. The real issue is that people build a design and then the "Tim (The tool man) syndrome" takes over and they start asking about larger batteries and more powerful motors. This is OK but more weight means flying faster!

I use a heavier version FB and so I build with weight always in mind, but my recent simple cub can take off in under a metre and land with a 3 metre roll out., I use only a 1300 3S and a SF prop. My cub has not had flaps fitted! If you want a slow flyer build the plane as light as possible fit a SF prop and keep the motor and battery sizes as small as is possible. You will be surprised at the slow speed properties of many of the FT designs!

Just my experience!

Have fun!

 

[CapnBry]

My field is fairly small and I am a terrible terrible pilot so I'm always looking for something slow. One thing I have been doing on a lot of builds is making the wing bigger (which is the opposite of reducing weight). Most of the designs are straight forward to modify in this way by just extending the wing root with a couple straight lines. I try to be conscious of servo wire lengths when doing it, which sets how much the wing can be extended. My Tiny Trainer sport wing has a 20% wider wingspan which drops the stall speed by about 10% which then means a lower pitch prop and/or slower motor can be used. Peeling the paper off inside the wings can offset the weight added by the extra wingspan, although that is a protip for any build that already has a decently sturdy wing. Keep the paper on the control surfaces though. My FT Goblin has a 10% increased wingspan and ended up within 1g of the default build!

I'm always shocked putting these things together though. "Let's see, the completed airframe weighs in at 150g, this is going to be so light!" then I put all the servos and electronics in and I'm over 350g again. It is amazing how fast everything adds up. I've ordered some 5g servos and a micro receiver for my future builds which alone will drop 25g from a normal 4ch build.

@Hai-Lee what's your go-to motor and prop for that lightweight slow fly configuration? I've been looking to expand my motor collection with a lower KV model and trying to find a good combination in eCalc is pretty tough.

 

[Hai-Lee]

On my minis TT and the like I use a 2205c 1400kV swinging up to a 9x5, (normally either a 6x4 or a 7x6 depending on the performance requirements.

On my Simple cub I use a 2812 1534kV swing a 9x5 prop.

using a lower KV prop with a large balde SF prop gives plenty of low down thrust and a much reduced tendency to swing wildly due to "P" factor" or "Torque Roll".

Just what works for me!

Have fun!

 

[CapnBry]

Awesome, thanks for the details man! Still slowly wrapping my head around understanding all the motor sizing and it really helps to have some known setups.