So I've been enjoying flying wings since 1999 when I had one shipped to my hotel at a trade show in Vegas. Im not a gambler and a week in a hotel for me isn't about the town or even the theatres, but what to build on that second bed! I built a Zagi 400 and Chip Hyde even flew/signed it at the TOC the following weekend. It paid to plan my show attendance dates accordingly.
So my FT wing experiences have been great too. My son and I enjoy our Mini Arrows, but only a few plops in our less than groomed high grass and the noses collapsed far too easy. For us the whole fun of wings is fly where you are.
To some extent, the nose crush problems on all Dollar Treem Foam fliers could be minimized with what I term "an ejecto-chute" a block of EPP under the battery with a 45 angling cut in front of the battery attached ONLY with flat velcro-no strap. in the event of an abrupt stop, the velcro releases. There is a science to this..less velcro can be more..and the mass of the battery contributes less...to the shattering of the foam nose. In truth, my EPP Zagi nose is still intact on retape # infinity... Note that experience taught me to tether my ESC wires back with zip ties so the shock of separation doesn't rip the wires out of the ESC. Castle Creations stock investment- a good idea..
So I started recently to think about how to improved mini arrow/Kraken durability.
About a year ago I visited a sign shop and walked out with a 4x8 sheet of 2mm Coroplast fluted vinyl sign sheeting. "$20 left over, you bet I'll buy it"....Then, It languished in a corner, my wife even used it as a blotter when staining a table...But with the cold blast in the midwest this past week I broke out my Kraken plans. With the landing gear the Kraken isn't so vulnerable, but I've had sooo many small wings, Zagi Razor, Arrows etc, and hey, I have enough material for a Kraken right? Weight savings is not a big priority with this design. I slope soar too, the Big M hill in Platteville WI is visible from my yard-so a huge "mother ship" for sloping has always been on my short wish list, not to be confused with my tall wish list. I'm short so that's nonexistent.
A few build details:
The corroplast to foamboard bond on the spar box is fiercely strong. I wiped the corro with laquer thinner to clean off release agents etc.
I added a couple lengther of carbon fiber. a ridgid tube on the leading edge to add vertical dimension to the leading edge of the air foil, and some added but seemingly unnecessary rigidity.
I plan to slope with this so I added a square carbon fiber tube that spans and ties to the foam core box spar. I didn't want to discover after folding that the corroplast would permit a flexy spine. This triangulating spar did the trick.
Servos. Kudos to Bixler, but 9gram servos even metal gear versions just aren't my speed..literally. All my other wings struggle to get the C/G forward, but with the tractor motors that's just not going to be an issue here. I opted for standard sized MG servos installed on their sides.
So that's my build progress report. My wiring harness is done...Man buy that $9 power harness from FT my soldering iron got a major work out heating 13g wires. Honk on those connections to be sure they are not "cold soldered
For sloping it occurs to me I can remove the swappable pods...it might be worth the extra effort to attach my landing gear with brackets just so I can plop this one in the grass to prove my point about having built a more durable nose.
Cheers!
PS Flite Fest 2018 was a highlight of my family's year. We spent a week at Air Venture, I earned my PP in 2018, but Flite Fest in OH despite the heat was a great memory. Thanks all.
So my FT wing experiences have been great too. My son and I enjoy our Mini Arrows, but only a few plops in our less than groomed high grass and the noses collapsed far too easy. For us the whole fun of wings is fly where you are.
To some extent, the nose crush problems on all Dollar Treem Foam fliers could be minimized with what I term "an ejecto-chute" a block of EPP under the battery with a 45 angling cut in front of the battery attached ONLY with flat velcro-no strap. in the event of an abrupt stop, the velcro releases. There is a science to this..less velcro can be more..and the mass of the battery contributes less...to the shattering of the foam nose. In truth, my EPP Zagi nose is still intact on retape # infinity... Note that experience taught me to tether my ESC wires back with zip ties so the shock of separation doesn't rip the wires out of the ESC. Castle Creations stock investment- a good idea..
So I started recently to think about how to improved mini arrow/Kraken durability.
About a year ago I visited a sign shop and walked out with a 4x8 sheet of 2mm Coroplast fluted vinyl sign sheeting. "$20 left over, you bet I'll buy it"....Then, It languished in a corner, my wife even used it as a blotter when staining a table...But with the cold blast in the midwest this past week I broke out my Kraken plans. With the landing gear the Kraken isn't so vulnerable, but I've had sooo many small wings, Zagi Razor, Arrows etc, and hey, I have enough material for a Kraken right? Weight savings is not a big priority with this design. I slope soar too, the Big M hill in Platteville WI is visible from my yard-so a huge "mother ship" for sloping has always been on my short wish list, not to be confused with my tall wish list. I'm short so that's nonexistent.
A few build details:
The corroplast to foamboard bond on the spar box is fiercely strong. I wiped the corro with laquer thinner to clean off release agents etc.
I added a couple lengther of carbon fiber. a ridgid tube on the leading edge to add vertical dimension to the leading edge of the air foil, and some added but seemingly unnecessary rigidity.
I plan to slope with this so I added a square carbon fiber tube that spans and ties to the foam core box spar. I didn't want to discover after folding that the corroplast would permit a flexy spine. This triangulating spar did the trick.
Servos. Kudos to Bixler, but 9gram servos even metal gear versions just aren't my speed..literally. All my other wings struggle to get the C/G forward, but with the tractor motors that's just not going to be an issue here. I opted for standard sized MG servos installed on their sides.
So that's my build progress report. My wiring harness is done...Man buy that $9 power harness from FT my soldering iron got a major work out heating 13g wires. Honk on those connections to be sure they are not "cold soldered
For sloping it occurs to me I can remove the swappable pods...it might be worth the extra effort to attach my landing gear with brackets just so I can plop this one in the grass to prove my point about having built a more durable nose.
Cheers!
PS Flite Fest 2018 was a highlight of my family's year. We spent a week at Air Venture, I earned my PP in 2018, but Flite Fest in OH despite the heat was a great memory. Thanks all.
