My first three Trainer Builds - AND Modifications, because I'm not normal!!

[PoorManRC]

Hi Friends!!
This will chronicle my first three FT Trainers..... The FIRST 3 RC Aircraft I've ever Built!!!
I'm hoping that this might help other New People. Calm their Nerves, get some of you to stop procrastinating, don't worry - and GET TO WORK and start having FUN!!

ONE - a Generous Gift. A FT Mini Speedster, 90% Built! I'm just making minor Mods.... Cosmetic, she could surely Fly without them.
All I've done so far, is made a bottom Panel, because I just didn't like the Open bottom of the Fuse! It was Designed that way.

TWO - Another Generous Gift!! A FT Mini Scout, Laser Cut, not built. I'll really be experimenting with THAT one!!

And the THIRD - Yet ANOTHER Generous Gift!! A FT Tiny Trainer, drawn on Foam Board, only cut about 15-20% (NOT a deception!! I had FULL disclosure of the defective Laser Cutter).
Besides, it WAS A GIFT. Anyone who'd complain about that, deserves a special area, of a deserted HELL!!

The TT taught me.... that I SUCK at cutting Score Cuts, for Folds and Trenches!!!!
YOUR Mileage of course, may vary with Blade Control. I have pretty serious Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis in my Fingers, among other parts. My Gorilla Digits aren't up to that task.

I used old Blades, Ground the Tips across the Concrete Floor, Filed the Tips...... STILL sliced and cut OFF the Paper on the other side, where they are supposed to provide support or cover, to adjoining pieces.

IF you should have any similar problems, starting on this incredible Journey.... Don't Quit!! What I did, was watch FT's Many Videos and Great Articles and Blogs on the FliteTest Website....
What I came up with, through the amazing Group here, was use an old Gift Card... An Expired Credit Card will work just as well!

What it does for you, is allow you to slice through the Foam, clean to the bottom Paper. And unless you REALLY press into it, hard enough to score the Table underneath, it WON'T Cut the Paper!!!
Somehow the plastic edge of the Card is JUST sharp enough to slice through the Foam, but glides across the Paper!

What you will learn over time, is that there are several ways to do nearly everything with these. Find the best way for YOU. The ways that are the most comfortable, TO YOU!!

This won't all be pretty, but you'll get the straight Story from me! Hope you guys enjoy!!

Carmine

 

[PoorManRC]

The Tiny Trainer......

Here's where I started... Cutting pieces out with what I thought was a DULL enough Blade. I was VERY wrong!!
This is the Tiny Trainer. It IS a Challenge, most of it being the failed cuts - and NONE of the "A Fold" or "B Fold" diagrams are marked anywhere on any of the Foam Sheets......

That is going to be my Challenge! Fortunately, my Friend's Laser Cutter is fixed now....
This will be an advantage to Me, and would make a great learning challenge for YOU!

I went back to the Build Video for the Tiny Trainer, and saw EXACTLY what folded where, and how!! Accidentally, my Friend HELPED Me!

The first steps of taking the Dive, and modifying a perfectly good Kit!!
I decided that ALL of my Foam Edges are going to be, Bevelled, Rounded, and Sanded smooth...... Do I think it will make ANY Aerodynamic improvement?? NO!! Of course not! Do I think it will make any Performance or Speed improvement?? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! NOT on something this light and slow....

I'm simply OCD, and all those squared Edges REALLY have bugged me from Day One. Especially with the Laser burned undercuts!
Now, looking at the VStab above, that was not the standard I was looking for. So it became the first of what will likely be MANY practice pieces!!

So..... I got more audacious! I decided to REDESIGN the VStab!!

It seems that quite a few people think that the TT needs more Tail... (Well.... who DOESN'T!!!)
So, with my incomplete education in Aerodynamics, I Designed one!!
Taller, and with a Ventral Fin. There's no cut for the Rudder - YET. I MAY have to do some Maths (UGH!!). I'll try to figure out HOW much Rudder I'm going to need......

And so far, I'm figuring that if I do Ailerons, I'll need less Rudder area.

 

[PoorManRC]

(Reserved for Mini Scout)

 

[PoorManRC]

(Reserved for hopefully Video!!)

 

[buzzbomb]

Thank you for the thread. You know I'm not much actual help, just emotional, but you are doing IT! You've absolutely nothing free to spare for a hobby, but you are doing it anyway. I sincerely hope that while you're working, your mind is focused enough on the task, to take it off other things. That's why I got into the hobby. My motorcycle accident was too close a call, I wasn't getting another bike so I turned to FPV quads, and now foamboard planes. Stress relief.

I've an idea for your arthritis that may or may not work. Use the inevitable foamboard scraps and some hotglue to increase the size of the holding surfaces on your tools. Your "Gorilla fingers" won't have to constrict as much to hold the tool. You could even stack strips of the stuff on top of each other and make really big handles.

 

[Alexander Carter]

Great job, Carmine! That's good advice using old gift cards for scoring foam. I had trouble with cutting all the way through on my first few scores as well. I found if I only cut the first layer of paper on my first pass I could be more gentle with the foam on the second pass without hitting that second layer of paper.

 

[PoorManRC]

Thank you for the thread. You know I'm not much actual help, just emotional, but you are doing IT! You've absolutely nothing free to spare for a hobby, but you are doing it anyway. I sincerely hope that while you're working, your mind is focused enough on the task, to take it off other things. That's why I got into the hobby. My motorcycle accident was too close a call, I wasn't getting another bike so I turned to FPV quads, and now foamboard planes. Stress relief.

I've an idea for your arthritis that may or may not work. Use the inevitable foamboard scraps and some hotglue to increase the size of the holding surfaces on your tools. Your "Gorilla fingers" won't have to constrict as much to hold the tool. You could even stack strips of the stuff on top of each other and make really big handles.

Do NOT sell yourself short, Friend!! Support is Support - no matter what form it might be! I appreciate ALL of it!!!

There's NOTHING like a Hobby, for staving off insanity. Keeps your Mind sharp.... or at least Working.

You're absolutely right. I've got nothing to Spare, except experience. I've ONLY been able to get this far, because of the Good Hearted People in this Forum!!! The Generosity has been invaluable.
The Amazing People here are stepping up in another way as well. We're not there yet, but what started out as a hopeless situation, MIGHT end up as a Miracle!!

We're NOW within $230.00 of keeping a Roof over our heads!!
It was beyond embarrassing to even ASK, but some of you who could, helped. I'm speechless.

Thanks for that suggestion! I'm actually going to try wrapping some of my Tools.

@Alexander Carter - THANK YOU!! The reason why the Gift Card works for me, is more about me losing a little control of how hard I push the Blade into the Foam. For score cutting, I'll probably continue using it...... it's basically FOOLPROOF!!
As long as the top of the Paper is cut, the Card will safely cut through the Foam, leaving the bottom Paper intact!!

I've received many great ideas in my short time here, tat one may top the list, for anyone lacking the motor control, to not push too hard.
Once or twice - even if I adjusted the Box Cutter to the perfect depth, I would still end up bearing down, wrinkling the Foam, and cutting through the bottom......

LOOK how clean I cut the channels on the Mini Scout Fuse....
This was my third time Ever making cuts like this. Thanks to the Gift Card, the scrap Foam simply rolled right out, in ONE Piece, just like Bixler's in his Videos!!!

~ Carmine

 

[kilroy07]

Saving the Storch for later then?

Sorry about the markings, the tube was barely firing.
Good news is that's it's up and running after I installed the replacement tube this week (see I told ya I was going to be busy this week.)
So all future kits will be MUCH better!

Good to see things are coming along and that you found something that works great for you!
(that's what I like, you get a ton of suggestions... one will turn out to be a perfect fit for YOU.)

Keep us posted, can't wait to see your maiden vid!

 

[PoorManRC]

Saving the Storch for later then?

Sorry about the markings, the tube was barely firing.
Good news is that's it's up and running after I installed the replacement tube this week (see I told ya I was going to be busy this week.)
So all future kits will be MUCH better!

Good to see things are coming along and that you found something that works great for you!
(that's what I like, you get a ton of suggestions... one will turn out to be a perfect fit for YOU.)

Keep us posted, can't wait to see your maiden vid!

Tim - NO NEED to apologize!! Some people might have had a problem..... For me, it added Challenge, and required problem solving skills. It FORCED me to inevitably find the Gift Card idea, which SOLVED a deficiency that I had.

YOU Sir, helped me! You helped dust the cobwebs out of my Brain, from being Sedintary for way too long!
Yeah, I'm going to have to try recutting a whole new Fuse for the TT.... I made a real MESS out of it!!

Sadly "Lady Denise", my Storch project, is being put off. I realized that my skills need honing First. This one NEEDS to look good. It means too much to me.
She's getting a few changes, as you know.
* I want a distinctive Wing Tip shape, now that I've determined that the maximum Wingspan needs to be 1390mm....
* I Need a Legacy HStab made for me. I want the extra size, and the Airfoil, instead of a flat plane.
* I believe I have just enough 3/32" Plywood, to make a special Box for the Nose Gear Assembly.
* I'm still debating whether or not to do even a rudimentary Interior.... EVERY RC Truck and Buggy I have, has a full Interior.
I realize that weight is a critical issue.

At any rate, I am sorry. This, to me is too important to rush. Hell, I can't even cut Foam right yet!!

Any chance I could get another TT Fuse....

I definitely appreciate all the Suggestions! It helped, BECAUSE I had ideas to CHOOSE from, and found some that worked great.

 

[donalson]

I found the score cuts i frequently would push too hard and make little slices in the paper... easy fix with a bit of tape... but rather not need to fix so I also use gift cards to open them up... even then as they ware if I push too hard they'll cut though the paper... credit cards would be better I think because the gift cards are so thin and melt at the edge with a little time... no biggie as I have a big stack of them that I get from work when customers are done with them...

 

[PoorManRC]

I found the score cuts i frequently would push too hard and make little slices in the paper... easy fix with a bit of tape... but rather not need to fix so I also use gift cards to open them up... even then as they ware if I push too hard they'll cut though the paper... credit cards would be better I think because the gift cards are so thin and melt at the edge with a little time... no biggie as I have a big stack of them that I get from work when customers are done with them...

Since I just had a Credit Card expire, I'll try that!

 

[donalson]

I hold onto all the gift cards, old IDs, and CCs I get... the gift cards also make great supports for where the bbq skewers go... drill hole to the right size of the skewer and cut to size... score with a blade and glue on... i slip the skewer though while doing it to make sure it is properly lined up.

 

[PoorManRC]

I've heard of the Skewer Support trick, and plan on using it....
Even though I don't completely trust the Skewers strength, and will be using 5/32" Basswood Rod - because I already have a bag of them!
But I'll definitely be using the Gift Cards.

 

[Hai-Lee]

Just remember that the forces encountered in a crash MUST be dissipated somewhere. If you make the plane and FB indestructible then something must take the energy, (Sadly it is often the motor, motor shaft, and/or the battery pack).
Keeping everything weak as designed has saved me a small fortune over the years and when I was reinforcing everything I was forever buying new motors or replacement motor shafts, (and lots of propellers of course).

have fun!

 

[Alexander Carter]

Thanks @Hai-Lee, I'm glad I read that before I built any tractor style aircraft. I'm a Nazi about rigidity in anything I build so I definitely would have made that mistake.

@PoorManRC, I never would have thought to make an interior for an RC model. I'll have to try that someday.

 

[donalson]

I've heard of the Skewer Support trick, and plan on using it....
Even though I don't completely trust the Skewers strength, and will be using 5/32" Basswood Rod - because I already have a bag of them!
But I'll definitely be using the Gift Cards.

I use wood chopsticks on some of my planes... depends on what it's for...

 

[PoorManRC]

@Hai-Lee - I want the rubber bands to break, not the Wing Supports.
I'm not going to be building like Boeing!! I hope I didn't give that impression....
I plan on having "crumple zones"!!

@Alexander Carter -

It's just dawned on me that NOBODY here has ever seen my Modeling skills.....
Just a bunch of talk!!!
...... So, here's a couple of my 1:10 Scale Crawler Builds.

 

[PoorManRC]

I use wood chopsticks on some of my planes... depends on what it's for...

CHOPSTICKS!!! My Idiot-In-Law works in a Chinese Restaurant....
I'll get him to get me some Chopsticks!

 

[Alexander Carter]

Wow! @PoorManRC, that adds a whole new flare!

 

[kilroy07]

Any chance I could get another TT Fuse....

You becha, it'll have to wait a couple weeks... (not sure if I told ya, we're doing the Dave Ramsey thing... so I have an "allowance" now for my "toys"... This past pay period went towards the replacement laser tube... remind me around the 15th and I'll get another sent out.

In the mean time (after you get these three flying) go ahead with the storch.
I'll cut you another one of those too (I think it was only 4 sheets, right?)
I never consider my first build a "Keeper" anyway, and I can always cut you another one to customize as you want.