redbarton
Active member
To introduce myself, I'm a new flyer that stumbled on some FliteTest youtube videos late in the Summer of 2019. They were in the play list with the Peter Sripol videos I was watching at the time. The accessibility of DFTB, low cost, and ease of construction really impressed me. I'd always wanted to fly RC planes, but felt intimidated by the high cost of other build options and equipment.
A few years earlier, I had built a slow stick with a friend's help. However, I choose to take it out in the wind and that didn't go so well. The motor shaft was destroyed. I was also racing RC cars at the time. (I've raced everything from off-road short course trucks to 4WD sedans on pavement to 12th scale pan cars on carpet.) So, I hung up the Slow Stick to collect dust. (I'm in the process of restoring it currently. It'll get flown soon!)
I ordered a Simple Cub in the Fall and put it together with 3 channels. Yet, being a new pilot with very little experience, I was hesitant to get it into the air. So, I opted to scratch build the FT Flyer next. The maiden didn't go so well and I spiked it right into the ground. I rebuilt the power pod, watched a bunch of beginner videos, spent many hours on simulators, and successfully flew the Flyer a short while later. I have successfully flown it for many packs now, including some windy flights. It glides pretty well, going into the wind. Based on this, a glider is definitely on the horizon for me.
I kept putting off the maiden of the Simple Cub. However, I finally went for it and had a successful flight, albeit with a few little tumbles and some minor rebuilds. About the time I was starting to get pretty comfortable with the Cub, it began to snow and I haven't been able to fly since.
To keep up the momentum, I decided to design my first plane during the holiday season. I spent hours watching youtube and scouring the net for instructions on how to use Sketchup for airplane design. I found the info was often fragmented and incomplete. I'd hadn't used a CAD program since high school and really enjoyed the challenge. One of these days, I might post a thread on this process to help others out. In short, I can now:
I'm many, many hours into the design of it now and have printable plans. The first prototype is about 90% complete. It's still a work in progress. Here are some pics of what I have so far:
These are some of the features:
On a side note, I have also scratch built an FT22 (minus electronics) and an FT Mini scout just needing the servos, ESC & receiver installed.
Stay tuned...
A few years earlier, I had built a slow stick with a friend's help. However, I choose to take it out in the wind and that didn't go so well. The motor shaft was destroyed. I was also racing RC cars at the time. (I've raced everything from off-road short course trucks to 4WD sedans on pavement to 12th scale pan cars on carpet.) So, I hung up the Slow Stick to collect dust. (I'm in the process of restoring it currently. It'll get flown soon!)
I ordered a Simple Cub in the Fall and put it together with 3 channels. Yet, being a new pilot with very little experience, I was hesitant to get it into the air. So, I opted to scratch build the FT Flyer next. The maiden didn't go so well and I spiked it right into the ground. I rebuilt the power pod, watched a bunch of beginner videos, spent many hours on simulators, and successfully flew the Flyer a short while later. I have successfully flown it for many packs now, including some windy flights. It glides pretty well, going into the wind. Based on this, a glider is definitely on the horizon for me.
I kept putting off the maiden of the Simple Cub. However, I finally went for it and had a successful flight, albeit with a few little tumbles and some minor rebuilds. About the time I was starting to get pretty comfortable with the Cub, it began to snow and I haven't been able to fly since.
To keep up the momentum, I decided to design my first plane during the holiday season. I spent hours watching youtube and scouring the net for instructions on how to use Sketchup for airplane design. I found the info was often fragmented and incomplete. I'd hadn't used a CAD program since high school and really enjoyed the challenge. One of these days, I might post a thread on this process to help others out. In short, I can now:
- Design in Sketchup (2017 Make version)
- Use the Flattery plugin to flatten the 3D model and create an SVG file for the plans
- Convert the SVG to PDF in Inkscape
- Print the tiled plans using Adobe Acrobat Reader
I'm many, many hours into the design of it now and have printable plans. The first prototype is about 90% complete. It's still a work in progress. Here are some pics of what I have so far:
These are some of the features:
- Prop (up to 8") & Slot (EDF to come later)
- Removable nose
- Interchangeable wing for testing of different wings
- FT pod swappable (for now)
- About 300 grams without the pod or electronics
- Simplify the design to make the build easier (the nose is a PITA!)
- Add other cosmetic elements (cockpit details, full paint scheme, etc.)
- Create multiple wings to test performance
- Add bomb drop option
- Release final plans
On a side note, I have also scratch built an FT22 (minus electronics) and an FT Mini scout just needing the servos, ESC & receiver installed.
Stay tuned...
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