Schoolgirl biplane DT foam board maiden flight

[elias da silva]

Qual o tamanho da asa deste avião e a sua fuselagem? Obrigado

 

[TooJung2Die]

Perfeito TooJung2Die! Quero fazer este avião. Ficou perfeito. Obrigado por compartilhar. Me desculpe, sou novo aqui mas já acompanho a Flite test a algum tempo e já fiz vários modelos. Sou do Brasil, por isso estou falando em português, espero que não se importem.

Perfect TooJung2Die! I want to make this plane. It is perfect. Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry, I'm new here but I've been following the Flite test for some time and I've made several models. I'm from Brazil, so I'm speaking Portuguese, I hope you do not mind.

Não sou fluente em português. Ainda bem que existe o Google Translate.
Estou feliz por gostar do avião. Tem sido muito confiável e fácil de voar. Um dos poucos aviões que não foi aposentado por causa de um acidente. Boa sorte com a construção e voar a "Schoolgirl". Espero que você compartilhe os resultados de sua construção conosco.

É ótimo ver que Flite Test está ajudando a compartilhar este hobby com o mundo inteiro.

I'm not fluent in Portuguese. Good thing there is Google Translate.
I'm happy you like the airplane. It has been very reliable and easy to fly. One of the few airplanes that wasn't retired because of a crash. Good luck with building and flying the "Schoolgirl". I hope you share the results of your build with us.

It is great to see that Flite Test is helping to share this hobby with the whole world.
Jon

 

[TooJung2Die]

Qual o tamanho da asa deste avião e a sua fuselagem? Obrigado

The top wing is 81cm and the fuselage is 68cm.
Jon

 

[kacknor]

Wow. A year and a half ago, and I never did build this. I just re-downloaded the plans and as I looked at them realized I did go as far as re-working the plans for printing. Not sure what happened but it never was built.

Going to have to change that.

JD

 

[TooJung2Die]

A year to the day since I posted the maiden flight. The Schoolgirl flew many times and never had a bad landing. It was with a tear in my eye I cannibalized the airframe for motor and electronics to build something new. There will have to be another 'girl in the hanger before long. I miss her.
Jon

 

[elias da silva]

Hello TooJung2Die! Thanks for the answer. I was very glad you answered me. Now I'm going to use google translator to talk to you, I think it will be better for everyone here, right? Once I've built the Schoolgirl, I'll post the results here. Thanks again.

 

[kacknor]

A year to the day since I posted the maiden flight. The Schoolgirl flew many times and never had a bad landing. It was with a tear in my eye I cannibalized the airframe for motor and electronics to build something new. There will have to be another 'girl in the hanger before long. I miss her.
Jon

I've been reviewing the thread and still not sure why I didn't build. But I did find the plans I worked and the skin I made, and I'm pretty sure where they are stored here on another computer.

I think I can squeeze this in this build season. I've got a Sea Duck half built, waiting on replacement ESC's, I tossed together a profile Eindecker WWI fighter from a plan in the current AMA Park Pilot magazine and I was gifted something called a HBlue-O for assembling a Polaris Mini for a friend. Time I got. I'm more and more retired every day.

JD

 

[elias da silva]

The top wing is 81cm and the fuselage is 68cm.
Jon

Hello TooJung2Die! Thank you again. I put the plants in the corel draw and I saw that they were these measures and I wanted to confirm with you. You said you used a 1806 motor with a 6x4 helix. I had no idea that this engine would be capable of pulling an airplane of this size. Here in Brazil, there is not the slight depron that you have. The depron here is very dense and a bit heavy. I'll try to make it with 2mm depron. I have 1804, 1806 and emax 2204 engines that are much stronger, I should use this 2204.

 

[TooJung2Die]

Hello TooJung2Die! Thank you again. I put the plants in the corel draw and I saw that they were these measures and I wanted to confirm with you. You said you used a 1806 motor with a 6x4 helix. I had no idea that this engine would be capable of pulling an airplane of this size. Here in Brazil, there is not the slight depron that you have. The depron here is very dense and a bit heavy. I'll try to make it with 2mm depron. I have 1804, 1806 and emax 2204 engines that are much stronger, I should use this 2204.

1806 is probably as small a motor as you would want in the Schoolgirl. It'll fly and it'll loop with an 1806 2300KV but a 2204 is probably a better choice. Better to have more thrust than necessary and not use it. Here's proof that it flies nice with just an 1806 and a 3s battery:

Jon

 

[kacknor]

The 1806 is a good motor. More power than it seems. But... A 2204 is my choice also. Then again, I have two unused 24 gram motors here. 6" APC on a 2404 or a 8 inch slow-fly on the 24 gram? Who knows? Don't need to worry about it until I am at the point of putting a motor on the firewall! lol

JD

 

[elias da silva]

1806 is probably as small a motor as you would want in the Schoolgirl. It'll fly and it'll loop with an 1806 2300KV but a 2204 is probably a better choice. Better to have more thrust than necessary and not use it. Here's proof that it flies nice with just an 1806 and a 3s battery:

Jon

It was this video that brought me to you. I was really impressed with the beautiful flight and speed with a small engine. But I did not think the airplane was 80 cm wing. He looked smaller in the video. I'll try both engines: The 1806 and then the 2204. The 1806 engine should save battery.

 

[elias da silva]

This Schoolgirl is the second balsa airplane I built as a boy that I recently converted to DT foam board construction. The balsa wood original was a Top Flite kit designed by Ken Willard in the 1960's. I couldn't afford the radio control back then so the airplane became a ceiling ornament for many years. It's a 3 channel design, rudder, elevator and throttle.

I didn't know if the maiden flight was going to be ten seconds or ten minutes. I almost didn't record it. Thankfully it flies very well. It didn't need any major adjustment to the flight trim after the first flight though I did reduce the elevator throw a bit. I was concerned because the vertical stabilizer and rudder looked too small to me. No problem, it tracks and turns just fine.

It was pretty windy today, breezier conditions than I like for a maiden flight and it handled the wind very well. Landing into the wind resulted in a feather light touch down. I can't wait for a calm day to see how slow she can go. It has a lot of wing area and a thick airfoil.

Now that it has proved to be a good flier it will get some decoration and color. The landing gear is heavy duty and the tires are oversize because of the rocky dirt flying field. I kinda like the look.

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If the video gets boring jump ahead to 7:30 for a few loops and don't miss the landing.

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Jon

I need to learn how to make these drawings with tape. How do you cut these tapes diagonally?

 

[TooJung2Die]

I need to learn how to make these drawings with tape. How do you cut these tapes diagonally?

Your question did not translate well. Are you asking how to print the plans and tape the pages together to make a full size plan? Maybe this will explain it.

http://flitetest.com/articles/how_to_print_plans_in_tiled_format

 

[Craftydan]

Jon,

Dunno if it's all the Chinglish I've read, but I've gotten decent at reading "retranslated".

I think he was referring to your "paint" scheme, and how you cut/applied the vinyl to the wings.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind reading a few details about your technique as well.

 

[elias da silva]

Jon,

Dunno if it's all the Chinglish I've read, but I've gotten decent at reading "retranslated".

I think he was referring to your "paint" scheme, and how you cut/applied the vinyl to the wings.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind reading a few details about your technique as well.

Exactly Craftydan! Thank you very much. I'm sorry, guys, I'm using google translator to talk to you guys. I want to know how to draw with tape on the plane just like yours. I use colored tape. But diagonal drawings are more difficult.

 

[elias da silva]

I've already printed the plants and I'm going to start doing schoolgirl this week. I'm eager to fly him. I'll do with 2mm depron. And I also wondered if a 23g emax gt 2205/33 1260kv engine I have here would work. It is for shock flyer and has thrust of over 400 grams with 8x4 helice and 3s battery.

 

[TooJung2Die]

The 2205/33 1260kv motor with 8x4 will be plenty. Your Schoolgirl will be a hot rod. I don't know about the 2mm Depron. The Adams Readi Board I use is about 5mm and has paper on both sides giving it strength and stiffness. Is 2mm strong enough? That seems quite thin.

Maybe someone with experience building with Depron can make a recommendation.
Jon

 

[TooJung2Die]

Jon,

Dunno if it's all the Chinglish I've read, but I've gotten decent at reading "retranslated".

I think he was referring to your "paint" scheme, and how you cut/applied the vinyl to the wings.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind reading a few details about your technique as well.

Ha! I work for an Asian company and had to learn to read for what they mean, not what they write.

There was no "Technique". I used a straight edge ruler. I cut pieces of self stick vinyl sign sheeting to triangular shapes I thought looked good. You know, "That Looks About Right" method. Peel off the backing and stuck it down. It's a popular "sunburst" pattern that is good for high visibility.

I got the vinyl sheet for free from a sign shop willing to part with some left over scraps.
Jon

 

[elias da silva]

Hello TooJung2Die! All right? Soon I will build my schoolgirl. And I'd like to know about the fuselage. Are the top and bottom pieces the same? Is it possible to post photos of the schoolgirl without the wings? I would appreciate your help.

 

[TooJung2Die]

Hello TooJung2Die! All right? Soon I will build my schoolgirl. And I'd like to know about the fuselage. Are the top and bottom pieces the same? Is it possible to post photos of the schoolgirl without the wings? I would appreciate your help.

I didn't take any photos of the build. No photos of the bare fuselage. Look at post #60, there's a photo of BobK's Schoolgirl with the top wing off.

Yes, use the same template for the top and bottom of the fuselage. I left the fuselage open at the wings and doubled the foam thickness around the sides of the openings and where the hold down dowels pierced the sides. Look at the plan JD made in post #34 to see how the top fuselage panel will look. Make the bottom panel the same but don't cover the opening where the bottom wing goes. http://forum.flitetest.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=64180&d=1455644936

There are two lines for the fuselage length at the tail. The long fuselage is for rudder only. The short fuselage is to allow for down motion of the elevator surface.
Jon