Some questions..

[olgoz]

Hey good people,

I've been hot-wire cutting models and now looking forward to this quicker EA/Flitetest technique!

I have a few questions - perhaps someone can assist.

1) I've got a bunch of foamboard. Some 5mm and some 3mm. 5mm is slightly over the 3/16" thickness that the FT designs use but will this be good enough? And is the smaller 3mm any good for the same models or would that just be for scaled-down ones?

2) I'm planning to start with the Simple Cub just to get used to this technique. However I intend to fit it with a Flight Controller (Matek F-765), GPS and DJI Air Unit! Is there space in the Simple Cub for all of this or shall I scale it up?

3) Again regarding scaling, my next build will be the Goblin! Also with a Flight Controller (Matek F405), GPS and Caddx Vista Air Unit! Is there space in the Goblin for all of this or shall I scale it up? I see a lot of people are scaling the Goblin up a bit - 130% etc..

Well that's about it for now looking forward to some replies from people with experience, cheers!

olgoz

Adding some eye-candy for the lucky person reading my post made this while I was flying quadcopters!

 

[Phin G]

Awsome vid i have just recently bought a quad myself and it should come next week.
We normally use 5mm foam board for standard size planes and the plans are on the flite test website. I have not seen 3mm thick foam board but if it is like just foam then you could use them for turtledecks and parts with curvature. The simple cub is a great one to start and on the flite test tech YouTube channel they have build videos regarding how you build. I find that josh narrates them very well and talks you through about how you do the folds and bevels. One note is that a folds are when the sides are above the base and b folds are when they are beside. C folds are for covers but i dont think there is any c folds in that build. I havent built the gonlin yet but I believe that you could fit a caddax vista and dji digital in there. Hope this helps
Phin.
Edit: there should be some space for dji and gps systems in both if not then you could cut out parts in the side plate fuselage and then cover it with some 3mm foamboard.

 

[Merv]

1) I've got a bunch of foamboard. Some 5mm and some 3mm. 5mm is slightly over the 3/16" thickness that the FT designs use but will this be good enough? And is the smaller 3mm any good for the same models or would that just be for scaled-down ones?

Welcome to the forums.

The FT plans are setup for 5mm foam. There is no reason why the 3mm foam could not be used, you will just need to modify the plans to accommodate the thinner foam.

The weight of the foam also makes a difference. The plans assume a 20”x30” sheet of foam will weigh about 4 oz. A plane made from heavier foam will fly just fine. Heavier foam tends to make the plane tail heavy. You will need to make adjustments to make the CG to work out.

 

[olgoz]

Thanks for the welcome and the replies. I'm really looking forward to this!

Good luck with the quad Phin. It's fascinating stuff. My motivation was, still is, the aerial cinematics! 4 motors is power-hungry though and flight times are rather minimal compared to the possibilities with fixed-wing rigs. Hence my move. If you haven't already I strongly recommend some simulator time for the quadcopter - it definitely helps!

So, I will start with the 5mm foamboard, on the Simple Cub and hopefully within a couple of months I'll be a design guru and be able to use up some of my 3mm foamboard!

Cheers for now

 

[BATTLEAXE]

Welcome to the forums and to the hobby. The Cub is a great plane to train on, but if your looking for a high wing with room to put your gear into to start, you could try the Bushwhacker. The build is just as easy as the cub, flies like a trainer if you keep the throws down, and it can grow with you. Just a suggestion to look at.

The Goblin is another great plane to play with, and it should be a good second or third plane. It is supposed to be set up for a good amount of room for a flight controller and FPV system as is, but scaling it up isnt out of the question either. I have done two, one at 110% and one at 130%. Here is a vid of the one at 110%...

This one would be a good size to go to with the B pack and a 2200mah 3s battery. I am flying this one on a 2212 1400 kv on a 8x45 with a 30 amp ESC. I ended up getting this one dialed in with mixes and curves that it flew as smooth as if it had a FC. At this size you will have enough space for all the equipment and will be easier to fly then the smaller size. Larger is always better.

As for the thinner FB you have you could also use it for scaled down models. Say you really like the Master Series Spitfire but you would like to do it in a smaller size. Scale it down to around 65% and the plans should fit the material just like full size with 5mm FB. You could do this with any of the plans being they all are to the 5mm standard. You also could use it for skins on the Master series at full size to lighten up a plane, or use it in place of poster board where planes call for it. So many options man, the world is your foamboard oyster. Kinda like Lego

 

[Phin G]

Thanks for the welcome and the replies. I'm really looking forward to this!

Good luck with the quad Phin. It's fascinating stuff. My motivation was, still is, the aerial cinematics! 4 motors is power-hungry though and flight times are rather minimal compared to the possibilities with fixed-wing rigs. Hence my move. If you haven't already I strongly recommend some simulator time for the quadcopter - it definitely helps!

So, I will start with the 5mm foamboard, on the Simple Cub and hopefully within a couple of months I'll be a design guru and be able to use up some of my 3mm foamboard!

Cheers for now

Thanks good luck

 

[PsyBorg]

Thanks for the welcome and the replies. I'm really looking forward to this!

Good luck with the quad Phin. It's fascinating stuff. My motivation was, still is, the aerial cinematics! 4 motors is power-hungry though and flight times are rather minimal compared to the possibilities with fixed-wing rigs. Hence my move. If you haven't already I strongly recommend some simulator time for the quadcopter - it definitely helps!

So, I will start with the 5mm foamboard, on the Simple Cub and hopefully within a couple of months I'll be a design guru and be able to use up some of my 3mm foamboard!

Cheers for now

You can get or do some efficient builds on a quad for cinematic flying. Fixed wing filming is a whole new world though.

Fixed wing is usually spastic and ham-fisted control wise. Video is usually nauseating because of the fast jerky movements. Then there is that whole cant fly slow enough for some things. Filming large expanses on fixed wing is ok but a focused target like the bird in your first post would be near impossible to film. The perspective would only give one view with fixed wing.. tail feathers n feet. You could use gimbals and such but that would require a dedicated camera operator to produce anything close to what can be done with multi rotor.

 

[olgoz]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, a great community.

I watched some Bushwacker videos lastnight and it sure does look spacious for kit but it reminds me of an old Landrover! I suppose it's a purposeful rig and well suited to some 3D and landing intact in a flat spin..

I've already printed the Cub plans - I like it for it's curves and it's legendary reputation!

As for cinematic video on a fixed-wing there seems to be current progress going on with stabilised video, either with a gyro-integrated camera like on the new GoPros or, lately, using blackbox data from the flight controller and syncing it with the recording on any camera! Sure you don't have the freedom of movement of a quad but you can smoothen video quite a bit now to get rid of that jerkiness in a fixed-wing.

I look forward to watching your 110% Goblin video tonight BATTLEAXE - thanks.

Here's another video for you guys if you're keen - me trying to keep-up with fixed-wings in my local community. And I look forward to sharing some of my progress in my FT foamboard adventure!

Cheers for now.

 

[Phin G]

Wow that freestyle reminded me of how smooth vanny flys. Awsome flight and i hope that one day i can fly like that.

 

[olgoz]

Good day to everyone, TGIF!

I'd like to fit my Simple Cub with Flight Controller (Matek F765), GPS and DJI Air Unit with camera.

Please may someone share thoughts on where to place all this additional stuff. Would there be space in the power-pod for all these AND the battery? Or do I have to make something that supports this additional kit above the power-pod and inside the 'cockpit' space? I'm planning for the fpv camera to be in the front windshield.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be much appreciated as I'd like to know what mods would be required while I'm cutting my foam pieces.

 

[PsyBorg]

Its like anything else added to a fixed wing craft. You place them to best suit the needs of the item to the needs of the aircraft to be able to fly.

The camera should obviously be placed in the front to be able to see where you are going unless the objective of the air unit is something other then FPV flight control. That means the other components of the aircraft need to shift rearward a touch. Like adding the gps unit and antenna behind the main wing COG to help balance the plane AND separate that from the receiver and video transmitter. The flight controller would be best placed at COG for better accuracy but is not a necessity as modern gyros and accelerometers can compensate.

Do keep in mind the all up weight of the aircraft as you add things as the power train and wing still have to support it all. also keep in mind wire management as that is a rising issue the more complicated we make our aircraft and could cause new problems you don't foresee like signal injection.