Star Wars X-Wing (trainer)

[rcspaceflight]

I'm re-sharing this plane that I designed last year. I keep forgetting about it and it seems like a lot of people lately have been asking about perfect first planes. I wouldn't say this plane is perfect, but it certainly has it's benefits. It is probably the easiest plane you will ever scratch build. It's a pusher so you won't break props or damage motors. The two down sides are that it's a bank and yank, which isn't the easiest to fly, especially at first, and it's not the most stable because it's a pusher. I like to think the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

I have the plans and even a build video on the article I wrote about it: http://flitetest.com/articles/star-wars-x-wing

I've only flown a few of them and they didn't seem to last very long. But I think if you Minwaxed the plane to water proof it (I had one warp on me) AND if you added bracing at the wing tips to keep the wings apart, it should last a long time. The main issue is the wings bending/folding. But just gluing bamboo skewers to the wing tips vertically to connect them together, it should make the plane solid. The "guns" are still going to break off right away, but those don't effect how it flies, just how it looks.

 

[rcspaceflight]

I forgot to add that there is a safety concern with hand launching because it's a pusher. Make sure you launch it by holding onto a wing tip. I'd hate for someone to have a brain fart and throw it by the fuselage and cut themselves up. Always be safe.

I never really gave a good set up for the plane. But because of all of the wing surface and it's light weight, you shouldn't need much power. An 8x4 prop should be perfect for it. (Which is a set up I never tried.)

I never flew the plane in wind either and I doubt it could handle much because of it's light weight.

But don't think it wouldn't be a good first plane with it's disadvantages. Not breaking props or bending motor shafts is a huge plus. And this is a slow flyer.

 

[ghost civic]

if you got the KF step by cutting half way threw the foam and folding the kf step over it would add strength to the wing I think then add some packing tape to the leading edge.

ive only started building, but I think id like to do this build. looks fairly simple and I enjoy bank and yank planes.

how well does it roll? I ask cause it looks to have ailerons only on the bottom wing.

 

[rcspaceflight]

how well does it roll? I ask cause it looks to have ailerons only on the bottom wing.

I was afraid to try to roll it. I did a roll accidentally, it's @ 3:25 in the video. It doesn't seem to roll very well. It dropped a lot and then crashed. But I might have set up for the roll wrong since it was an accident. And yes, I only have elevons on the bottom wing. It seemed redundant to me to have them also on the top, but feel free to experiment.

At about 3:45 in the video I stalled the plane. Which it is easy to stall, but the plane just falls belly first so it doesn't do any damage. One "problem" is that if you fly it too slow it stalls and there is not way to get out of the stall because it's belly first. And yet, that's a good thing because it comes down slow.

The build is just 4 identical pieces, two pieces for the KF step, and then two more for the canard. So it is a super easy build.