The $11 Tiny Trainer ($8.17 if you use the 40% coupon from Hobby Lobby)

[kilroy07]

Hello everyone-

We've been having so much fun with the Tiny Trainer for awhile now over in this thread;
https://forum.flitetest.com/index.p...id-with-the-tiny-trainer-the-challenge.57560/
And yesterday I happened to maiden what I believe is a match made in heaven!

You take one of these.


And one of these (just the nose, tail and fuselage really, 1 sheet of foam)


and you get one of these

Which flies much better than either! (sort of what happened when they paired the Merlin engine with the Mustang airframe.)

This is just the prototype (or proof of concept) I want to develop the design further into something truly special.

(although, to be honest, there might be something elegantly simple about simply taping the two wings together and rubber banding them to the fuselage as I did for the maiden.)


I flew with my standard TT set up.
2205 motor
6x4.5 prop
1000 3S battery

Here's about where mine balanced, there are "dots" on the wings (see the black line) on the wings where the CG was on the foam glider.

Worked pretty good here as a reference.
You will have to adjust the skewers as the wing rides a bit more forward than the standard configuration.

If you have access to one of these gliders, I promise you won't be disappointed if you try this!
(Now, to figure out a way to add ailerons into the foam wing...)

I have a pair of laminated wings, now I need some good weather to try them out!
Might just make an awesome combat plane!

 

[mayan]

@kilroy07 I love your videos, love your daugthers comments and hope to see some more of her flying in the future. i have a TT/Edge crossover to finish and now have the electronics to make that happen. To bad I won't have any energy to sit on building tonight. Been at work from 5am and will be here till 23.

 

[FoamyDM]

Quick simple and fun. Great work!

 

[FDS]

If anyone wants to try this in Europe, that plane is sold as the Surge Air Rider here. It’s quite cheap at the Range, but out of stock. More here, plus it’s on German Amazon, it’s in several other places. Damn it, I want to go get one now!

 

[kilroy07]

@mayan Thanks brother! She is warming up to the idea, when I told her she was coming out to the field with me to video, she packed her FT Flyer without asking (just assumed she would get to fly too!)
(Need to keep her on-topic with her comments though!)

I secretly want to get her into quads so she can chase and video my birds in flight!

@FoamyDM Yea, to be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be such an awesome flyer. It was stupid windy (forecast said 10 knots, but they lied) and it just cut through the wind without caring much (occasionally the wind would lift a wing, but manageable.) I'm thinking FPV and 4 channel is next! But this may become my goto first trainer for friends/family.

@FDS Thanks for the AWESOME link!! I saw a lot of feedback about the $10 glider episode about not being able to source the glider and I was a bit concerned for those of you across the pond (or elsewhere in the world!) And you should give it a try... it really does fly fantastic...

I'm headed back out on the road tomorrow... maybe I'll get some time to work on ailerons, but I doubt it...

 

[mayan]

@mayan Thanks brother! She is warming up to the idea, when I told her she was coming out to the field with me to video, she packed her FT Flyer without asking (just assumed she would get to fly too!)
(Need to keep her on-topic with her comments though!)

Lol just get my message through to her that I love seeing you flying but want to see some of her flying too .

 

[kilroy07]

Took it back up yesterday and put two batteries through it. Handled the wind very nicely, had the motor chopped and "sorta soaring" for quite awhile.

Still have plans to refine the model, but for now, just strapping the wings on works.

On the trip home I bought a second, that will become the trainer for my daughter.