The Biggest Butt...

[Inq]

Actually, The Biggest, but... but, I wanted to catch your attention.

I propose the challenge of designing/building/flying the biggest wingspan model possible with the following constraints...

1. It must be a motor powered model... electric, fuel... your choice. The motor has to be strong enough to show positive altitude gain. No sailplanes cheating with a watch battery and a 8520 motor and a 1.5" propeller going along for the ride.
2. Must weigh equal or less than 2 pounds - The idea that it meets AMA Park Flyer classification. There are no "adjusted weight" winners. Being less than 2 pounds doesn't get Brownie Points. Being over is a bust.

That's it! As a baseline, what models have you made that would meet these two little rules? Looking in the FT Hanger, I see the Kraken has the Biggest Butt, but is too heavy. The Simple Soarer is next, but isn't powered...

 

[Piotrsko]

2lbs OA means about 6 ft: 2 meters for the Eurocentric, and about 450 square inches. @quorneng will end up being the winner ( because it is a build contest) however if it doesn't really need to fly @bracesport will make the prettiest, @flyboa will have the lightest and @FoamyDM will be the most unique

 

[Inq]

2lbs OA means about 6 ft: 2 meters for the Eurocentric, and about 450 square inches. @quorneng will end up being the winner ( because it is a build contest) however if it doesn't really need to fly @bracesport will make the prettiest, @flyboa will have the lightest and @FoamyDM will be the most unique

I too was thinking that a baseline that someone had already made might go above 2 meters.

I like contests... if even a couple are interested, I'd go for it. I think the final solution will involve a significant amount of combined talents.

I haven't gone through the 25 pages of this challenges forum (Internet Bandwidth Challenged)... do any (many) of them make it to flight?... much less having more than one challenger?

I need to check out the members you referenced... sounds interesting.

 

[Dr. Looping Looie]

Ive made this one. Weight is exactly 2pounds and wingspan is 7.44 feet.
Yes, it is a glider, but it has a 4023 Motor spinning a 10" Folding prop. 3S 1200 Battery. It climbs steeper than 45°, so definitely enough power.

And its 3D printed.

 

[Inq]

Ive made this one. Weight is exactly 2pounds and wingspan is 7.44 feet.
Yes, it is a glider, but it has a 4023 Motor spinning a 10" Folding prop. 3S 1200 Battery. It climbs steeper than 45°, so definitely enough power.

And its 3D printed.

View attachment 232034 View attachment 232035

Outstanding! That certainly raises the bar for a baseline. Hell! That's even a practical, conventional looking airplane with lots of motor and battery... and not even trying to go for some span challenge. Do you have a build thread for it?

Can anybody beat this for an already built model???

 

[Bo123]

I should reeaally give it a go....

 

[Inq]

Since I'm a rooky pilot, my original thought for the challenge was really coming from the basis of hearing, "It's easier to learn on a bigger model... slower, smoother, easier to see... etc." And trying to keep it under 2 lbs so it can be flown as a park flyer. Something like...

Weight is exactly 2pounds and wingspan is 7.44 feet

... sounds just the ticket for those learning to fly.

But for the Biggest Butt Challenge... and since I'm still getting my bearings of who's who and how active the forum is... I'm wondering does the forum go after a challenge like this... pulling out all the stops??? I imagine we have all sorts of members from true craftsmen in every aspect (foamboard, 3D print, Balsa) to hard-core aerodynamicists among the forum members. Those with expert knowledge of what are absolute minimum weight techniques either from a life of building against those that might take theory to the extreme and throw the dice with the less than expert building skills.

I gave it more thought over the weekend, would it be a good idea to set a minimum battery and/or
motor size to level the playing field? OR... open that up to interpretation... like there might be some avid electronics experts on the forum that would go solar to power and punting that brick of cells.

For instance sacrificing all other considerations like... being friendly to fly... would people go to extremes like...

I wonder if this challenge might bring out new techniques to whole forum and the hobby.

 

[Piotrsko]

SOME of The members of this forum are capable of building a 1/8 scale Rutan Boomerang or a Blohm & Voss BV 141 and have it meet your weights restriction. Your illustration is more prescient than you'd imagine. There is a challenge subforum, post your proposal there

 

[Inq]

SOME of The members of this forum are capable of building a 1/8 scale Rutan Boomerang or a Blohm & Voss BV 141 and have it meet your weights restriction. Your illustration is more prescient than you'd imagine. There is a challenge subforum, post your proposal there

Isn't that where I posted? - "User Generated Challenges" or is there another that is more appropriate?

How cool is that... non-symmetric plane?! I take that the members are talented enough... but competitions with an end product that wouldn't be all that fun to fly, might not be their cup of tea.