Collapsible wing for Eagle
Hi Flyers,
I finally have a wing for the Eagle I can take apart.
This is what I initially tried to develop. Someone wisely suggested that I get the bird flying first so that is what I did.
I always felt a little underpowered with my Hextronic Blue Wonder motor so I recently put a GForce MR2212.
This is a 57 gram 900KV motor mounted in a FT power pod. It really livened up my Eagle.
However my wings came off and separated when pulling out of an inadvertent high speed dive. They were weak at the center because they had been cut originally for my hinge plan.
It was all for the best though and I found a new way to attach them. That is a BBQ skewer and popsicle sticks. They are glued to one wing. They slide into the opposite wing which has the piece of wood to strengthen it. By leaving the skewer longer than the wing chord it falls into a fore and aft slot which centers the wing on the fuse. Not pictured is a couple of other pieces of Popsicle stick I added to the top with pegs to help hold the wings together. The rubber bands used to mount the wing hold them down very well.
I have test flown the wing and it now has gobs of power and is very sturdy. It also breaks down easily for transport.
My only problem is that I eyeballed the dihedral and it is larger than it should be. The Eagle flies and responds well but with the excess dihedral it looks a little twitchy in the sky. Originally it looked very graceful like an Eagle with its long flat wingspread. Now it looks and flies more like a turkey buzzard which have a noticeable "v" as their wings rock back and forth.
It is a fun plane to fly and handles the wind very well. I don't mind cutting all the winglets as I think the sculptured look is unique.
LooseBruce