Ugly Wonder - Build
- Thread starter SP0NZ
- Start date
Thanks! Love this plane!
Thanks Sponz for documenting a great design. This is my first wildly successful scratch build that didn't start its life by tracing an FT speedbuild kit. It is my 6th plane, 4th that I built from blank sheets of DTFB. This plane flies amazingly; now I know what 'flies like it is on rails' means!
Some quick notes on my experience:
I can see building a few more of these in my future. One thing that I plan on doing differently next time is to move to an 'inverted' powerpod so that I can mount the battery under the fuse using velcro without having to remove the power pod each time. Right now I am attaching it outside the pod with a velcro strap, but since the battery protrudes, that means I'm landing the plane on the battery. I've also broke a bunch of props (8-10 so far) as this is my first build that doesn't use a prop saver. I'm getting a bit better at quickly starting/stopping the motor on final to get the prop to stop in the '3 and 9 oclock' orientation, but I still break a prop every 8-10 flights. Maybe this will get better in time!
Anyway, just wanted to say thanks and share some of my observations. Hopefully it well help encourage others to jump onboard with this design.
Thanks Sponz for documenting a great design. This is my first wildly successful scratch build that didn't start its life by tracing an FT speedbuild kit. It is my 6th plane, 4th that I built from blank sheets of DTFB. This plane flies amazingly; now I know what 'flies like it is on rails' means!
Some quick notes on my experience:
- Durable - I managed to nose the plane in 3x at WOT prior to getting a successful maiden. Totally my fault; if you use a gyro, make sure that it moves the control surfaces the correct direction! As the pics below attest, it is still in almost perfect shape. The nose is a little wrinkled around the NACA vent, but that is all the damage sustained.
- Doesn't need to be perfect - See pic below. But basically I messed up when I marked the centerline on the wing so that the front is centered and the back is skewed 3/8" off center. So the front wing is rotated about 4 degrees from true around the z axis. It doesn't even seem to notice. Just a few clicks of trim and it flies true and level.
- FAST - I started out using an 1800KV motor on a 3S with an 8x6 prop, OMG did the plane eat up the sky in a hurry. I had to down-prop twice (first to an 8x4.5, then to 6x4.5) and it still flies well enough for acrobatics at 1/2 throttle.
- Highly Maneuverable - Reminds me of watching an A-10 in flight. Flies amazingly well low and slow; goes right where you point it. Seems to stand up to wind pretty well. Flies just about equally well inverted, moreso than any other plane I've tried to date.
- High payload - I've flown this on 3S batteries from 750mah all the way up to 2200mah and honestly I didn't notice much difference in how well it maneuvers. I'm getting flight times between 6 minutes (750) and 12 minutes (2200).
- Crowd pleaser - Lots of oohs and ahhs from passers-by.
I can see building a few more of these in my future. One thing that I plan on doing differently next time is to move to an 'inverted' powerpod so that I can mount the battery under the fuse using velcro without having to remove the power pod each time. Right now I am attaching it outside the pod with a velcro strap, but since the battery protrudes, that means I'm landing the plane on the battery. I've also broke a bunch of props (8-10 so far) as this is my first build that doesn't use a prop saver. I'm getting a bit better at quickly starting/stopping the motor on final to get the prop to stop in the '3 and 9 oclock' orientation, but I still break a prop every 8-10 flights. Maybe this will get better in time!
Anyway, just wanted to say thanks and share some of my observations. Hopefully it well help encourage others to jump onboard with this design.
Daniel Kezar
Ultimate Cheap Skate
nice 3d printed parts!
Its a new flying season, and my old untreated white DTFB Ugly Wonder was looking kind of worn so...
I built another one of these babies while it was still cold and blustery out, with an eye towards making it a bit more beautiful and hopefully increasing the longevity at the same time. I had a successful maiden this afternoon, and she's looking like a keeper! Pics below.
Some Stats:
Material - Dollar Tree Foamboard covered with colored packing tape a la Experimental Airlines. Tape is from Tape Planet (used to be called Tape Brothers). I used 3 colors: Black, White, Red (so the white you see is the tape, not the DTFB, which is the same color).
All Up Weight: 18.1 oz with a 2200 3S Turnigy NanoTech battery
Power plant: Propdrive V2 2836 1800KV with a 6x4.5 prop
Handling: Goes way faster than I can comfortably fly it at full power. Very lively at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle. Can stay up indefinitely at about 1/3 power. Roll rate is basically faster than the eye can see at full throttle and full throws!
Flight Times: About 7-9 minutes on a 2200Mah when flown at 50-75% throttle. I'm very conservative with battery voltage management, and land when voltage reaches 9.9v (3.3v/cell).
Other Thoughts: The tape added a bit more weight than I had anticipated and threw the balance off a bit. I was planning on flying this on 1000 to 1300 mah 3S batteries, but I couldn't get it to balance, hence the 2200 in the stats. On the plus side, the extra weight gives it a bit more authority in moderate winds vs my last untaped build. If I had it to do over, I'd extend the power pod forward another 2 inches or so and then it would probably balance with a 1300 3S. Also per my last post above, I used an inverted power pod this time around, so I can easily change batteries without having to dismount the power pod.
Thanks again for the great design and plans! This model has definitely earned a permanent place in my hanger!
I built another one of these babies while it was still cold and blustery out, with an eye towards making it a bit more beautiful and hopefully increasing the longevity at the same time. I had a successful maiden this afternoon, and she's looking like a keeper! Pics below.
Some Stats:
Material - Dollar Tree Foamboard covered with colored packing tape a la Experimental Airlines. Tape is from Tape Planet (used to be called Tape Brothers). I used 3 colors: Black, White, Red (so the white you see is the tape, not the DTFB, which is the same color).
All Up Weight: 18.1 oz with a 2200 3S Turnigy NanoTech battery
Power plant: Propdrive V2 2836 1800KV with a 6x4.5 prop
Handling: Goes way faster than I can comfortably fly it at full power. Very lively at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle. Can stay up indefinitely at about 1/3 power. Roll rate is basically faster than the eye can see at full throttle and full throws!
Flight Times: About 7-9 minutes on a 2200Mah when flown at 50-75% throttle. I'm very conservative with battery voltage management, and land when voltage reaches 9.9v (3.3v/cell).
Other Thoughts: The tape added a bit more weight than I had anticipated and threw the balance off a bit. I was planning on flying this on 1000 to 1300 mah 3S batteries, but I couldn't get it to balance, hence the 2200 in the stats. On the plus side, the extra weight gives it a bit more authority in moderate winds vs my last untaped build. If I had it to do over, I'd extend the power pod forward another 2 inches or so and then it would probably balance with a 1300 3S. Also per my last post above, I used an inverted power pod this time around, so I can easily change batteries without having to dismount the power pod.
Thanks again for the great design and plans! This model has definitely earned a permanent place in my hanger!
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