Willy Nillies "Eaglet 250" Beta Kit Build and Flight

[speedbirdted]

Got more done today. Servos are in and push rods connected using short z-bends and heat shrink. After the push rod length is fine tuned a couple of drops of CA on the heat shrink will lock it in place.

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Hinged the elevator and rudder. I used Tyvek for CA hinges.

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Tail feathers are glued on. Hooked up the control horns and push rods.

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Still have to install the ailerons and wheels. At this point with all the electronics on board including the battery she weighs 6.3 ounces.

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Jon

That's sweet. I thought the green looked kind of strange at first but it complements the white rather nicely.

Great job on the graphics. I wish I had gone ahead and bought a Cricut back when I could afford it.....

Joe

You could do the poor man's method which is what I do to put graphics on planes. If you turn your iron down to a super low setting, like about 40C, you can lightly stick the covering to a sheet of dtfb and then use a knife to carve whatever intricate details you please into it. The nice thing about dtfb (or just the paper) is that paper is much less porous than balsa so when you go to take the graphic back off you end up taking off almost none of the adhesive at all from the graphic and it will stick to the plane just fine.

 

[TooJung2Die]

That's sweet. I thought the green looked kind of strange at first but it complements the white rather nicely.

Thanks. I thought it was odd looking film until I saw the red metallic on Turbojoe's "Lucky Ace 150". I have more metallic SolarFilm, an unopened roll of deep blue (almost black) and a partial roll of light turquoise. I have just enough of this green left for patching.

 

[Willy Nillies]

Got more done today. Servos are in and push rods connected using short z-bends and heat shrink. After the push rod length is fine tuned a couple of drops of CA on the heat shrink will lock it in place.

View attachment 157340

Hinged the elevator and rudder. I use Tyvek for CA hinges.

View attachment 157342

Tail feathers are glued on. Hooked up the control horns and push rods.

View attachment 157343

View attachment 157344

Still have to install the ailerons and wheels. At this point with all the electronics on board including the battery she weighs 6.3 ounces.

View attachment 157345

Jon

Very Very Cool Jon! You are doing very well on weight. They are typically finishing out right at 7.0 ounces ready to fly.

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

 

[TooJung2Die]

Finished up tonight. Ailerons are hinged and servo push rods connected.

A servo arm makes a good latch for the battery hatch.

The electronics are hooked up, the receiver is bound and the motor spins in the right direction. As Doug from Willy Nillies predicted, all up weight is exactly 7.0 ounces.

Jon

 

[Wildthing]

Finished up tonight. Ailerons are hinged and servos connected.

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A servo arm makes a good latch for the battery hatch.

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The electronics are hooked up, the receiver is bound and the motor spins in the right direction. As Doug from Willy Nillies predicted, all up weight is exactly 7.0 ounces.

Jon

Super job, well done.

 

[TooJung2Die]

She's ready for her beauty shots.

Pray for good weather. Can't wait to see her in the air!

Jon

 

[Willy Nillies]

Absolutely Beeeeeautiful Jon! Have fun with the maiden!

Sincerely,
Doug and Becky
WillyNillies.com

 

[Joker 53150]

Nicely done, sir!

 

[speedbirdted]

She's ready for her beauty shots.

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Pray for good weather. Can't wait to see her in the air!

Jon

Spectacular. I wonder if I should build one with a real 020 if I have a spare one lying around..

 

[TooJung2Die]

Absolutely Beeeeeautiful Jon! Have fun with the maiden!

Thank you! Thanks for making these great kits. It was an easy build. The laser cutting and fit is flawless. All the electronics fit ahead of the CG so it balances right on 1 3/8" with the 500 mAh 2S battery and no ballast. I won't be as nervous with the maiden flight as other balsa airplanes because this airplane kit has been proven to fly great.

 

[rockyboy]

Gorgeous!!

 

[speedbirdted]

@TooJung2Die, forgot to ask, but are those the 1.75" wheels on there?

 

[TooJung2Die]

@TooJung2Die, forgot to ask, but are those the 1.75" wheels on there?

Those are 1.25" wheels from Willy Nillies.

 

[speedbirdted]

Oh! Smaller than I thought. I was thinking if I ever build one I would use something like 1" wheels and then build pants for them out of light balsa, along with a sizable list of other mods. Now that my Gentle Lady is wrapping up and winter has not yet left I might have to...

 

[TooJung2Die]

Oh! Smaller than I thought.

The airplane is probably smaller than you thought too!
Wheel pants always look cool. But they'd be too vulnerable to coming off on my landings. I think the main landing gear can use skirts but there's the same problem. Willy Nillies kits are very bashable. Did you see Rockyboy's Barnstormer Biplane? Gotta love a biplane!

 

[Turbojoe]

Your build turned out sooooo nice! Is the maiden soon?

Joe

 

[TooJung2Die]

Your build turned out sooooo nice! Is the maiden soon?

Thank you, Joe! That's high praise after seeing your Eaglet. She will fly soon, time and weather permitting. It's winter in Pennsylvania.

I decided neutral should be ailerons aligned with the airfoil chord line. That's along the same line the wing tips are attached. Then I mixed a conservative 20% flaps on a two position switch. That used up all three available mixes on my Flysky FS-i6 transmitter. If that's not enough flaps I can increase the percentage.

It was suggested the nose of the Eaglet looked a bit naked and needed something. I found the left and right side view of the Carl Goldberg logo on some decals online. I cleaned them up and cut them out on the Cricut.

Jon

 

[Turbojoe]

Your use of cool graphics makes all the difference. Good stuff dude. Good stuff!

Joe

 

[speedbirdted]

With the quality of Willy Nillies kits, if I saw the Carl Goldberg sticker without being informed otherwise i'd be inclined to believe that was the manufacturer...

 

[rockyboy]

Very nice touch on the decal! Those little details can really "elevate" the final model