XF-18 Super Hornet - Twin 70mm EDF Jet - Build Pics & Plans

[SlingShot]

A BDF is a race quad motor with a high kv spinning a tiny prop that is inside a duct. They are more efficient than an edf but they will have a lower top speed. Basically thy are a cheaper and more efficient version of an edf, but you sacrifice sound and top end performance.

Thanks. I knew about the efficiency, but was unclear on the performance.

 

[Mid7night]

Good news and bad news....
Good news: The local paved field opened up yesterday, so I got to maiden the Super Hornet and my B-58!
Bad news: Neither of them "landed" in the preferable manner.... XD

TLDW "good" news: The Hustler is easily repairable, and the F-18 will be rebuilt.

 

[wilmracer]

That really hurts to see. Glad most of the guts survived and she can be rebuilt. Looked like she was going to be a solid performer until the signal loss.

 

[OliverW]

Good news and bad news....
Good news: The local paved field opened up yesterday, so I got to maiden the Super Hornet and my B-58!
Bad news: Neither of them "landed" in the preferable manner.... XD

TLDW "good" news: The Hustler is easily repairable, and the F-18 will be rebuilt.

I hate to see that. At least the hustler was super successful!!

 

[Crawford Bros. Aeroplanes]

Good news and bad news....
Good news: The local paved field opened up yesterday, so I got to maiden the Super Hornet and my B-58!
Bad news: Neither of them "landed" in the preferable manner.... XD

TLDW "good" news: The Hustler is easily repairable, and the F-18 will be rebuilt.

Man, that B-58 was fast! Shame about the hard landing but the chute was cool.

 

[Millikart]

Is there some sort of positive connection for the axle for the elevators? Or do they just chill in the bearing block? Seems like they could slide out.

 

[Matthew Sanders]

Thanks @Mid7night I love this! Is there going to be an XF-15 in the future??

Or an XF-14 Tomcat with servo-actuated sweep wings?

 

[BoredGuy]

@Mid7night, how do you manage to secure the all-moving tail without a droop or them being ripped off in flight? Does the wing structure get in the way of the EDF duct? If so, what’s the workaround?

 

[Sambosammy]

@Mid7night, how do you manage to secure the all-moving tail without a droop or them being ripped off in flight? Does the wing structure get in the way of the EDF duct? If so, what’s the workaround?

I just built this not too long ago and I put the rod all the way across the duct work for each side to add to some rigidity. i didnt have any kind of problem.
only thing im noticing is that i dont have the control that i want with the little 9g servos. looking at rebuilding it and doing standard servos for my updated build.

 

[Chuppster]

I just built this not too long ago and I put the rod all the way across the duct work for each side to add to some rigidity. i didnt have any kind of problem.
only thing im noticing is that i dont have the control that i want with the little 9g servos. looking at rebuilding it and doing standard servos for my updated build.

I used larger servos, 9g servos just don't cut it!

 

[Sambosammy]

I used larger servos, 9g servos just don't cut it!

Got any pics of your modification? Id be interested to see if you changed the actual 3d print settings to fit a standard servo or modified them after they were printed.

 

[Chuppster]

Got any pics of your modification? Id be interested to see if you changed the actual 3d print settings to fit a standard servo or modified them after they were printed.

I just hacked out some slightly bigger holes. I used mini servos (bigger than micro, smaller than standard).

Unfortunately I biffed one too many hand launches with my F-18, it is no longer with us.

 

[FoamFighters]

Pics from Build #1

First (and last) flight of build #1

I don't remember exactly, but I think it was around 5lbs. Carl's should be much closer to that build, maybe he can chime in with what his weighs.

do you have a build video

 

[cri5py]

FINALLY! I know many have been asking for these plans for a while, and now I've finally got the plans finished (enough) and enough build pics that I think it's time to release them to the wild.

First, here are the jet's specs:

Wingspan: 41"
Length: 59"
Power: Twin 70mm EDF (up to 74mm), 4S-6S
Control: All-moving Stabilators or Elevons, and (optional) ailerons

Since I've built this three different times, I'll include pictures from each build so you all have the most references possible, but please don't hesitate to ask questions about anything if you get stuck. There are a few minor differences from builds #1, #2 and #3, but they're very similar. Also attached are optional 3D-printed files that you can choose to use, or not. Pictures from each build will be in separate posts following this one.

I've always loved the Hornet, and the added angles of the Super Hornet make it that much sexier to me, so I knew I had to design one. I'm just sorry I've taken so long to let these plans out.

NOTE: No, this is not a "competing" build to John Overstreet's "BDF" powered version, and this one will not likely be an FT kit. Overstreet's design (along with his F-16 and others) will hopefully soon be official Flite Test Speed Build Kits, and I can't wait to build and fly one myself! But those are aimed at a totally different flying experience, and this one is a pure-power EDF build.

For the latest build, I need to give major thanks to all the people who donated to my crowd-fund "ask for help", but I'll talk more about that build in another post later on.

And now, on to the build!

P.S. Here are links to the landing gear I used on the Blue Angel's build:
Nose Gear: https://www.motionrc.com/products/freewing-90mm-edf-f-a-18c-hornet-nose-landing-gear
Main Gear: https://www.motionrc.com/products/freewing-90mm-edf-f-a-18c-hornet-main-landing-gear-right https://www.motionrc.com/products/freewing-90mm-edf-f-a-18c-hornet-main-landing-gear-left

Hey Ben, just wanna say that this is an awesome build. I'm actually almost done with mine, should weigh in about 4.1lbs; with the battery!!

Just curious, where do you have the CG set for this?

Thanks!

 

[cyclone3350]

Bravo bravo bravo. Sorry to see the 18 go down. U did a fantastic job taking foam board to an incredible level. The B-58 is what has me impressed. I was looking @ your build thread on that one. What is the weight? I am doing a large scale Martin P-5M Seamaster and was considering 4 FMS 70mm 1900kv 6s to power it. Right now, I am calculating a 82" WS with a weight of 15-17lbs. Any thoughts?

 

[TheDeathlyBro]

Would this be a good build if I scaled it down to 2x 5 blade 64mm edfs? I'll be running it off of 2x 3s 2200 lipos

 

[Chuppster]

Would this be a good build if I scaled it down to 2x 5 blade 64mm edfs? I'll be running it off of 2x 3s 2200 lipos

I don't think a pair of 3s fans of any size would give good performance. You should run 4s at minimum.

 

[TheDeathlyBro]

I don't think a pair of 3s fans of any size would give good performance. You should run 4s at minimum.

I'll be scaling it down to about 86.5% to be able to fit the twin 64mm fans in it. I think with 6s power, it should be just fine. I'm estimating that the final weight would be around 3.5-4lbs if Ben's with the 70mm fans is about 5.

 

[Chuppster]

I'll be scaling it down to about 86.5% to be able to fit the twin 64mm fans in it. I think with 6s power, it should be just fine. I'm estimating that the final weight would be around 3.5-4lbs if Ben's with the 70mm fans is about 5.

If you are running it on 6s you should be fine even at the stock scale.

 

[Millikart]

I gotta admit I'm in love with this jet! This is my 3rd one I've built. I'm using 70mm fans on 6s and she weighs in at just barely over 4lbs. I'm using a 4000mah battery and she can easily cruise around under half throttle.