Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Electric Edge 540 build log #6


I got the plug for the plastic canopy remade out of plywood to keep it from collapsing under the pressure when shrinking the plastic. I also realized that when I sanded the turtle deck down to take off some weight that the old plug was the wrong shape anyway. The process is really easy, get the thinnest water bottle you can find, cut the ends off put the plug in it, go crazy with the heat gun and trim. So 4th time is a charm…






Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Electric Edge 540 build log #5


For combat durability is a pretty high consideration. The planes I built for the War Bird Series in 2010 are still going strong and get heavy intermittent use as lawn darts for my friends and family. These planes took a play from Lee Liddle’s playbook with Coroplast tail feathers and it turns out the stuff cuts great on the laser leaving a super clean edge. I like to put a carbon tube in close the hinge line to act as a spar. (Black arrow) Even better is the elevators can be hinged by simply removing the “skin” on one side between the vertical ribs on the bottom of the hinge line leaving the top skin as the hinge. (Red arrow) Couple each side with a piece of 1/16” music wire and you are ready for heavy prop on tail action. (Blue arrow) These tails will stand up to all kinds of heavy hangar rash also!  



That is some legit prop chopp'en toughness!





The motor mount worked out better than I thought it might when I started. We will see how it stands up to combat soon enough.



Here is where the project is now. I thought I had foam for the wing – I do not. I thought I had enough covering – I do not. Both are on order and with the holiday may take a few extra days to arrive. There are a few little items to check off like the bell crank mount/pushrod/control horn and canopy but then I will have to wait on the shipments to arrive.


Monday, November 19, 2018

Electric Edge 540 build log #4


Being a profile plane I was not familiar with how to mount an out runner motor but I needed a set up that would let me change motor sizes if needed. I chose an L bracket mount (AKA the corner of an electrical rough in box from the hardware store) that will bolt on to the outboard of the fuse.  I also got the aluminum “L” bracket cut to shape for the bell crank mount.  More on that later…



Still concerned about weight I wanted to remove as much material as I could from the fuse. I had already removed the canopy area with the laser so I took out the razor plane and went to town on the turtle deck and the belly. Have I mentioned that I DO NOT like to plane and  I DO NOT SAND!! Combat planes are not expected to live long enough for these sadistic type of actions... The 2.0 version will get the swiss cheese treatment in the laser and that will be that! 

Next I routed a slot with the Dremel tool and laid in a couple strips of pultruded carbon for some good ‘ol combat strength. Clamping curves is always a fun exercise.



Sunday, November 18, 2018

Electric Edge 540 build log #3


After Howard Williams advised me that weight was going to be an issue I began thinking about saving weight where ever I could – A clear plastic canopy should save a few grams and look trick too.



Electric Edge 540 build log #2


I think this is how I will proceed with the electronics placement -  




Saturday, November 17, 2018

The Electric Edge 540 build log #1


There are not too many electric combat planes floating around. So I thought it would be fun to come up with an "E" plane for the 2019 Air to Air Combat series. To help incentivize development there will be a bonus for flying electric models in the series.

The first details are what equipment will get a plane to 75 mph and be powerful enough to maintain that speed through repetitive combat type maneuvers for 4 solid minutes? Most of the info online suggests that .25 IC engines are about 450-650 watts. Bob Mears has run an electric plane in Tuscon for the last several years and says that 2800mAh is the minimum capacity that is needed for the batteries. There are many factors that influence these combinations so there should be more than one acceptable set up.

I am going to start with a 700w 2836 size motor that is 2200kv. I am going to feed it a 1550mAh 6 cell battery. I know that above 2800mAh was mentioned as the min but I already have the 1550 6S packs. So instead of making unknown equipment purchases I am going with what I have in the shop for now. I also have a Castle Creations 75A ESC that may be over kill but will work for the maiden flight.

The after an educational conversation with Howard Williams of Warbird Series 1 fame, the weight of the electric equipment is the challenge to overcome. So I am going with a 450sq foam wing that will be removable from the fuse for later updates if needed. The fuse and tail section will follow the general moments and sizing of a Ringmaster. I found a 3 view drawing on the www and adapted it to fit the sizes needed. Next step is to decide on the motor mount.


Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Air to Air Combat is coming in 2019!

In 2019 I will host several speed limit events geared at low key combat fun. In addition to well known fields I am working with clubs in and around Texas that have never had a CL combat event of any type.  

The first event is getting put together for Dec 29, 2018 at Scobee field in West Houston. 

These are family friendly low pressure events so check out the rules below and get your equipment ready for the opening event! 


Air to Air Combat
This event is intended as a grass roots speed limit control line combat event with scale type models that encourages all skill levels to participate.

Specific Details:

1.  Any plane may be used - the model’s total weight must be less than 48 ounces.
 
2. Any engine up to .40 cubic inch may be used with any type fuel system and fuel. No in air adjustable systems or devices.

3. Line length is 60’ +- 6”, and the diameter 0.18". Handles must have a safety strap that attaches to the pilots wrist. All connections must be covered to prevent hanging up on your opponent’s lines.

4.  Speed Limit is 75mph = 7.3 seconds for 2 laps with a full streamer.

5. Streamers and leader string should be of equal length for all competitors. The length and material is at the discretion of the organizer; 10’ string and 10’ bio-degradable flagging tape is a good suggestion. Note that plastic flagging tape is a bad choice.

6. Random draws for all rounds with no repeat parings until all possible parings have been exhausted. All the points from each round will be added together to get the final score.  Optional eliminations- after the points rounds the top four flyers will be matched 1 and 4, 2 and 3. The loser of each match will fly again for 3rd and 4th, the winners fly for 1st and 2nd.

7. Matches are 4 minutes. The judges will give a signal to start the engines and the 4 minutes will begin at that time. After both planes are up and approx. 180 degrees apart the judges will signal the start of combat. At the end of the 4min the judges will signal to stop.

Match Scoring:

1.  Each pilot will earn 1 point for each second their model is airborne during the 4 minutes of the match.

2. Streamer cuts will be 100pts each. Cutting the string will count as a cut only if there is streamer attached to it.

3.  If both pilots complete the match without a midair collision that causes a crash, line entanglement that causes a crash, or flyaway, both pilots will receive a 200 pt. bonus. If one plane hits the ground independently of the other or lands and the other is still flying, only the pilot not involved with the ground will get the 200 point bonus.

4.  Realism Points:  Each model that is flown in a match will be judged for realism based on the general outline as well as the paint color, scheme and markings. These points will be added to the match score of each match flown. Once judged, that model carries those points forward, even if damaged during the event.

5. Electric powered models will receive 100 points to begin each match plus realism score.




Realism Scoring:


1.         0 points for typical unlimited combat aircraft.

2.         40 points for typical unlimited combat aircraft with color and scale markings.

3.         100 points for non-scale profile type aircraft, i.e. Flight Streak, Ringmaster, etc.

4.         125 points for scale profile type aircraft that is identifiable as a specific full scale aircraft but no scale paint scheme.

5.         150 points for non-scale profile type aircraft, i.e. Flight Streak, Ringmaster, etc. with a scale paint scheme.

6.         175 points for scale profile or built up fuselage type aircraft that is identifiable as a specific full scale aircraft and realistic paint scheme.

7.         200 points for exceptional semi scale aircraft with realistic shapes and details.


Thursday, October 25, 2018

F2D Jet Pilot?


Can an F2D guy fly a pulse jet?
Thanks to Jeff Gitchel for letting me fly his sport jet at 142 mph! Look out for Jeff in the combat circle soon too!

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

US F2D Combat Team 3rd at the FAI World Championships!


Congratulations to the 2018 US F2D Team

Chuck Rudner - Mark Rudner - Greg Wornell - Lester Haury - Andre Nadein - Mike Willcox - Randy Rich - Rylan Rich - Bill Lee

Monday, July 10, 2017

Different approach to the pit box - The Pit Cooler!


After a good run with the pit box I started getting cut 2006 it was time for a fresh look. The pit box served several design needs first of which was starting the engine with the lid closed to keep out dirt and sand. Next was a solid home for the necessities like tools fuel bottle syringes lines etc. The box underwent a few revisions and then for a moment was the star of the concourse contests with competitors adding wraps paint even lights and speakers. 

I did not want to change the primary idea but with travel being a major part of flying these days I added smaller and lighter to the design criteria. Allen DeVeuve came up with a much smaller box that really looked sharp. I knew it was time to get to work. 

With the original box 6mm plywood Allen and I had discussed going to 3mm light ply for the smaller box to save weight. Having access to a laser cutter it was a natural flow to design the box in CAD and cut it out and see the final project. Around this time I needed a new airplane bag and the shop asked if I needed any other custom bags for F2D? Hmm wonder if they could make a custom bag for pitting? I could design in all the right pockets and get the size right. All was doable so I sent the specs to the shop. $120 Wow!, didn’t see that coming. 

After a couple of web searches it looked like Wally World had a cooler that was close to the right size. In person it was just right and for $7 even if it only lasted a few contests it was worth it. I adjusted the drawing a little and decided to switch to 6mm corrugated plastic. Since the bag was going to be “flexible” I wanted the liner to be mostly rigid but flex and bend without breaking if it got smashed in transit or squashed in the back of a packed rental car trunk. A little refitting due to the bag shape flexing but it was coming together. The pockets are magic! Knowing that my small shim container was in a pocket locked with a zipper and wasn’t going to fly out during a match is really cool!


I can say that after switching to a soft bag it is tough to carry a hard box. The pockets are very helpful and the smaller overall size travels great! Looks like this will be the new direction I will continue with for the near future.   

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Monday, March 20, 2017

Stuff you would not do without access to a CNC Laser

Ribs keyed into the plywood - check, then keyed into the shear web - check, then ribs laminated with pre cut tape - check, tape removed from areas that are wood to wood joints - check.





Sunday, February 26, 2017

Rib Tape

For the 2013 Team Trials I did a run of planes with Kevlar tissue on all the ribs hoping to help keep the plane together after a collision. The tissue is non continuous fibers. The performance was improved but not as much as I would have liked. The ribs stayed together something like 40-60% better but not 100%. One unforeseen benefit was that when making repairs the fibers overlapped the break most of the time so when I CAed the wood the Kevlar was again acting as a reinforcement.

The Kevlar is expensive and laminating the tissue is a pain on a large scale. So what about tape? More than a few planes available from the EU are coming with clear tape on the ribs so someone other than me has had this same thought. Looks cool too!

Saturday, February 25, 2017

My rack is HOTTER than yours!

MIC DROP


May 2013 UPDATE

So a long term trend in my shop has been custom graphics for the F2D planes that I build. Being limited to the leading edge has been challenging to say the least, yes I have my AMA number and my name on the LE but true graphics are tough on the limited canvas. May 2013 I posted and Photoshoped picture of full plane graphics using a stencil to paint on the inside of the covering. So this is the progress of this train of thought- 
This is the wing design from the 2013 post.

Stencils cut on the laser.





Stuff...

The blog has been a bit quiet since Nash was born, he is 3 now and picking up speed fast. 


Here are a few things going on in the new shop. First is well... the new shop.

 We had an opportunity to make this part of the air conditioned space but with lots of chemical fumes frequently associated with building we opted for the garage treatment. I had the floor painted and put my old benches back in for now. AC/Heat door insulation and new benches are on the list. At least I didn't have to remove the plane rack....





Friday, January 22, 2016

Engine UP Plane Carriers

New plane carriers have the nose facing the sky. The center bar and handle have been lightened for travel and you can get the plane racks in 4 plane or the Josh Ellison version with just 2. They are cut over-sized to allow you to customize the fit with foam weather stripping for your style of planes. These are wood only allowing you to choose your rod material (6mm or 1/4") and style of attachment for the plane racks.







Thursday, October 29, 2015

2015 Plane Research

Late nights I still think about F2D... Here are some pictures of things that go on late at night in the shop...
New Elliptical Spar and Required Jig


2015 Plane with the Elliptical Spar *plane is not glued together

The new plane came in at a nice 200.5g RTF. Allen DeVeuve covered it in Lubbock at the James Mears Memorial Contest's Saturday night party at Bob's house. We put a Super Fora on it and it is pretty amazing. Snaps thru tight corners but is very flyable thru open ones too. Allen uses the same multi layer carbon in his spars and they have proven to be very tough. This plane is using EPP foam and a fiberglass rod LE spar that has not been tested in a collision yet. I am hoping that the tougher foam and FG rod will prove overall a better option in collisions.


Mic Check One Two

Hey is this thing still on? So its been a while since I posted about my F2D adventures. The biggest reason has been my son Nash was born. He is almost 2 now and growing faster than I imagined! He seems to love planes like I do, he calls them "P" and points at any plane he sees or hears. Cant wait to take him to contests and later fly with him.



Monday, July 22, 2013

Post Team Trials report

First I want to Congratulate the 2014 US Team of Richard Stubblefield  - Mark Rudner - Josh Ellison - Sasha Nadien!!!

I was knocked out in the 8th round putting me something like 6th and in the alternate pool. My new models with the Kevlar tech worked fantastic. I flew 2 not Kevlar tech models that were effectively destroyed and the 2 Kevlar models that were in collisions are very flyable. I will cover some of the details closer over the next few weeks.




Saturday, July 6, 2013

First Louisiana Streamer Shuttles sited

MACA president James McKinney with his first Streamer Shuttle. James has not built planes from scratch in about 15-20 years but reports that his efforts produced a 240g machine. Great work!!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

TeamTrials tune up

Josh and Allen spent some time over the weekend tuning engines for the team trials. Josh thought his was maybe a little tight and Allen's was just breaking in after a fresh rebuild.

New plane racks are racing red

Big thanks to Josh Ellison for tricking out my new set of plane racks!

Caveman Feet

I should probably start wearing shoes to practice. I put sunscreen on my feet so they wouldn't burn and every piece of dirt and dust that got within 5 feet of me stuck to my feet!!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Streamer Shuttle goes to 6th Place in Kansas

Just back from the Kansas F2D Contest where I flew the Streamer Shuttle to a solid 6th place finish. I really love the way the plane goes exactly where you want it without over turning coming out of the corners and rock stable for low inverted defense. The SS took me to a 4-3 record with some of the best matches I have flown in a long time if not ever. After taking a serious whip'en from Florida's Bill Duane first thing Sunday morning (2-4) I was able to come back with 3 awesome matches. Mexico's Leo Silva was the unfortunate recipient of my post butt kicked energy, I had the Streamer Shuttle on his tail for about 3 minutes 30 seconds of the match; after that the Streamer Shuttle was all over MACA president James McKinney. Both matches resulted in a win for the Streamer Shuttle. Round 7 matched me with Lubbock's Bob Mears, yet another great match with tons of back and forth action taking us to a 2-2 score with about a minute thirty left in the match. Bob was down for about 30 seconds after his plane aileroned tripping his shut off. I needed to fly defense for a minute ten. Low and inverted was the plan, I was able to drop the Streamer Shuttle down on the deck no problem and kept moving in the circle. Just as i was coming up to the point that Bob could no beat me I went for the landing and missed! I was thinking "don't stuff it in and tear up the shut off" so just as the plane was about to touch the ground I gave it some down to reduce the angle... plane missed the ground by about 8" and popped upright in front of Bob who was down on the deck with me to get the cut for the win. It was a great match even though it put the Streamer Shuttle on the trailer. Igor Dementiev would go on to win followed by James McKinney Alex Prokofiev and Bob Mears. 


I want to send a big thank you out to the Kansas Team that put on the event. Great effort and wonderful event!!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Plane Carriers ROCK!!

I built up the first of the new plane carriers this evening. The design works great. The lower cross piece and the handle are 3 layers of 6mm birch plywood with a relief in the middle layer for a 6mm or 1/4" dowel. I happened to have some 1/4" aluminum rod in the closet, so that's what you see in the pics. When I get back from KS I will stop and get some carbon tubes just to be cool...  I used some anchor bolts and nylon wing nuts to make the racks easily removable for travel.

I think these are going to look great after they are sanded and painted!!