[Drew]

Here`s the latest from my workbench. I saw a youtube video on folding a wing from foamboard and another doing the same with depron so I decided to try it. Obviously, the wing then needed a fuse, etc

I will post photos when I get to the real computer.

[Drew]

Here's the photos.
           

The wing is one sheet (1000x350) of 3mm depron folded over a combination CF square tube and 6mm balsa spar maning a 12mm spar thickness.

The fuse is similarly 3mm depron, folded. I did trim it to make a slightly tapered tail line but not enough to add any beauty at all.

The plane fley excellently. with the added flexibility that neither the landing gear, nor the wing are actually attached to the fuse except by the pressure of rubber bands, I could adjust the COG freely. However, on the spar proved to be near perfect. Despite the obvious twist in the fuse, it flew nicely with a couple of clicks of aileron and elevator.

It glides nicely and (as expected) rolls quite fast.

I was very pleasantly surprised for such a chuck together.


The prop damage was due to the elevator servo coming adrift from the depron (I had only held it in with 3 small servo screws and noting behind the depron (duh!). Unfortunately, it happened soom after an aorted landing and a "go around". The pull-out from the landing was probably too much for it.

[Drew]

On a more pretty note, the Katana X is getting very close. Here's some nude shots - if you are under age, please avert your eyes...
   
   

I just need to sand the fuse and determine the servo mounting/ control rods for the tail section before I do covering.

I'm open to suggestions: Long control rods or tail mounted servos? Bear in mind that there are dual elevators, needing two servos.

[smuzz]

You're right Drew, the Katana is prettier - but it's good to see you haven't lost your taste for adventurous building techniques

[paulj]

Mate that has got to be one of the ugliest models I've ever seen
Much prefer the Katana.
Nice to hear from you, how's things? Hope family is well.

[secant0give]

G'day Drew,
I would go with rear mounted servos and stiff short linkages use Hitec 5085s light, fast and powerfull, or as a second choice the lightest metal gear'd HXTs from hobby king.
If you use 5085s you won't need two on the elevator.

Remember beautie may only be skin deep, but fuglyness cuts to the bone !!

Great to hear from you !!

Jason

[Drew]

Thanks guys.

Jason,
The elevator halves don't join so I need two linkages. Rear mounted feels much easier to mount and service. If I mount two servos for theelevator, I still need a long linkage for the rudder as I've run out of sides to mount it. I notice a lot of 40 size planes have rear mounted elevator and pull-pull rudder mounted in the nromal servo tray position.

Paul,
We've settled back quite well, thanks. My wife is back to work 2d/wk and so I've reclaimed a midweek flying opportunity (after my share of the housework is done ).

[secant0give]

You should be able to join the elevators easily enough with a bent peice of piano wire.
My edge 540 is set up like that and so is my big Yak 55m. The Yokosuka float plane uses a peice of flat steel strip bent in a U shape bonded to the Trailing edges of the elevators to make them move as one. Then it's easy to use one servo pitch controll.

The other thing you can do is have a two controll horns one on each side of the elevator and two linkages with both comming back to one servo arm with the servo inside the fuse. Gazz had a set up like this on his Edge 540 and it worked very well and looked neat too. I think dubro make a double ended ball linkage to work like this. Then you can use one servo on the side of the fuse for the rudder.



If you have two servo's one for each elevator you will have to set one up in the reverse direction or use a seperate channel and mixing for it. It will also put more weight up the back of the buss just where you might not want it

[Drew]

An update on the deporn model I christend with the rego "2-FUGLY". It actually flew quite well. THe fact that the wheels and wing were only retained with rubber bands made adjustment of COG trivial. Even with COG a bit off, it worked quite well.
The negatives:
1. I made the elevator about half the size it needed to be to get suitable authority. Easily fixed by gluing another strip of depron to the top of the exisiting control surface.
2. Depron is too flexible and soft to rely on for mounting servos - the elevator servo worked loose to the point where I was holding full elevator just for straight, level flight. Reinforcing with a small sheet of balsa significantly improves this.
3. Undercarriage which is not properly fixed to the fuse moves as soon as you do the first bump oin the ground and this results in a different balance - nose-overs on taxi-ing.
4. Depron, whilst adeqaute for flight forces folds as soon as the nose hits the ground. I have a video of an attempt at taxi-ing and I'm pretty sure the tail folded all the way over to the wing! Once folded, all inherent strength goes out the window.

So, a couple of non-optimal landings have resultesd in scrapping the fuse. The wing is still good and proven so I'm probably going to try fitting it to a stick fuse for the next fugly installment. .