Homemade Micro RC Airplane

Using a $1.99 rubber-band powered P-51 Mustang I bought from Harbor Freight Tools along with the guts from an Air Hogs Aero Ace I created a 2-channel micro flyer.
Above you can see the charging mechanism cut and installed into the fuselage. Below you will see the same with the li-po battery. I used hot glue to secure them.

Using a Xacto blade I cut slits in the styrafoam to lock/protect the wires and to avoid them dangling, which could catch something on landing.

I started this project with a Combo package (see below) I bought on clearance from Target for $17.00. I intended to create a flying wing micro flyer, which I expect would be a rather quick plane.
I scrapped this idea because I do not know enough about CG (center of gravity) for flying wings; therefore I will research this further and use another Aero Ace to build this plane.

First, remove the top wing on the Aero Ace and then using your thumb and index finger slowly thumb it apart from the nose back. It is glued together with rubber cement. That goo will be left on the parts and engines -- just re-stick it. It will stay. Or you can use a small amount of hot glue.

Be very careful when removing the guts, especially the antennae (which goes through the rudder)! Take your time and pull gently!!

The video at the top of this posts explains "how to" as well.

Can crap fly?

This post is dedicated to amateur competitive eating man Megamunch (Dave), who is also a pilot. His philosophy in flying is "crashing is as fun as flying." With that approach to the hobby one can not justify spending several hundred on a plane, BUT that does present the pilot with a challenge: can you make crap fly?

Dave bought a lemon of a plane for $80 from Harbor Freight Tools -- an SDM Piper. Since then he has invested at least another $80 and built up his plane with a geared 370 motor and larger prop. He upgraded the battery to 9.6v and added some large bush plane style wheels.

Keep posted for a windless morning when Dave and I are both free and I will video tape this bird's maiden voyage. I suspect she'll fly.

Hobby-Lobby's Wing Dragon

Tom bought his 3-channel Wing Dragon on sale from Hobby-Lobby for $79 total. The plane comes as an RTF with flight sim software and USB connector for your transmitter to your PC. It is by far the best 3-channel plane that I have seen for under $100 and will compete with the $150 RTFs out there. This plane has good power and an awesome glide range. From 75 feet high I glided over 60 yards after the battery died and landed on my mark in the baseball diamond. It is a great plane for a beginner pilot and offers the most bang for the buck. It will perform loops and other basic aerobatics.
Here Tom taxis around the landing strip at our local ball field. I did not charge the battery the night before so he lacked a full charge and did not have enough power to fly.

The secret to a good flight

Tom has his best flight ever flying his Hobbyzone plane. He is learning that the LEAST amount of input (moving the sticks on the transmitter) results in the BEST flights without as many errors or crashes. The best advice I was given when learning to fly was "let the plane fly itself. Only change direction when you really need to." Thanks Yhunuan, you were absolutely correct.

Your goal as a pilot is to keep the plane flying level and straight. If the plane is going down/left give the opposite of up/right until the plane is level and straight again.

Remember, giving input into the transmitter is like cutting hair. It's better to cut only a little and if you need your hair shorter to cut just a little more. If you cut a lot you can never correct it, just wait for the hair to grow back. The same with an airplane, if you give too much stick it is highly possible that you will not be able to correct and you will crash.

Big wheels help make bush planes?

SDM Yellow Bee with 1.5" Du-Bro mag wheels. These wheels make take-offs and landings so much easier. This plane can take off of wood chips or mulch with these wheels. The wheels weigh little and make the plane so much more versatile. Touch downs and landings are a bit easier with large wheels, because small pebbles and sticks and such don't cause the plane to nose over.

For a close up of the wheels see my Feb. 15, 2007 post on "How to repair your plane."

A loop with a 2-channel plane

! I am an idiot because I cut the camera off one second before the Yellow Bee completed the loop. I thought Pilot Tom needed my guidance and he flew my plane into a series of vertical stalls . . . a 2-channel plane nonetheless. Amazingly HE COMPLETED A LOOP and landed it -- a bit rough though no damage at all. For those of you that know . . . with an elevator loops are near impossible. The SDM Yellow Bee has a fair amount of power for a $29 junker.

If you are high enough in the air to stall your 2-channel plane several times using full throttle it may, just may, be possible for you to complete an ugly loop. It helps if you have a bit of breeze and are heading into the wind. The is a BIG danger with stalling a 2-channel plane, because you will loose a lot of altitude and not be able to correct it with up elevator; therefore you should be three mistakes high (75 feet).

If you want to avoid stalls, which I instructed my neighbor, Tom, on . . . you must NOT give full throttle to escape the stalls. Instead, give about 70% of power and the plane will level itself out and fly nicely.

Stalls happen when you plane is climbing at too steep of an angle for the wings to receive lift while moving through the air. Contradictory to commonsense (give more speed and up elevator to correct) you need to give down elevator and/or let off the throttle a little to AVOID stalling, which should be your goal or you will likely crash.

Extra: Difficult to video camera

With a new Sony Handycam, my neighbor, Tom attempted to record me flying my Copperhead Aviation "Extra Stiffy." To my demise, he could not keep up with the plane. I did rolls, stall turns, etc. and the plane just moved a bit too quick. Plus it was very very bright out and hard for him to see the LCD. But at least you can see the plane take off vertical.