Nice one, Crash

 

Built that weeks ago fly's great. Used 9mm epp

 

Gee Frank, if you'd built this weeks ago, why didn't you share it with the rest of us?
Share the Love, man!

 

I cut mine out this morning. Made a couple mods to the file already... I know, but I just can't help it. I Can never leave anything the way I find it. Always gotta change something. So I put some fold lines in to create the bevel for the elevons and rudder and added a little text cutout to show the name of the plane. msg me if you want a copy.

Am fighting with my airbrush now. Finally got paint flowing after going back to my original single action airbrush. Seems I have lost an O ring for my double action brush and it just don't like to work without it.

Anyway, this should be a fun plane to fly. I have a couple of the Leadfeather PbF's that Mike posted and they have become my second favorite plane because they can be flown in close quarters, as will the piplane.

If you watched the video of sr71fan flying it, you will see that it is capable of real tight maneuvers, well the plane is, maybe my fingers won't be quite that nimble...

I will post some pics after I get my Pi-Plane finished and ready to fly. Can't wait to see how she flys!

 

Here are the first photos, without the electronics mounted. I will need to order another Lazertoyz Blue Wonder before I can get her airborne.

Attached files

 

Dang you Crash... I just listened to your podcast after having already ordered Blue Wonder motors from another source than mentioned in your steals of the week.

Okay guys, Listen to the Crashcast to find out where to get a deal on a power train for this little guy.

Emailed the package your way... Feel free to republish any of it if you like.

 

I know it Dorsal . Got a ton of em' already built back up since my hard drive crash. I'll get something over here yet I tell ya' !

 

Added servos, recvr, motor and prop. Had to steal the motor and ESC from another plane but now that I have it ready to maiden, the wind has picked up and I am in a holding pattern.

Here are a couple more pics of her dressed up and ready to go out on the town. Added wheel pants just because it looks so kewl even though they do add a bit of weight to the finished plane. Attached files

 

I got a chance to fly the lil FAT cat just a bit today. Still trying to determine the CG balance.

I was expecting it to fly more like the PbF, but it has its own personality.

I am still a bit nose heavy and it flew quite a bit faster than I was expecting. It does not handle with the rudder like the PbF at all. I'm not quite sure how to describe it yet.

At any rate, the rain started coming down just after I got the opportunity to fly it so my time on the stick is quite short.

I will move the battery back a little and try it again to see if I can get the type of performance I was seeing on the video.

At one point, while fighting an untrimmed plane and trying to control something that wanted to fly much differently than I was imagining, it swooped down and smacked the driveway slightly. With a huge bounce, it was airborne again and I was frantically trying to regain my composure.

I was trying to turn it with the rudder but it seemed to turn in one direction okay, but the other direction it would not budge.

I can see a learning curve is ahead on this one. I think the rudder yaws the plane somewhat, but it takes the elevons to steer it. With my PbF which is a flat 18" square vs round, the rudder actually does steer the plane very well.

It make for an interesting plane though. I enjoy trying out new designs. It just amazes me how differently the flight characteristics are from plane one to another.

 

I started out at 4" which is what the PbF uses. I figured the two should be quite similar. But that puts it a bit too nose heavy.

I moved the battery back to just in front of the servos and got a CG of 5 1/4" which seems to work much much better.

I was able to get out a little while ago and put it in the air again with the new CG and I like the way it handled much better.

Starting to get a better handle on flying it. Coordinated turns with rudder and elevons seems to work best. Will probably set up mixing in my transmitter once I get a feel for its characteristics. It is still just a bit windy here. Hard to judge how a plane behaves when you have the elements acting on it.

Once I know how she behaves in no wind, I will be better able to know what to do in the wind. Right now its a crap shoot. I can't tell whether the wind is making it behave the way it does or whether the plane just naturally does what it does.

I don't think it is going to make a real good windy day plane, but I suspect in calm or no wind, it will be a blast to fly.

But afterall, it was supposed to be an indoor plane....

The thread for the PiPlane on RCgroups is closed. I thought that rather odd?

 

Closed? Maybe just idle, as no one has posted in about a year.
Gary

 

Hi Gary!! Well, when I tried to post a thank you to it, it said the thread was closed.

But now that you are here.... Thank you for posting the plans.

The weather did finally clear up where I got a nice day with no wind to fly the Pi-Plane. With the CG back further, it flew very well.

It is none the less "different" from the PbF which I would have thought would have been so similar. But I am having fun with it.

Have not shown it off at my club yet, but will have it with me this weekend when I go to one of my favorite fields.

 

Mine flys well in winds up to 13mph...the highest I have tried it in

 

Now that I have had a chance to take it to the wide open spaces to fly, I find it is a hoot to fly!

Now mind you, I have a whoping big prop ( a modified 11x4.7 ) which gives it a ton of torque.

I can head straight up with ailerons hard to left or right and the plane spins like a drill bit and pentrates the sky forever.

Then I just throttle back and floats down so gentle....

With the target paint job, it draws a lot of stares. Guys wanting to get out paint guns, bow and arrows, and shotguns to take target practice on it.

 

Nice! I need to get some EPP foam. I have a good supply of everything else, but not a bit of EPP on hand.

I have cut out 4 of these out of FFF for guys at our field who have seen it. I enjoy flying it. I am sure Trish will have a blast with it. The EPP will make it crash proof. No pun intended Crash.

 

Crash, thanks for the file, I cut the PiPlane out of 6mm depron, and it fly's great. The guys at my club want to use them for combat because they are so maneuverable. Anyway thanks again for a really good cutting experience.

Ken