Not sure if this has been discovered by all interested here, but my wife found this article online, and I knew there would be interest here. A great story with even greater implications.

http://www.popsci.com/technology/articl ... d-aircraft Attached files

 

Man, this is so cool.

 

Most of the work in one of these is in the CAD modeling. You have to have every detail worked out. Otherwise it gets very expensive very quickly.

 

Not ripping there model up but it looks like its got some high wing loading..the catapult launch looks necessary to get it airbourne and right after launch it looked like it was a handful.

I guess its kinda impressive even though there are plenty of RC builders doing somekind of varient of this everyday. People design 3D model planes all the time and cut them on the phlatprinter. Not the same but similar.
If I had access to an STL printer I would be doing the same as these guys.

 

Pretty darn cool -- it doesn't look like a 6 1/2 foot wingspan, though.

 

6 1/2' wingspan...more like 42"

 

COOL!! thanks for the link to the video...

 

Some many uses! Still watching a couple of threads on RCGroups that are relevant;

Micro Hellcat: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1455808

Cockpits et al: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1358854
and : http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1399939

Still reviewing the ethics of printing mini durandels - club may not approve ];-)>