Plane

Racer9 · #1 12-10-2002, 07:33 PM

Building a bit char-g plane. I will try to make it after I get enough money to build it. Should cost around $40 at the most. I will also try a new hovercraft like kingofjapan's. I hope to improve on both as time goes on.

rpm3j · #2 12-11-2002, 01:41 AM

I think the bit airplane is a great idea. The one on the website apparently works very well based on the videos. That plane uses a two channel radio to control direction and motor speed. You might be able to make an even better plane by making one based on a Wild Char-g instead of a Bit. You can use the WCG's third channel for alierons to give the plane a heck of a lot more control. Also, if you really want to boost the power and minimize the weight, you can also use a li-poly battery (check out http://www.fmadirect.com ). The 145 mah 3.7v pack weighs the same as the stock nicad! It's kind of insane, but you could theoretically make a damn good semi-acrobatic slow fly plane out of a bit. One final possibility: two motors. You could hook up two (or more!) low-drain motors (i.e. Namiki 1701 pager motors) in parallel. It all depends on what you are going for. I'm going to wait for the price of a Wild Char-g to come down, then I'll tear one down for a plane. I'm thinking vertical climbs with a bitmod1 3.5... anyways, I hope this post has some useful ideas. I'll be back with pictures once I get started. Good luck!

-m

Racer9 · #3 12-11-2002, 07:30 AM

I am think of using the throttle as up and down for speed control. The faster the motor spins the higher you will go. I just need to buy the supplies. Does anyone know where to go for balsa wood.

mjb · #4 12-11-2002, 10:25 AM

Balsa? H-E-A-V-Y

Try your local wallpaper stockist to get polystyrene wall lining veneer. 2mm thick, 9metre roll for a couple of pounds (dollars). Easy to hot wire cut, and PVA white glue (woodworking glue) will stick it. I'm working on a Fit-Racer based plane, using this stuff, I'll see how it goes. The glider is 15" span, and weighs about 8g before the R/C gear etc. goes on. If it works, I'll webify the details.

P.S. -- so "it's been done before", no reason that other people can't have a go, and share ideas on it, right?

Mike.

mjb · #5 12-11-2002, 10:43 AM

It wasn't a dig at you specifically, I've seen this in some of the other threads too

Hovercraft, yawn, it's been done. Headlights, yeah yeah, been done. Blimp, yeah, thought about it ...

epengr · #6 12-11-2002, 11:56 AM

Ahhhh, but what about a HELICPTER?

This would require some serious playing around, and the smallest high volt cell pack you can find, but why not? Electric choppers have been done, but I don't think they have been hacked out of a bit yet.....

Any knod of reasonable control won't happen, but it could go up!

<== That's what I'm talkin' about!

epengr · #7 12-11-2002, 11:59 AM

On a more realistic note:

I may be two steps behing you all, but I remeber something about a bit mod that replace reverse with a boosted forward giveing you faster and faster instead of forward and reverse.

If this is a reasonable mod, it would be the way to go for your throttle channel, since I have heard planes don't fly so good backwards.....

Racer9 · #8 12-11-2002, 12:42 PM

I am going to try the helicopter after I get the plane to work. I already thought up some plans.

Racer9 · #9 12-11-2002, 12:44 PM

balsa wood would be for the main frame an supports for the wings

Yeah!!!!!!!

epengr · #10 12-11-2002, 01:26 PM

There may be some useful plans/ideas on these sites to incoperate into your design.

http://www.nar.org/competition/plans/rocketglide.html

http://www.f4bscale.worldonline.co.uk/plans.htm

Glancing over them reminds me of something from the old days when I was into R/C planes you'll want to keep in mind.

Make sure your wings have a high dihedral angle (so they look a little like a V shape when you look from the front of the plane.

This gives the plane a tendancy to right itself and fly level at the cost of manuverablility. But since were building electrics with limited controlability, manuverability is not an issue.

Many of the glider plans on those site use a sites use a split-dihedral design with a level center part of the wing and angled wing ends. These is favorable for long wingspam craft since very high dihedral angles compromise lift as well.

\__|__/ <- sorta like this

Racer9 · #11 12-11-2002, 06:35 PM

yeah balsa will work it is even reccomended on some sites for light weight

epengr · #12 12-11-2002, 07:18 PM

Yeah, Racer9, I would agree with you there. I don't think you can do much better when it come to strength/wieght ratio than Balsa.

You might get lighter with some thin foam or plastic, but I thick you would lose on the rigidity.

When I have the time and money to give this a go, I'll want the most rigidity I can get to allow for a LONG wingspan for a nice sloooow bird.

dustn · #13 12-12-2002, 03:34 AM

I'm workin on a bit hovercraft right now... will post after exams when i can actually work on it

Racer9 · #14 12-13-2002, 06:42 PM

what material are you using?

keen · #15 03-12-2003, 03:03 AM

Instead of balsa, what about that plastic that's structured like a cardboard box that they make document boxes an stuph out of? Can't recall proper name but I know where I can look it up - there's a book on building model planes out of it - it's really string & really light.