Blue Core Flyer

[Bark65]

Its been over 15 years since I've flown a 3 channel RC plane so I've had to relearn the process. Last week I put together a little plane called the Meat Tray Flyer. Its made out of Dow Blue Core Foam, has Hitec radio equipment, a GWS IPS- S1 motor, 5amp ESC and a 8 X 4.3 slowflyer prop. The battery is a Lipoly 7.4V 300mAH battery. I put the little plane up today for a test flight. This plane flies and responds great. Its the perfect RC trainer. It handles the wind really well. I highly recommend this plane for a beginner. It took me less than a week to build it. I spent about 1 to 2 hours a night on it. You can get the plans and instructions at Small flying Arts website.

[Elfi Flyer]

Congrats on your successful flyer. You have chosen the right electical equipment/motor/prop combination, so some of the success to due to that.

Amazing what you can do with readily available building materials. You might be able to step up to a slightly greater capacity 2 cell LiPo, such as an Apogee 800, or even up to a Thunder Power 1320. I use a TP 1320 2S1P LiPo pack in my GWS Tiger Moth. Works great!

Welcome to electric R/C. Great start.

E-F

[Bark65]

E-F,
Thanks for the info. The original plan for this plane called for a 7" slow flyer prop. When I picked up the props at my local hobby shop they did not have 7 inch props in stock. They had the 8 X 4.3 and 9 X 7 sizes. I put the 8" prop on for the first flight and the plane handled fine. I plan to fly the 8 inch prop for awhile until i get better at flying it. I'm wondering what affect the 9 X 7 will have on the plane's performance or should I just leave well enough alone?

[Elfi Flyer]

E-F,
Thanks for the info. The original plan for this plane called for a 7" slow flyer prop. When I picked up the props at my local hobby shop they did not have 7 inch props in stock. They had the 8 X 4.3 and 9 X 7 sizes. I put the 8" prop on for the first flight and the plane handled fine. I plan to fly the 8 inch prop for awhile until i get better at flying it. I'm wondering what affect the 9 X 7 will have on the plane's performance or should I just leave well enough alone?

You might be able to use the 9x7 but keep in mind this puts an additional load on the motor and your amperage will be higher. I also use the S1 IPS motor, on my Tiger Moth. Gearing is 4.14 : 1, the standard gearing for the S1 motor/gearbox assembly. I run a 9x7 prop and find the motor gets a little hot after a long flight. However, the thrust from the 9x7 is suitable for good Moth flying. The speed controller (ESC) in my Moth is only rated for 2 or 3 amps, so I am at the upper limit with the 9x7 prop on the S1 motor. Your 5 amp ESC is a better choice, so you have some amp capacity already there.

Remember, should you jump to a 3 cell LiPo (3S1P), your amperage will go up along with the increased voltage. Much more prop speed, but a real good chance of burning up both the motor and the ESC. Consider going to a larger capacity (800, 900,) 2 cell LiPo for longer duration flights. Also, the voltage drop at WOT won't be as much, so you can actually gain a little better performance with a 2 cell pack.

E-F

[DrDiff]

OK have the plans. Need more specific instructions.

[Bark65]

You might need to enlarge the plan for the stab and rudder drawings. For the main wing you need to cut the blue core into 3 pieces that are 5 inches wide and 11.5 inches long. Cut out 3 wing ribs using the template. Sand to shape. You will use these as a guide when you bend the leading edge of the foam to an airfoil shape. You need to mark the wing in 1/8" increments and bend the leading edge over a straight edge at these 1/8" increments. Do this 6 times. that will give you the airfoil shape. Use the ribs as a guide to see how far you need to bend the foam. The 3 wings get glued to the center of the middle wing panel for strength. You can look at detailed instruction on the SFA homepage. Just scroll down till you see the article for the meat tray flyer.

[Bark65]

"The 3 wings get glued to the center" This should read :"The 3 RIBS"get glued to the center of the middle wing panel. I made a typo.