My first endeavor into FFF (fan fold foam) began by accident. While searching for a tutorial on Expo and Dual Rates, I happened upon some very straight forward and enjoyable videos by Eric R. Krystof of the same.I noticed another video on his site that immediately caught my eye. With left over FFF and sharp razor knife in hand, I built the combat design from the video in a little over a couple of hours.
The power of this flyer is powered by a 2216-06 brushless motor with a 30 amp speed controller. I get nearly 24 oz of thrust on a 3S Lipo on a 6x4 prop! Don't forgot those dual rates!! Thanks Eric!
Being a complete newbie with zero experience other than a Parkzone Vapor and a Blade MCX, I was understandably a little apprehensive with the maiden flight. With 3/4 throttle and a firm toss into the wind, the little combat plane took off and hovered at about 60 feet! It was a little windy so I bumped up the throttle and attempted a left turn. Something about the combination of the throttle increase and the 15 mph tail wind caused her to take off like a bullet. Of course I panicked and like any seasoned flyer, I jacked the throttle to max and pointed her nose down only to fly full throttle into the ground. (insert sarcasm here).
The prop was completely shattered, but the motor shaft was straight. Thank goodness I invested in those prop savers! A small chunk of foam was missing from the nose as well as that wrinkled "slept in" look as illustrated on the right.Two things went wrong. The first being the pilot and the second was never, ever, ever fly a light blue plane against a clear blue sky at dusk. Very bad juju.
I took the flyer inside to remedy the situation. First, using some leftover fluorescent orange Krylon, I painted the motor mount and vertical stab. I found a skull and crossbones on the net and printed out the copy and placed it in a clear report cover and carved it out with a razor knife to make a stencil. Finally, I placed some reflective tape on the top side elevons and some thin blue tape on the bottom.With a newly decorated plane, I headed back out to the field of battle! The first flight was successful! The stripes, tape and orange paint really helped with the orientation. Second flight was a rousing success as I chased a group of blackbirds who where understandably afraid of their new rival. Must have been the skull and crossbones,
Thanks once again to Eric at http://www.hoverandsmile.com/ for his knowledge and support on this first homemade foam built combat flyer.
More to come...
